Herbert Jones vs Marcus Smart: who to start in Week 1
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Herbert Jones: 60.5 projected fantasy points to 60.4 for Marcus Smart. Over the season, Herbert Jones leads in both formats: 20.2 fantasy points a game to 20.1, and 178th against 191st 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #205
- 20.2 FP/G, slot 18.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #178
- -3.2 z, slot 15.10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #207
- 20.1 FP/G, slot 18.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #191
- -3.6 z, slot 16.11
The call
Points leagues: Herbert Jones. 20.2 fantasy points per game against 20.1, 205th on our board to 207th.
9-cat leagues: Herbert Jones again, -3.2 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (178th to 191st).
Category by category, Herbert Jones is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Herbert Jones produces more: 26.8 fantasy points to 25.9, on 27.1 minutes a night against 28.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Herbert Jones: 60.5 projected fantasy points to 60.4 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Herbert Jones | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.2 | 20.1 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 28.0 |
| PointsPTS | 8.3 | 9.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 38.8% | 39.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.6% | 81.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 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 | Herbert Jones | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 26.8 | 25.9 |
| Points | 11.0 | 11.7 |
| Rebounds | 4.2 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 3.2 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 2.0 |
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 | Herbert Jones | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.3 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| Total | -3.2 | -3.6 |
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 turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Marcus Smart.
| Punt | Herbert Jones | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#156) | -2.3 (#190) |
| REB | -2.2 (#139) | -2.3 (#148) |
| AST | -2.7 (#186) | -3.2 (#203) |
| STL | -4.4 (#268) | -4.5 (#273) |
| BLK | -2.9 (#166) | -3.0 (#171) |
| 3PM | -3.0 (#184) | -3.5 (#204) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#128) | -2.7 (#146) |
| FT% | -3.3 (#185) | -3.7 (#208) |
| TO | -4.2 (#184) | -4.1 (#177) |
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 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Herbert Jones: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Herbert Jones: 6.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.2 on the board.
- Marcus Smart: 13.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.1 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Herbert Jones playing tonight? · Is Marcus Smart playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Herbert Jones or Marcus Smart?
Points leagues: Herbert Jones. 20.2 fantasy points per game against 20.1, 205th on our board to 207th. 9-cat leagues: Herbert Jones again, -3.2 in summed z-scores against -3.6 (178th to 191st).
Who wins more categories, Herbert Jones or Marcus Smart?
Category by category, Herbert Jones is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Herbert Jones or Marcus Smart?
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Herbert Jones: 60.5 projected fantasy points to 60.4 for Marcus Smart.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number