Bilal Coulibaly vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 3
Bilal Coulibaly plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 99.0 projected fantasy points to 73.4 for Jalen Smith. Over the season, Bilal Coulibaly leads in both formats: 24.7 fantasy points a game to 24.5, and 129th against 141st in 9-cat. 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #152
- 24.7 FP/G, slot 13.08, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #129
- -1.9 z, slot 11.09, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #153
- 24.5 FP/G, slot 13.09, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #141
- -2.1 z, slot 12.09, $3
The call
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly. 24.7 fantasy points per game against 24.5, 152nd on our board to 153rd.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (129th to 141st).
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and BLK) and Jalen Smith in 5 (REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 33.9, on 21.7 minutes a night against 26.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Bilal Coulibaly plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 99.0 projected fantasy points to 73.4 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Bilal Coulibaly | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.7 | 24.5 |
| Minutes | 26.2 | 21.7 |
| PointsPTS | 10.8 | 10.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 7.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.6% | 47.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.7% | 76.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 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 | Bilal Coulibaly | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.9 | 40.7 |
| Points | 14.8 | 17.8 |
| Rebounds | 5.8 | 12.1 |
| Assists | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 1.9 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 1.7 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Bilal Coulibaly | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -1.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.9 | -1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.6 | +0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +1.2 |
| Total | -1.9 | -2.1 |
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 assists and steals flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Smith.
| Punt | Bilal Coulibaly | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#103) | -1.1 (#115) |
| REB | -1.4 (#110) | -2.9 (#190) |
| AST | -1.2 (#107) | -1.0 (#92) |
| STL | -2.9 (#183) | -0.7 (#79) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#159) | -2.8 (#162) |
| 3PM | -1.1 (#102) | -1.9 (#143) |
| FG% | -1.8 (#119) | -2.3 (#137) |
| FT% | -1.4 (#113) | -1.9 (#140) |
| TO | -3.0 (#144) | -3.5 (#163) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Bilal Coulibaly: 4 games (Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC), 1 back-to-back.
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Mon @PHI, Wed @NYK, Sun PHI).
Recent games
- Bilal Coulibaly: 21.2 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 24.7 on the board.
- Jalen Smith: 28.4 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 24.5 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bilal Coulibaly playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Bilal Coulibaly
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bilal Coulibaly or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly. 24.7 fantasy points per game against 24.5, 152nd on our board to 153rd. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (129th to 141st).
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and BLK) and Jalen Smith in 5 (REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, Bilal Coulibaly or Jalen Smith?
Bilal Coulibaly plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Bilal Coulibaly: 99.0 projected fantasy points to 73.4 for Jalen Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number