Isaiah Stewart vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 1
Isaiah Stewart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 66.6 for Isaiah Stewart. Over the season, Jalen Smith leads in both formats: 23.2 fantasy points a game to 22.2, and 151st against 153rd 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 22, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #172
- 22.2 FP/G, slot 15.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #153
- -2.5 z, slot 13.09, $2
Day to day (Ankle)
- Points leagues
- #155
- 23.2 FP/G, slot 13.11, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #151
- -2.5 z, slot 13.07, $2
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 23.2 fantasy points per game against 22.2, 155th on our board to 172nd.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith again, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (151st to 153rd).
Category by category, Isaiah Stewart is ahead in 2 (BLK and FG%) and Jalen Smith in 6 (PTS, REB, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 35.2, on 20.6 minutes a night against 22.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Isaiah Stewart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 66.6 for Isaiah Stewart.
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 | Isaiah Stewart | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.2 | 23.2 |
| Minutes | 22.7 | 20.6 |
| PointsPTS | 10.0 | 10.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.0 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 55.0% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.6% | 75.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 58 | 53 |
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 | Isaiah Stewart | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.2 | 40.7 |
| Points | 15.9 | 18.4 |
| Rebounds | 7.9 | 11.9 |
| Assists | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 1.6 |
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 | Isaiah Stewart | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.4 | +0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -2.1 | -1.7 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.9 | +0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -1.0 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.7 | -0.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +1.2 |
| Total | -2.5 | -2.5 |
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, rebounds, assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Isaiah Stewart.
| Punt | Isaiah Stewart | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#126) | -1.5 (#130) |
| REB | -2.4 (#157) | -3.1 (#201) |
| AST | -1.3 (#113) | -1.3 (#114) |
| STL | -0.6 (#79) | -0.9 (#90) |
| BLK | -4.7 (#263) | -3.0 (#171) |
| 3PM | -1.6 (#116) | -2.3 (#149) |
| FG% | -3.6 (#189) | -2.7 (#151) |
| FT% | -2.3 (#146) | -2.3 (#147) |
| TO | -3.7 (#163) | -3.9 (#170) |
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)
- Isaiah Stewart: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC), listed DTD.
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Isaiah Stewart: 20.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.2 on the board.
- Jalen Smith: 29.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Isaiah Stewart playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Isaiah Stewart or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 23.2 fantasy points per game against 22.2, 155th on our board to 172nd. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith again, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (151st to 153rd).
Who wins more categories, Isaiah Stewart or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Isaiah Stewart is ahead in 2 (BLK and FG%) and Jalen Smith in 6 (PTS, REB, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Isaiah Stewart or Jalen Smith?
Isaiah Stewart plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 69.6 projected fantasy points to 66.6 for Isaiah Stewart.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number