Bub Carrington vs Javon Small: who to start in Week 1
Bub Carrington plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Bub Carrington: 62.7 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small. Over the season, Bub Carrington leads in points leagues (20.9 fantasy points a game to 20.7) and Javon Small in 9-cat leagues (184th against 254th). 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
- #192
- 20.9 FP/G, slot 16.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #254
- -4.9 z, slot 22.02
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #194
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #184
- -3.4 z, slot 16.04
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Bub Carrington. 20.9 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 192nd on our board to 194th.
9-cat leagues: Javon Small instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -4.9 (184th to 254th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Bub Carrington is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and 3PM) and Javon Small in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Javon Small produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 28.7, on 20.2 minutes a night against 26.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Bub Carrington plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Bub Carrington: 62.7 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small.
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 | Bub Carrington | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.9 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 26.2 | 20.2 |
| PointsPTS | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 4.3 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.2% | 46.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.4% | 82.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 41 |
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 | Bub Carrington | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.7 | 36.8 |
| Points | 14.0 | 17.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.2 | 5.6 |
| Assists | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.7 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 2.4 |
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 | Bub Carrington | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.4 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.4 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +0.6 |
| Total | -4.9 | -3.4 |
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: Javon Small stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Bub Carrington | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.8 (#262) | -2.2 (#183) |
| REB | -3.8 (#242) | -2.3 (#147) |
| AST | -5.3 (#301) | -3.5 (#221) |
| STL | -4.0 (#238) | -2.9 (#183) |
| BLK | -4.0 (#228) | -2.6 (#151) |
| 3PM | -5.3 (#291) | -3.2 (#194) |
| FG% | -4.2 (#209) | -3.3 (#169) |
| FT% | -4.7 (#249) | -3.6 (#203) |
| TO | -4.7 (#196) | -4.1 (#181) |
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)
- Bub Carrington: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Javon Small: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
Recent games
- Bub Carrington: 13.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.9 on the board.
- Javon Small: 24.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Bub Carrington playing tonight? · Is Javon Small playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Javon Small
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Bub Carrington or Javon Small?
Points leagues: Bub Carrington. 20.9 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 192nd on our board to 194th. 9-cat leagues: Javon Small instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -4.9 (184th to 254th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Bub Carrington or Javon Small?
Category by category, Bub Carrington is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and 3PM) and Javon Small in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Bub Carrington or Javon Small?
Bub Carrington plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Bub Carrington: 62.7 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number