Jabari Smith Jr. vs Jarrett Allen: who to start in Week 1
Jabari Smith Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarrett Allen 2. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 91.7 projected fantasy points to 64.1 for Jarrett Allen. Over the season, Jarrett Allen leads in points leagues (32.1 fantasy points a game to 30.6) and Jabari Smith Jr. in 9-cat leagues (52nd against 53rd). 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
- #79
- 30.6 FP/G, slot 7.07, $13
- 9-cat leagues
- #52
- +0.2 z, slot 5.04, $17
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #66
- 32.1 FP/G, slot 6.06, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #53
- +0.2 z, slot 5.05, $16
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jarrett Allen. 32.1 fantasy points per game against 30.6, 66th on our board to 79th.
9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. instead, +0.2 in summed z-scores against +0.2 (52nd to 53rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jabari Smith Jr. is ahead in 3 (PTS, 3PM and FT%) and Jarrett Allen in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jarrett Allen produces more: 42.5 fantasy points to 31.4, on 27.2 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), Jarrett Allen 2. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 91.7 projected fantasy points to 64.1 for Jarrett Allen.
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. | Jarrett Allen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.6 | 32.1 |
| Minutes | 35.1 | 27.2 |
| PointsPTS | 16.1 | 15.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 8.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.4% | 63.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.7% | 69.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 56 |
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. | Jarrett Allen |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 31.4 | 42.5 |
| Points | 16.5 | 20.2 |
| Rebounds | 6.8 | 11.1 |
| Assists | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.7 |
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. | Jarrett Allen |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.0 | -0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | +1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.6 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | +0.5 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | +2.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -1.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| Total | +0.2 | +0.2 |
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, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jarrett Allen.
| Punt | Jabari Smith Jr. | Jarrett Allen |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.2 (#54) | +0.3 (#49) |
| REB | -0.3 (#69) | -1.4 (#115) |
| AST | +1.0 (#35) | +1.0 (#36) |
| STL | +0.7 (#44) | +0.4 (#50) |
| BLK | -0.5 (#72) | -0.6 (#78) |
| 3PM | -0.6 (#82) | +1.8 (#26) |
| FG% | +0.6 (#49) | -3.1 (#160) |
| FT% | +0.2 (#53) | +1.6 (#30) |
| TO | -0.5 (#68) | -0.6 (#69) |
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.
- Jarrett Allen: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Jabari Smith Jr. or Jarrett Allen: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 32.0 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 30.6 on the board.
- Jarrett Allen: 27.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 32.1 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 Jarrett Allen playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Jarrett Allen
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jarrett Allen?
Points leagues: Jarrett Allen. 32.1 fantasy points per game against 30.6, 66th on our board to 79th. 9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. instead, +0.2 in summed z-scores against +0.2 (52nd to 53rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jarrett Allen?
Category by category, Jabari Smith Jr. is ahead in 3 (PTS, 3PM and FT%) and Jarrett Allen in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jabari Smith Jr. or Jarrett Allen?
Jabari Smith Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarrett Allen 2. For that week alone, start Jabari Smith Jr.: 91.7 projected fantasy points to 64.1 for Jarrett Allen.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number