Jalen Slawson vs Marcus Smart: who to start in Week 3
Jalen Slawson plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 63.6 projected fantasy points to 60.3 for Jalen Slawson. Over the season, Marcus Smart leads in both formats: 21.2 fantasy points a game to 20.1, and 166th against 167th 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 Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #213
- 20.1 FP/G, slot 18.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #167
- -2.9 z, slot 14.11
- Points leagues
- #194
- 21.2 FP/G, slot 17.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #166
- -2.8 z, slot 14.10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 21.2 fantasy points per game against 20.1, 194th on our board to 213th.
9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart again, -2.8 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (166th to 167th).
Category by category, Jalen Slawson is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Marcus Smart in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Slawson produces more: 33.9 fantasy points to 27.8, on 21.4 minutes a night against 27.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Slawson plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 63.6 projected fantasy points to 60.3 for Jalen Slawson.
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 | Jalen Slawson | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.1 | 21.2 |
| Minutes | 21.4 | 27.4 |
| PointsPTS | 6.2 | 9.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 2.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.1 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.7% | 41.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 68.8% | 83.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 13 | 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 | Jalen Slawson | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.9 | 27.8 |
| Points | 10.4 | 12.8 |
| Rebounds | 6.9 | 3.8 |
| Assists | 3.6 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 1.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 2.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Jalen Slawson | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.9 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | +0.8 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.9 | +0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.4 |
| Total | -2.9 | -2.8 |
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, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Slawson.
| Punt | Jalen Slawson | Marcus Smart |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#110) | -1.6 (#144) |
| REB | -2.3 (#152) | -1.6 (#119) |
| AST | -2.1 (#153) | -2.5 (#179) |
| STL | -3.6 (#231) | -3.8 (#246) |
| BLK | -3.7 (#207) | -2.1 (#138) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#138) | -2.8 (#185) |
| FG% | -2.9 (#159) | -2.1 (#131) |
| FT% | -2.2 (#155) | -3.0 (#189) |
| TO | -3.9 (#170) | -3.3 (#152) |
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 438 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Jalen Slawson: 3 games (Mon ATL, Wed @MEM, Sat DEN), 1 back-to-back.
- Marcus Smart: 3 games (Mon BOS, Wed MIN, Sat @PHX).
Recent games
- Jalen Slawson: 14.2 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 20.1 on the board.
- Marcus Smart: 21.8 fantasy points a game over his last 5 of 2026-27, against 21.2 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Slawson playing tonight? · Is Marcus Smart playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Slawson or Marcus Smart?
Points leagues: Marcus Smart. 21.2 fantasy points per game against 20.1, 194th on our board to 213th. 9-cat leagues: Marcus Smart again, -2.8 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (166th to 167th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Slawson or Marcus Smart?
Category by category, Jalen Slawson 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 3, Jalen Slawson or Marcus Smart?
Jalen Slawson plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Marcus Smart 3. For that week alone, start Marcus Smart: 63.6 projected fantasy points to 60.3 for Jalen Slawson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number