Jalen Smith vs Rudy Gobert: who to start in Week 2
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Rudy Gobert 4. For that week alone, start Rudy Gobert: 125.8 projected fantasy points to 71.3 for Jalen Smith. Over the season, Rudy Gobert leads in both formats: 31.5 fantasy points a game to 23.8, and 129th against 131st 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 26, 2:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #151
- 23.8 FP/G, slot 13.07, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #131
- -2.0 z, slot 11.11, $4
- Points leagues
- #71
- 31.5 FP/G, slot 6.11, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #129
- -1.9 z, slot 11.09, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Rudy Gobert. 31.5 fantasy points per game against 23.8, 71st on our board to 151st.
9-cat leagues: Rudy Gobert again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (129th to 131st).
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Rudy Gobert in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 36.2, on 21.0 minutes a night against 31.3. 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), Rudy Gobert 4. For that week alone, start Rudy Gobert: 125.8 projected fantasy points to 71.3 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 | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.8 | 31.5 |
| Minutes | 21.0 | 31.3 |
| PointsPTS | 10.9 | 10.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 11.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.0% | 68.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.3% | 50.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 53 | 76 |
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 | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.7 | 36.2 |
| Points | 18.7 | 12.2 |
| Rebounds | 11.9 | 13.4 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 1.7 |
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 | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | +2.7 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -1.1 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | +1.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | +2.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -3.8 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +0.5 |
| Total | -2.0 | -1.9 |
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, assists, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Smith.
| Punt | Jalen Smith | Rudy Gobert |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#106) | -0.9 (#100) |
| REB | -2.7 (#172) | -5.4 (#307) |
| AST | -0.7 (#84) | -0.8 (#86) |
| STL | -0.7 (#85) | -0.8 (#89) |
| BLK | -2.3 (#148) | -4.0 (#219) |
| 3PM | -1.8 (#130) | +0.1 (#59) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#130) | -5.3 (#264) |
| FT% | -1.8 (#130) | +2.1 (#24) |
| TO | -3.1 (#145) | -2.4 (#122) |
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).
- Rudy Gobert: 4 games (Mon @CLE, Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sat @SAS), 2 back-to-backs.
Recent games
- Jalen Smith: 28.4 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.8 on the board.
- Rudy Gobert: 23.8 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 31.5 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 Rudy Gobert playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Rudy Gobert
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Smith or Rudy Gobert?
Points leagues: Rudy Gobert. 31.5 fantasy points per game against 23.8, 71st on our board to 151st. 9-cat leagues: Rudy Gobert again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (129th to 131st).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or Rudy Gobert?
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Rudy Gobert in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Jalen Smith or Rudy Gobert?
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Rudy Gobert 4. For that week alone, start Rudy Gobert: 125.8 projected fantasy points to 71.3 for Jalen Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number