Jabari Smith Jr. vs Jalen Suggs: who to start in Week 1
Jabari Smith Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Suggs 3. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 93.4 projected fantasy points to 92.8 for Jalen Suggs. Over the season, Jabari Smith Jr. leads in points leagues (31.1 fantasy points a game to 30.9) and Jalen Suggs in 9-cat leagues (48th against 55th). 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, 2:56 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #73
- 31.1 FP/G, slot 7.01, $13
- 9-cat leagues
- #55
- +0.1 z, slot 5.07, $16
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #74
- 30.9 FP/G, slot 7.02, $13
- 9-cat leagues
- #48
- +0.5 z, slot 4.12, $18
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jabari Smith Jr.. 31.1 fantasy points per game against 30.9, 73rd on our board to 74th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Suggs instead, +0.5 in summed z-scores against +0.1 (48th to 55th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jabari Smith Jr. is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Jalen Suggs in 3 (AST, STL and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Suggs produces more: 39.9 fantasy points to 31.9, on 27.9 minutes a night against 35.2. 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), Jalen Suggs 3. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 93.4 projected fantasy points to 92.8 for Jalen Suggs.
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. | Jalen Suggs |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 31.1 | 30.9 |
| Minutes | 35.2 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 16.7 | 13.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 5.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.6% | 42.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.8% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 2.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 57 |
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. | Jalen Suggs |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 31.9 | 39.9 |
| Points | 17.1 | 17.2 |
| Rebounds | 6.9 | 4.9 |
| Assists | 1.8 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 2.4 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 3.4 |
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 | Jabari Smith Jr. | Jalen Suggs |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.0 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | +2.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | -1.0 |
| Total | +0.1 | +0.5 |
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 assists, steals and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jabari Smith Jr..
| Punt | Jabari Smith Jr. | Jalen Suggs |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.0 (#56) | +0.9 (#37) |
| REB | -0.4 (#65) | +1.3 (#34) |
| AST | +1.0 (#36) | -0.6 (#76) |
| STL | +0.7 (#42) | -2.0 (#140) |
| BLK | -0.4 (#70) | +0.5 (#47) |
| 3PM | -0.7 (#86) | -0.0 (#65) |
| FG% | +0.5 (#49) | +1.6 (#33) |
| FT% | +0.2 (#56) | -0.0 (#64) |
| TO | -0.6 (#70) | +1.5 (#41) |
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)
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- Jalen Suggs: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK).
Recent games
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 42.5 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 31.1 on the board.
- Jalen Suggs: 32.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.9 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 Jalen Suggs playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jalen Suggs
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jalen Suggs?
Points leagues: Jabari Smith Jr.. 31.1 fantasy points per game against 30.9, 73rd on our board to 74th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Suggs instead, +0.5 in summed z-scores against +0.1 (48th to 55th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jalen Suggs?
Category by category, Jabari Smith Jr. is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and Jalen Suggs in 3 (AST, STL and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jalen Suggs?
Jabari Smith Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Suggs 3. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 93.4 projected fantasy points to 92.8 for Jalen Suggs.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 2:56 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number