Jalen Smith vs Julian Champagnie: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 71.3 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Julian Champagnie. Over the season, Jalen Smith leads in points leagues (23.8 fantasy points a game to 23.6) and Julian Champagnie in 9-cat leagues (75th against 133rd). 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #152
- 23.8 FP/G, slot 13.08, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #133
- -2.0 z, slot 12.01, $4
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #153
- 23.6 FP/G, slot 13.09, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #75
- -0.6 z, slot 7.03, $12
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 152nd on our board to 153rd.
9-cat leagues: Julian Champagnie instead, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (75th to 133rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 2 (REB and FG%) and Julian Champagnie in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 30.7, on 21.0 minutes a night against 27.6. 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), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 71.3 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Julian Champagnie.
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 | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.8 | 23.6 |
| Minutes | 21.0 | 27.6 |
| PointsPTS | 10.9 | 10.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 43.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.3% | 85.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| 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 | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 30.7 |
| Points | 18.7 | 13.9 |
| Rebounds | 11.9 | 6.8 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 3.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 1.0 |
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 | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | +0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +1.4 |
| Total | -2.0 | -0.6 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Julian Champagnie stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Jalen Smith | Julian Champagnie |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#112) | +0.3 (#52) |
| REB | -2.7 (#175) | -0.5 (#74) |
| AST | -0.8 (#89) | +0.3 (#44) |
| STL | -0.8 (#83) | -0.6 (#77) |
| BLK | -2.3 (#149) | -0.9 (#85) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#132) | -1.4 (#109) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#136) | +0.1 (#57) |
| FT% | -1.9 (#131) | -0.9 (#90) |
| TO | -3.2 (#146) | -2.1 (#113) |
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 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Julian Champagnie: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Smith: 28.4 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.8 on the board.
- Julian Champagnie: 25.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.6 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 Julian Champagnie playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Smith or Julian Champagnie?
Points leagues: Jalen Smith. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 23.6, 152nd on our board to 153rd. 9-cat leagues: Julian Champagnie instead, -0.6 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (75th to 133rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or Julian Champagnie?
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 2 (REB and FG%) and Julian Champagnie in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Smith or Julian Champagnie?
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Julian Champagnie 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Smith: 71.3 projected fantasy points to 70.7 for Julian Champagnie.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number