Jake LaRavia vs Marcus Smart: who to start in Week 1
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 58.9 for Jake LaRavia. Over the season, Marcus Smart leads in points leagues (20.8 fantasy points a game to 19.6) and Jake LaRavia in 9-cat leagues (172nd against 173rd). 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, 3:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #211
- 19.6 FP/G, slot 18.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #172
- -3.0 z, slot 15.04
Day to day (Ankle)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #195
- 20.8 FP/G, slot 17.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #173
- -3.0 z, slot 15.05
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.8 fantasy points per game against 19.6, 195th on our board to 211th.
9-cat leagues: Jake LaRavia instead, -3.0 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (172nd to 173rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jake LaRavia is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jake LaRavia produces more: 28.6 fantasy points to 26.3, on 24.7 minutes a night against 28.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 58.9 for Jake LaRavia.
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 | Jake LaRavia | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.6 | 20.8 |
| Minutes | 24.7 | 28.4 |
| PointsPTS | 8.3 | 9.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 40.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.3% | 82.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 62 |
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 | Jake LaRavia | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.6 | 26.3 |
| Points | 12.1 | 11.9 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 3.7 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 1.8 |
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 | Jake LaRavia | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.7 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +0.5 |
| Total | -3.0 | -3.0 |
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, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Marcus Smart.
| Punt | Jake LaRavia | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#138) | -1.8 (#156) |
| REB | -2.3 (#149) | -1.8 (#125) |
| AST | -2.1 (#152) | -2.7 (#187) |
| STL | -3.7 (#215) | -4.1 (#243) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#161) | -2.5 (#147) |
| 3PM | -2.4 (#152) | -3.0 (#181) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#166) | -2.2 (#128) |
| FT% | -2.8 (#166) | -3.2 (#180) |
| TO | -4.1 (#178) | -3.6 (#158) |
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)
- Jake LaRavia: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA), listed DTD.
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jake LaRavia: 17.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 19.6 on the board.
- Marcus Smart: 17.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jake LaRavia playing tonight? · Is Marcus Smart playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jake LaRavia or Marcus Smart?
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 20.8 fantasy points per game against 19.6, 195th on our board to 211th. 9-cat leagues: Jake LaRavia instead, -3.0 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (172nd to 173rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jake LaRavia or Marcus Smart?
Category by category, Jake LaRavia is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jake LaRavia or Marcus Smart?
Jake LaRavia plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 62.3 projected fantasy points to 58.9 for Jake LaRavia.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number