Jabari Smith vs Jalen Williams: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Williams in points leagues (33.3 fantasy points a game to 30.4) and Jabari Smith in 9-cat leagues (80th against 83rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #86
- 30.4 FP/G, slot 8.02, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #80
- -0.6 z, slot 7.08, $12
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #63
- 33.3 FP/G, slot 6.03, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #83
- -0.6 z, slot 7.11, $12
Game-time decision (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Williams. 33.3 fantasy points per game against 30.4, 63rd on our board to 86th.
9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith instead, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (80th to 83rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jabari Smith is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Jalen Williams in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Williams produces more: 42.2 fantasy points to 31.1, on 28.4 minutes a night against 35.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jabari Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.8 projected fantasy points to 91.2 for Jabari Smith.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jabari Smith | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.4 | 33.3 |
| Minutes | 35.1 | 28.4 |
| PointsPTS | 15.8 | 17.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 5.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.0% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.5% | 83.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 33 |
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 31.1 | 42.2 |
| Points | 16.2 | 21.7 |
| Rebounds | 7.0 | 5.8 |
| Assists | 1.9 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 0.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 2.4 |
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 | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +0.7 | -1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | -0.1 |
| Total | -0.6 | -0.6 |
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 rebounds, blocks, threes and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Williams.
| Punt | Jabari Smith | Jalen Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.5 (#83) | -0.7 (#94) |
| REB | -1.1 (#97) | -0.2 (#62) |
| AST | +0.3 (#52) | -1.6 (#131) |
| STL | +0.2 (#57) | -1.2 (#103) |
| BLK | -1.2 (#93) | +0.1 (#63) |
| 3PM | -1.3 (#102) | +0.2 (#58) |
| FG% | +0.1 (#63) | -0.9 (#84) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#77) | -1.2 (#103) |
| TO | -1.3 (#93) | -0.6 (#74) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jabari Smith: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- Jalen Williams: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Jabari Smith: 31.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.4 on the board.
- Jalen Williams: 29.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 33.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Jabari Smith or Jalen Williams in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Williams. 33.3 fantasy points per game against 30.4, 63rd on our board to 86th. 9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith instead, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -0.6 (80th to 83rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jabari Smith or Jalen Williams?
Category by category, Jabari Smith is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Jalen Williams in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jabari Smith or Jalen Williams?
Jabari Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Williams 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Williams: 99.8 projected fantasy points to 91.2 for Jabari Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number