Brandon Williams vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 1
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 72.4 projected fantasy points to 70.8 for Brandon Williams. Over the season, Jalen Smith leads in both formats: 24.1 fantasy points a game to 23.6, and 120th against 222nd 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 Oct 24, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #149
- 23.6 FP/G, slot 13.05, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #222
- -4.1 z, slot 19.06
- 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 points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 147th on our board to 149th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith again, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -4.1 (120th to 222nd).
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 41.9 fantasy points to 40.2, on 20.8 minutes a night against 21.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 72.4 projected fantasy points to 70.8 for Brandon Williams.
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 | Brandon Williams | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.6 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 21.1 | 20.8 |
| PointsPTS | 12.5 | 10.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.9 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.6% | 49.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.7% | 75.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 66 | 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 | Brandon Williams | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.2 | 41.9 |
| Points | 21.4 | 18.6 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 12.4 |
| Assists | 6.2 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 0.9 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 3.2 | 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 | Brandon Williams | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.3 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | -1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | +1.1 |
| Total | -4.1 | -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
No punt changes the answer: Jalen Smith stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Brandon Williams | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.5 (#245) | -0.8 (#98) |
| REB | -3.0 (#195) | -2.5 (#165) |
| AST | -4.2 (#252) | -0.6 (#76) |
| STL | -4.3 (#257) | -0.6 (#77) |
| BLK | -3.5 (#197) | -2.2 (#142) |
| 3PM | -3.0 (#187) | -1.6 (#119) |
| FG% | -4.0 (#202) | -2.1 (#129) |
| FT% | -4.4 (#237) | -1.5 (#115) |
| TO | -4.2 (#187) | -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)
- Brandon Williams: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brandon Williams: 19.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 23.6 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 Brandon Williams playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brandon Williams or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 147th on our board to 149th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith again, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -4.1 (120th to 222nd).
Who wins more categories, Brandon Williams or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandon Williams or Jalen Smith?
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 72.4 projected fantasy points to 70.8 for Brandon Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number