Dominick Barlow vs Javon Small: who to start in Week 1
Dominick Barlow plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dominick Barlow. Over the season, Javon Small leads in points leagues (20.7 fantasy points a game to 19.4) and Dominick Barlow in 9-cat leagues (186th against 187th). 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
- #214
- 19.4 FP/G, slot 18.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #186
- -3.4 z, slot 16.06
Out (Back)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #198
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #187
- -3.4 z, slot 16.07
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Javon Small. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 19.4, 198th on our board to 214th.
9-cat leagues: Dominick Barlow instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (186th to 187th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Dominick Barlow is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Javon Small in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Javon Small produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 29.3, on 20.2 minutes a night against 23.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Dominick Barlow plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dominick Barlow.
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 | Dominick Barlow | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.4 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 23.8 | 20.2 |
| PointsPTS | 7.7 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 0.3 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 53.9% | 46.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 71.8% | 82.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 71 | 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 | Dominick Barlow | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 29.3 | 36.8 |
| Points | 11.6 | 17.2 |
| Rebounds | 7.2 | 5.6 |
| Assists | 1.9 | 6.5 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 0.4 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 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 | Dominick Barlow | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.5 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -1.4 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.4 | +0.6 |
| Total | -3.4 | -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
Punting rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Javon Small.
| Punt | Dominick Barlow | Javon Small |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#159) | -2.3 (#183) |
| REB | -3.2 (#209) | -2.4 (#153) |
| AST | -2.2 (#161) | -3.5 (#221) |
| STL | -3.1 (#192) | -3.0 (#187) |
| BLK | -3.8 (#226) | -2.7 (#159) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#139) | -3.3 (#201) |
| FG% | -4.4 (#228) | -3.4 (#175) |
| FT% | -2.9 (#172) | -3.7 (#206) |
| TO | -4.9 (#210) | -4.2 (#184) |
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)
- Dominick Barlow: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Javon Small: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
Recent games
- Dominick Barlow: 18.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 19.4 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 Dominick Barlow playing tonight? · Is Javon Small playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Javon Small
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dominick Barlow or Javon Small?
Points leagues: Javon Small. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 19.4, 198th on our board to 214th. 9-cat leagues: Dominick Barlow instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (186th to 187th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Dominick Barlow or Javon Small?
Category by category, Dominick Barlow is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Javon Small in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dominick Barlow or Javon Small?
Dominick Barlow plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Javon Small 3. For that week alone, start Javon Small: 62.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dominick Barlow.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number