Jalen Smith vs Jerami Grant: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jerami Grant 3. For that week alone, start Jerami Grant: 82.8 projected fantasy points to 69.6 for Jalen Smith. Over the season, Jerami Grant leads in both formats: 27.6 fantasy points a game to 23.2, and 150th against 151st 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #155
- 23.2 FP/G, slot 13.11, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #151
- -2.5 z, slot 13.07, $2
- Points leagues
- #109
- 27.6 FP/G, slot 10.01, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #150
- -2.5 z, slot 13.06, $2
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jerami Grant. 27.6 fantasy points per game against 23.2, 109th on our board to 155th.
9-cat leagues: Jerami Grant again, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (150th to 151st).
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Jerami Grant in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 33.8, on 20.6 minutes a night against 29.4. 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), Jerami Grant 3. For that week alone, start Jerami Grant: 82.8 projected fantasy points to 69.6 for Jalen 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jalen Smith | Jerami Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.2 | 27.6 |
| Minutes | 20.6 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 10.5 | 18.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 3.4 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 2.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.4% | 45.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.9% | 81.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 53 | 57 |
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 | Jerami Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 33.8 |
| Points | 18.4 | 22.5 |
| Rebounds | 11.9 | 4.1 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 2.7 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 2.6 |
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 | Jerami Grant |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | +0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -1.7 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.3 | -0.0 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.0 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | -0.4 |
| Total | -2.5 | -2.5 |
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 Smith.
| Punt | Jalen Smith | Jerami Grant |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#130) | -2.8 (#208) |
| REB | -3.1 (#201) | -1.5 (#115) |
| AST | -1.3 (#114) | -1.9 (#145) |
| STL | -0.9 (#90) | -1.7 (#126) |
| BLK | -3.0 (#171) | -2.6 (#153) |
| 3PM | -2.3 (#149) | -3.3 (#196) |
| FG% | -2.7 (#151) | -1.9 (#121) |
| FT% | -2.3 (#147) | -2.9 (#173) |
| TO | -3.9 (#170) | -2.2 (#114) |
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)
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Jerami Grant: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
Recent games
- Jalen Smith: 29.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.2 on the board.
- Jerami Grant: 21.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 27.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Smith playing tonight? · Is Jerami Grant playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Smith or Jerami Grant?
Points leagues: Jerami Grant. 27.6 fantasy points per game against 23.2, 109th on our board to 155th. 9-cat leagues: Jerami Grant again, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (150th to 151st).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or Jerami Grant?
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Jerami Grant in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Smith or Jerami Grant?
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jerami Grant 3. For that week alone, start Jerami Grant: 82.8 projected fantasy points to 69.6 for Jalen Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number