Christian Braun vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 1
Christian Braun plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 46.5 for Christian Braun. Over the season, Christian Braun leads in points leagues (23.3 fantasy points a game to 23.2) and Jalen Smith in 9-cat leagues (151st against 171st). 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 23, 9:47 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #154
- 23.3 FP/G, slot 13.10, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #171
- -3.0 z, slot 15.03
The pick in points 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 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Christian Braun. 23.3 fantasy points per game against 23.2, 154th on our board to 155th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (151st to 171st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Christian Braun is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 26.3, on 20.6 minutes a night against 31.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Christian Braun plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 46.5 for Christian Braun.
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 | Christian Braun | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.3 | 23.2 |
| Minutes | 31.9 | 20.6 |
| PointsPTS | 11.6 | 10.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.9 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.4% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.2% | 75.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 44 | 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 | Christian Braun | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 26.3 | 40.7 |
| Points | 13.2 | 18.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.5 | 11.9 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 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 | Christian Braun | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.3 | -0.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +1.2 |
| Total | -3.0 | -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 rebounds and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Christian Braun.
| Punt | Christian Braun | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#174) | -1.5 (#130) |
| REB | -2.7 (#176) | -3.1 (#201) |
| AST | -2.5 (#175) | -1.3 (#114) |
| STL | -2.2 (#149) | -0.9 (#90) |
| BLK | -2.3 (#145) | -3.0 (#170) |
| 3PM | -2.4 (#151) | -2.3 (#146) |
| FG% | -3.6 (#189) | -2.7 (#149) |
| FT% | -2.9 (#173) | -2.3 (#146) |
| TO | -4.2 (#182) | -3.8 (#169) |
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 393 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Christian Braun: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Christian Braun: 16.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.3 on the board.
- Jalen Smith: 34.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 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 Christian Braun playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Christian Braun
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Christian Braun or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Christian Braun. 23.3 fantasy points per game against 23.2, 154th on our board to 155th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (151st to 171st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Christian Braun or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Christian Braun is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Christian Braun or Jalen Smith?
Christian Braun plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 46.5 for Christian Braun.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 9:47 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number