Day'Ron Sharpe vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 1
Day'Ron Sharpe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Day'Ron Sharpe: 70.1 projected fantasy points to 69.6 for Jalen Smith. Over the season, Day'Ron Sharpe leads in points leagues (23.4 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #154
- 23.4 FP/G, slot 13.10, $2
- 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: Day'Ron Sharpe. 23.4 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, Day'Ron Sharpe is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Jalen Smith in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Day'Ron Sharpe produces more: 43.4 fantasy points to 40.7, on 19.4 minutes a night against 20.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Day'Ron Sharpe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Day'Ron Sharpe: 70.1 projected fantasy points to 69.6 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Day'Ron Sharpe | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.4 | 23.2 |
| Minutes | 19.4 | 20.6 |
| PointsPTS | 8.7 | 10.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 61.2% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 66.0% | 75.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 62 | 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 | Day'Ron Sharpe | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 43.4 | 40.7 |
| Points | 16.1 | 18.4 |
| Rebounds | 12.5 | 11.9 |
| Assists | 4.4 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 1.9 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 0.3 | 2.5 |
| 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 | Day'Ron Sharpe | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | +0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.0 | -1.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.2 | +0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -1.5 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.2 | -0.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +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 threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Day'Ron Sharpe.
| Punt | Day'Ron Sharpe | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#143) | -1.5 (#130) |
| REB | -3.7 (#242) | -3.1 (#201) |
| AST | -2.3 (#168) | -1.3 (#114) |
| STL | -3.0 (#186) | -0.9 (#90) |
| BLK | -3.1 (#173) | -3.0 (#171) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#108) | -2.3 (#149) |
| FG% | -4.8 (#249) | -2.7 (#151) |
| FT% | -1.9 (#131) | -2.3 (#147) |
| TO | -3.3 (#145) | -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)
- Day'Ron Sharpe: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Day'Ron Sharpe: 29.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.4 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 Day'Ron Sharpe playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Day'Ron Sharpe or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Day'Ron Sharpe. 23.4 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, Day'Ron Sharpe or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Day'Ron Sharpe is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Jalen Smith in 5 (PTS, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Day'Ron Sharpe or Jalen Smith?
Day'Ron Sharpe plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Day'Ron Sharpe: 70.1 projected fantasy points to 69.6 for Jalen Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number