De'Aaron Fox vs Jabari Smith Jr.: who to start in Week 2
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jabari Smith Jr. 4. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 124.9 projected fantasy points to 106.1 for De'Aaron Fox. Over the season, De'Aaron Fox leads in both formats: 35.4 fantasy points a game to 31.2, and 42nd against 43rd 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 28, 12:33 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #45
- 35.4 FP/G, slot 4.09, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #42
- +0.5 z, slot 4.06, $18
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #72
- 31.2 FP/G, slot 6.12, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #43
- +0.5 z, slot 4.07, $18
The call
Points leagues: De'Aaron Fox. 35.4 fantasy points per game against 31.2, 45th on our board to 72nd.
9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox again, +0.5 in summed z-scores against +0.5 (42nd to 43rd).
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%) and Jabari Smith Jr. in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, De'Aaron Fox produces more: 41.1 fantasy points to 31.9, on 31.0 minutes a night against 35.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jabari Smith Jr. 4. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 124.9 projected fantasy points to 106.1 for De'Aaron Fox.
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Jabari Smith Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.4 | 31.2 |
| Minutes | 31.0 | 35.2 |
| PointsPTS | 18.4 | 16.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 6.5 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 2.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.8% | 46.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.9% | 78.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 77 |
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Jabari Smith Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.1 | 31.9 |
| Points | 21.3 | 16.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.5 | 7.0 |
| Assists | 7.6 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.8 | 1.3 |
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 | De'Aaron Fox | Jabari Smith Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | -0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +0.9 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.3 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.6 | +0.7 |
| Total | +0.5 | +0.5 |
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 points, assists, steals and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jabari Smith Jr..
| Punt | De'Aaron Fox | Jabari Smith Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.1 (#59) | +0.5 (#49) |
| REB | +1.3 (#29) | -0.1 (#60) |
| AST | -1.1 (#102) | +1.2 (#33) |
| STL | -0.5 (#74) | +0.9 (#36) |
| BLK | +1.4 (#33) | -0.2 (#66) |
| 3PM | +0.3 (#52) | -0.2 (#67) |
| FG% | -0.0 (#61) | +0.9 (#42) |
| FT% | +0.7 (#41) | +0.5 (#47) |
| TO | +1.2 (#40) | -0.2 (#68) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- De'Aaron Fox: 3 games (Tue SAC, Wed @UTA, Sat MIN), 1 back-to-back.
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 4 games (Mon ATL, Wed @MIL, Fri @DAL, Sat OKC), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Aaron Fox: 35.0 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 35.4 on the board.
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 34.4 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 31.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Aaron Fox playing tonight? · Is Jabari Smith Jr. playing tonight?
Rookie cards: De'Aaron Fox
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Aaron Fox or Jabari Smith Jr.?
Points leagues: De'Aaron Fox. 35.4 fantasy points per game against 31.2, 45th on our board to 72nd. 9-cat leagues: De'Aaron Fox again, +0.5 in summed z-scores against +0.5 (42nd to 43rd).
Who wins more categories, De'Aaron Fox or Jabari Smith Jr.?
Category by category, De'Aaron Fox is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%) and Jabari Smith Jr. in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, De'Aaron Fox or Jabari Smith Jr.?
De'Aaron Fox plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jabari Smith Jr. 4. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 124.9 projected fantasy points to 106.1 for De'Aaron Fox.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 28, 2026 at 12:33 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number