Jakob Poeltl vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 2
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 71.3 projected fantasy points to 70.9 for Jakob Poeltl. Over the season, Jalen Smith leads in both formats: 23.8 fantasy points a game to 23.6, and 131st against 137th 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 26, 2:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #152
- 23.6 FP/G, slot 13.08, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #137
- -2.2 z, slot 12.05, $3
- Points leagues
- #151
- 23.8 FP/G, slot 13.07, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #131
- -2.0 z, slot 11.11, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 151st on our board to 152nd.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (131st to 137th).
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Jalen Smith in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 34.6, on 21.0 minutes a night against 24.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 71.3 projected fantasy points to 70.9 for Jakob Poeltl.
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 | Jakob Poeltl | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.6 | 23.8 |
| Minutes | 24.6 | 21.0 |
| PointsPTS | 9.4 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 68.9% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 60.2% | 77.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 46 | 53 |
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 | Jakob Poeltl | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.6 | 40.7 |
| Points | 13.8 | 18.7 |
| Rebounds | 9.9 | 11.9 |
| Assists | 2.6 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 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 | Jakob Poeltl | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.0 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.1 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.3 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +1.1 |
| Total | -2.2 | -2.0 |
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 points, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jakob Poeltl.
| Punt | Jakob Poeltl | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#103) | -1.0 (#106) |
| REB | -3.0 (#188) | -2.7 (#172) |
| AST | -1.3 (#112) | -0.7 (#84) |
| STL | -1.7 (#129) | -0.7 (#85) |
| BLK | -2.5 (#154) | -2.3 (#148) |
| 3PM | -0.4 (#76) | -1.8 (#130) |
| FG% | -4.9 (#245) | -2.2 (#130) |
| FT% | -0.9 (#91) | -1.8 (#130) |
| TO | -3.2 (#148) | -3.1 (#145) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Jakob Poeltl: 3 games (Wed ORL, Fri ORL, Sun @LAL).
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Mon @BOS, Wed NYK, Fri @BOS).
Recent games
- Jakob Poeltl: 13.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.6 on the board.
- Jalen Smith: 28.4 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jakob Poeltl playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jakob Poeltl or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 151st on our board to 152nd. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (131st to 137th).
Who wins more categories, Jakob Poeltl or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Jalen Smith in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Jakob Poeltl or Jalen Smith?
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 71.3 projected fantasy points to 70.9 for Jakob Poeltl.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number