Jalen Smith vs Jay Huff: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Smith in points leagues (22.8 fantasy points a game to 22.7) and Jay Huff in 9-cat leagues (95th against 159th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #164
- 22.8 FP/G, slot 14.08
- 9-cat leagues
- #159
- -2.7 z, slot 14.03
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #165
- 22.7 FP/G, slot 14.09
- 9-cat leagues
- #95
- -1.2 z, slot 8.11, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Smith. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 164th on our board to 165th.
9-cat leagues: Jay Huff instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -2.7 (95th to 159th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and FG%) and Jay Huff in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 39.8 fantasy points to 38.9, on 20.7 minutes a night against 21.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jay Huff 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 68.5 projected fantasy points to 68.0 for Jay Huff.
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 Smith | Jay Huff |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.8 | 22.7 |
| Minutes | 20.7 | 21.0 |
| PointsPTS | 10.2 | 9.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 4.0 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 1.9 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.3% | 47.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.2% | 82.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 53 | 82 |
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 Smith | Jay Huff |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.8 | 38.9 |
| Points | 17.8 | 16.4 |
| Rebounds | 11.7 | 6.8 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 3.2 |
| Threes | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 1.6 |
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 | Jalen Smith | Jay Huff |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.6 | -1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | +2.4 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +1.2 |
| Total | -2.7 | -1.2 |
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 blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Smith.
| Punt | Jalen Smith | Jay Huff |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.6 (#136) | -0.0 (#63) |
| REB | -3.2 (#206) | -0.5 (#72) |
| AST | -1.4 (#126) | -0.1 (#62) |
| STL | -1.2 (#102) | +0.2 (#58) |
| BLK | -3.1 (#179) | -3.8 (#223) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#160) | -1.0 (#94) |
| FG% | -2.9 (#154) | -1.1 (#91) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#150) | -1.3 (#108) |
| TO | -4.0 (#171) | -2.6 (#126) |
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)
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Jay Huff: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
Recent games
- Jalen Smith: 21.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.8 on the board.
- Jay Huff: 25.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.7 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 Jalen Smith or Jay Huff in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Smith. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 164th on our board to 165th. 9-cat leagues: Jay Huff instead, -1.2 in summed z-scores against -2.7 (95th to 159th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or Jay Huff?
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and FG%) and Jay Huff in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Smith or Jay Huff?
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jay Huff 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 68.5 projected fantasy points to 68.0 for Jay Huff.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number