Jalen Smith vs RJ Barrett: who to start in Week 2
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 69.7 for Jalen Smith. Over the season, RJ Barrett leads in points leagues (32.5 fantasy points a game to 23.2) and Jalen Smith in 9-cat leagues (147th against 150th). 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 28, 2:33 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #152
- 23.2 FP/G, slot 13.08, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #147
- -2.3 z, slot 13.03, $2
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #62
- 32.5 FP/G, slot 6.02, $16
- 9-cat leagues
- #150
- -2.4 z, slot 13.06, $1
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: RJ Barrett. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 23.2, 62nd on our board to 152nd.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (147th to 150th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and RJ Barrett in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 39.9 fantasy points to 38.5, on 20.9 minutes a night against 30.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 69.7 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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.2 | 32.5 |
| Minutes | 20.9 | 30.3 |
| PointsPTS | 10.7 | 19.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 5.2 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 3.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.7% | 49.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.9% | 69.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| 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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.9 | 38.5 |
| Points | 18.4 | 23.2 |
| Rebounds | 11.8 | 6.2 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 1.8 |
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 | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | -1.4 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.0 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -1.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +0.4 |
| Total | -2.3 | -2.4 |
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 rebounds, blocks, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to RJ Barrett.
| Punt | Jalen Smith | RJ Barrett |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.4 (#130) | -3.0 (#220) |
| REB | -3.1 (#189) | -2.6 (#165) |
| AST | -1.1 (#104) | -2.4 (#168) |
| STL | -1.1 (#98) | -1.8 (#139) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#160) | -1.9 (#127) |
| 3PM | -2.2 (#149) | -2.2 (#150) |
| FG% | -2.4 (#139) | -3.3 (#173) |
| FT% | -2.3 (#152) | -0.8 (#87) |
| TO | -3.5 (#156) | -2.8 (#131) |
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)
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Mon @BOS, Wed NYK, Fri @BOS).
- RJ Barrett: 3 games (Wed ORL, Fri ORL, Sun @LAL).
Recent games
- Jalen Smith: 24.8 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 23.2 on the board.
- RJ Barrett: 34.8 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 32.5 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 RJ Barrett playing tonight?
Rookie cards: RJ Barrett
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Smith or RJ Barrett?
Points leagues: RJ Barrett. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 23.2, 62nd on our board to 152nd. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (147th to 150th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or RJ Barrett?
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 5 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and RJ Barrett in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Jalen Smith or RJ Barrett?
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), RJ Barrett 3. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 97.5 projected fantasy points to 69.7 for Jalen Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 28, 2026 at 2:33 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number