De'Andre Hunter vs Javon Small: who to start in Week 2
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start De'Andre Hunter: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small. Over the season, De'Andre Hunter leads in points leagues (20.8 fantasy points a game to 20.7) and Javon Small in 9-cat leagues (187th against 275th). 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 27, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #188
- 20.8 FP/G, slot 16.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #275
- -5.6 z, slot 23.11
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #190
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 16.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #187
- -3.4 z, slot 16.07
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: De'Andre Hunter. 20.8 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 188th on our board to 190th.
9-cat leagues: Javon Small instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -5.6 (187th to 275th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and 3PM) and Javon Small in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Javon Small produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 28.9, on 20.2 minutes a night against 25.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start De'Andre Hunter: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small.
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'Andre Hunter | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.8 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 25.9 | 20.2 |
| PointsPTS | 12.3 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.3 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.2% | 46.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.9% | 82.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 41 |
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'Andre Hunter | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.9 | 36.8 |
| Points | 17.1 | 17.2 |
| Rebounds | 6.0 | 5.6 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 2.4 |
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'Andre Hunter | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.3 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| Total | -5.6 | -3.4 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Javon Small stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | De'Andre Hunter | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -4.8 (#320) | -2.2 (#181) |
| REB | -5.2 (#299) | -2.3 (#155) |
| AST | -4.7 (#273) | -3.5 (#211) |
| STL | -4.4 (#262) | -2.9 (#176) |
| BLK | -4.7 (#254) | -2.6 (#156) |
| 3PM | -5.5 (#302) | -3.2 (#192) |
| FG% | -4.6 (#230) | -3.3 (#170) |
| FT% | -5.5 (#279) | -3.6 (#200) |
| TO | -6.1 (#248) | -4.1 (#176) |
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'Andre Hunter: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu @NOP, Sat @MEM).
- Javon Small: 3 games (Mon @UTA, Thu @POR, Sat SAC), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Andre Hunter: 12.9 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 20.8 on the board.
- Javon Small: 24.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Andre Hunter playing tonight? · Is Javon Small playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Javon Small
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Andre Hunter or Javon Small?
Points leagues: De'Andre Hunter. 20.8 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 188th on our board to 190th. 9-cat leagues: Javon Small instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -5.6 (187th to 275th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Andre Hunter or Javon Small?
Category by category, De'Andre Hunter is ahead in 3 (PTS, REB and 3PM) and Javon Small in 6 (AST, STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, De'Andre Hunter or Javon Small?
De'Andre Hunter plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start De'Andre Hunter: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number