Anthony Black vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 1
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 72.4 for Jalen Smith. Over the season, Anthony Black leads in points leagues (29.4 fantasy points a game to 24.1) and Jalen Smith in 9-cat leagues (120th against 121st). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #90
- 29.4 FP/G, slot 8.06, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #121
- -1.8 z, slot 11.01, $5
Day to day (Ankle)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #147
- 24.1 FP/G, slot 13.03, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #120
- -1.7 z, slot 10.12, $5
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Anthony Black. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 90th on our board to 147th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (120th to 121st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM) and Jalen Smith in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 41.9 fantasy points to 35.5, on 20.8 minutes a night against 29.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 72.4 for Jalen Smith.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Anthony Black | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.4 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 29.8 | 20.8 |
| PointsPTS | 15.0 | 10.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.7% | 49.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.2% | 75.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 53 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Anthony Black | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.5 | 41.9 |
| Points | 18.1 | 18.6 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 12.4 |
| Assists | 4.4 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 1.6 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Anthony Black | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.0 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.2 | +1.1 |
| Total | -1.8 | -1.7 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Anthony Black.
| Punt | Anthony Black | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#141) | -0.8 (#98) |
| REB | -1.1 (#98) | -2.5 (#165) |
| AST | -1.9 (#146) | -0.6 (#76) |
| STL | -2.9 (#181) | -0.6 (#77) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#132) | -2.2 (#142) |
| 3PM | -1.8 (#128) | -1.6 (#119) |
| FG% | -1.4 (#97) | -2.1 (#129) |
| FT% | -1.1 (#98) | -1.5 (#115) |
| TO | -1.6 (#99) | -3.0 (#141) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Anthony Black: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed DTD.
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Anthony Black: 19.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.4 on the board.
- Jalen Smith: 34.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Anthony Black playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Anthony Black
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Black or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Anthony Black. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 90th on our board to 147th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (120th to 121st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Anthony Black or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and 3PM) and Jalen Smith in 5 (REB, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Black or Jalen Smith?
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 72.4 for Jalen Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number