Jabari Smith Jr. vs Jaime Jaquez Jr.: who to start in Week 1
Jabari Smith Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaime Jaquez Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 91.2 projected fantasy points to 89.8 for Jaime Jaquez Jr.. Over the season, Jabari Smith Jr. leads in both formats: 30.4 fantasy points a game to 29.9, and 55th against 167th 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #80
- 30.4 FP/G, slot 7.08, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #55
- +0.2 z, slot 5.07, $16
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #82
- 29.9 FP/G, slot 7.10, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #167
- -2.8 z, slot 14.11
The call
Points leagues: Jabari Smith Jr.. 30.4 fantasy points per game against 29.9, 80th on our board to 82nd.
9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. again, +0.2 in summed z-scores against -2.8 (55th to 167th).
Category by category, Jabari Smith Jr. is ahead in 6 (REB, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in 2 (AST and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jaime Jaquez Jr. produces more: 37.4 fantasy points to 31.2, on 28.8 minutes a night against 35.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jabari Smith Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaime Jaquez Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 91.2 projected fantasy points to 89.8 for Jaime Jaquez Jr..
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 | Jabari Smith Jr. | Jaime Jaquez Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.4 | 29.9 |
| Minutes | 35.1 | 28.8 |
| PointsPTS | 16.0 | 16.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.6 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 4.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 0.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.2% | 52.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.6% | 74.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 2.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 75 |
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 | Jabari Smith Jr. | Jaime Jaquez Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 31.2 | 37.4 |
| Points | 16.4 | 20.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.7 | 7.0 |
| Assists | 1.9 | 5.7 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 1.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.3 | 2.8 |
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 | Jabari Smith Jr. | Jaime Jaquez Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -0.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.5 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | -0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | +0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.0 | -0.6 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | -0.5 |
| Total | +0.2 | -2.8 |
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: Jabari Smith Jr. stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Jabari Smith Jr. | Jaime Jaquez Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.2 (#56) | -2.8 (#207) |
| REB | -0.3 (#65) | -2.9 (#186) |
| AST | +1.0 (#38) | -3.3 (#209) |
| STL | +0.7 (#41) | -1.6 (#126) |
| BLK | -0.5 (#75) | -2.1 (#140) |
| 3PM | -0.6 (#80) | -2.1 (#147) |
| FG% | +0.6 (#48) | -4.2 (#210) |
| FT% | +0.1 (#57) | -2.2 (#148) |
| TO | -0.6 (#73) | -2.4 (#121) |
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)
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Jabari Smith Jr. or Jaime Jaquez Jr.: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 30.4 on the board.
- Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 33.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 29.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jabari Smith Jr. playing tonight? · Is Jaime Jaquez Jr. playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jaime Jaquez Jr.?
Points leagues: Jabari Smith Jr.. 30.4 fantasy points per game against 29.9, 80th on our board to 82nd. 9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. again, +0.2 in summed z-scores against -2.8 (55th to 167th).
Who wins more categories, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jaime Jaquez Jr.?
Category by category, Jabari Smith Jr. is ahead in 6 (REB, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in 2 (AST and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jaime Jaquez Jr.?
Jabari Smith Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaime Jaquez Jr. 3. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 91.2 projected fantasy points to 89.8 for Jaime Jaquez Jr..
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number