Cam Spencer vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 1
Cam Spencer plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 69.1 for Cam Spencer. Over the season, Jalen Smith leads in points leagues (23.2 fantasy points a game to 23.0) and Cam Spencer in 9-cat leagues (125th against 151st). 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 22, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #156
- 23.0 FP/G, slot 13.12, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #125
- -1.9 z, slot 11.05, $5
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #155
- 23.2 FP/G, slot 13.11, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #151
- -2.5 z, slot 13.07, $2
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 23.2 fantasy points per game against 23.0, 155th on our board to 156th.
9-cat leagues: Cam Spencer instead, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (125th to 151st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Cam Spencer is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 35.6, on 20.6 minutes a night against 23.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Cam Spencer plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 69.1 for Cam Spencer.
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 | Cam Spencer | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.0 | 23.2 |
| Minutes | 23.3 | 20.6 |
| PointsPTS | 10.6 | 10.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.6 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 5.3 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.6% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 94.0% | 75.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 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 | Cam Spencer | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.6 | 40.7 |
| Points | 16.3 | 18.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.0 | 11.9 |
| Assists | 8.2 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 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 | Cam Spencer | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.5 | +0.4 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | -1.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | +0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +0.3 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -0.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.8 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +1.2 |
| Total | -1.9 | -2.5 |
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, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Smith.
| Punt | Cam Spencer | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#103) | -1.5 (#130) |
| REB | -0.4 (#70) | -3.1 (#201) |
| AST | -2.9 (#192) | -1.3 (#114) |
| STL | -1.2 (#107) | -0.9 (#90) |
| BLK | -0.9 (#82) | -3.0 (#171) |
| 3PM | -2.3 (#151) | -2.3 (#149) |
| FG% | -1.6 (#106) | -2.7 (#151) |
| FT% | -2.8 (#165) | -2.3 (#147) |
| TO | -2.8 (#134) | -3.9 (#170) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Cam Spencer: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Cam Spencer: 11.6 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.0 on the board.
- Jalen Smith: 29.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Cam Spencer playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cam Spencer
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cam Spencer or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 23.2 fantasy points per game against 23.0, 155th on our board to 156th. 9-cat leagues: Cam Spencer instead, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (125th to 151st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Cam Spencer or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Cam Spencer is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cam Spencer or Jalen Smith?
Cam Spencer plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 69.1 for Cam Spencer.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number