Deandre Ayton vs Marcus Smart: who to start in Week 3
Deandre Ayton plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 91.1 projected fantasy points to 63.3 for Marcus Smart. Over the season, Deandre Ayton leads in points leagues (22.8 fantasy points a game to 21.1) and Marcus Smart in 9-cat leagues (166th against 167th). 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #170
- 22.8 FP/G, slot 15.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #167
- -2.7 z, slot 14.11
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #196
- 21.1 FP/G, slot 17.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #166
- -2.7 z, slot 14.10
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Deandre Ayton. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 21.1, 170th on our board to 196th.
9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart instead, -2.7 in summed z-scores against -2.7 (166th to 167th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Deandre Ayton produces more: 34.9 fantasy points to 27.3, on 23.5 minutes a night against 27.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Deandre Ayton plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 91.1 projected fantasy points to 63.3 for Marcus Smart.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Deandre Ayton | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.8 | 21.1 |
| Minutes | 23.5 | 27.8 |
| PointsPTS | 10.5 | 9.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 2.8 |
| AssistsAST | 0.8 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 67.4% | 42.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 62.8% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 62 |
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 | Deandre Ayton | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.9 | 27.3 |
| Points | 16.1 | 12.7 |
| Rebounds | 10.6 | 3.6 |
| Assists | 1.2 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.8 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 2.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Deandre Ayton | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -1.5 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -1.6 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.1 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.9 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.5 |
| Total | -2.7 | -2.7 |
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 Deandre Ayton.
| Punt | Deandre Ayton | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#153) | -1.6 (#143) |
| REB | -3.5 (#222) | -1.5 (#113) |
| AST | -1.3 (#119) | -2.4 (#167) |
| STL | -1.3 (#110) | -3.8 (#234) |
| BLK | -3.4 (#188) | -2.1 (#135) |
| 3PM | -1.0 (#93) | -2.7 (#179) |
| FG% | -5.5 (#275) | -2.2 (#133) |
| FT% | -1.8 (#134) | -2.9 (#183) |
| TO | -4.3 (#183) | -3.3 (#152) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Deandre Ayton: 4 games (Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC), 1 back-to-back.
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Mon BOS, Wed MIN, Sat @PHX).
Recent games
- Deandre Ayton: 13.1 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 22.8 on the board.
- Marcus Smart: 21.8 fantasy points a game over his last 5 of 2026-27, against 21.1 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Deandre Ayton playing tonight? · Is Marcus Smart playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Deandre Ayton or Marcus Smart?
Points leagues: Deandre Ayton. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 21.1, 170th on our board to 196th. 9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart instead, -2.7 in summed z-scores against -2.7 (166th to 167th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Deandre Ayton or Marcus Smart?
Category by category, Deandre Ayton is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 3, Deandre Ayton or Marcus Smart?
Deandre Ayton plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Deandre Ayton: 91.1 projected fantasy points to 63.3 for Marcus Smart.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number