Javon Small vs Jordan Poole: who to start in Week 1
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jordan Poole 3. For that week alone, start Jordan Poole: 62.2 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small. Over the season, Jordan Poole leads in points leagues (20.7 fantasy points a game to 20.7) and Javon Small in 9-cat leagues (187th against 273rd). 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
- #198
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #187
- -3.4 z, slot 16.07
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #196
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #273
- -5.4 z, slot 23.09
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jordan Poole. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 196th on our board to 198th.
9-cat leagues: Javon Small instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -5.4 (187th to 273rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Javon Small is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, STL, FG% and TO) and Jordan Poole in 4 (PTS, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Javon Small produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 32.0, on 20.2 minutes a night against 23.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jordan Poole 3. For that week alone, start Jordan Poole: 62.2 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small.
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 | Javon Small | Jordan Poole |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 20.2 | 23.4 |
| PointsPTS | 9.7 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 2.0 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 2.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.5% | 36.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.9% | 87.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 41 | 39 |
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 | Javon Small | Jordan Poole |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.8 | 32.0 |
| Points | 17.2 | 19.8 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 3.0 |
| Assists | 6.5 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 3.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 2.7 |
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 | Javon Small | Jordan Poole |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.7 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | -1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -2.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +0.2 |
| Total | -3.4 | -5.4 |
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 field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jordan Poole.
| Punt | Javon Small | Jordan Poole |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.3 (#183) | -4.8 (#314) |
| REB | -2.4 (#153) | -3.7 (#241) |
| AST | -3.5 (#221) | -5.2 (#294) |
| STL | -3.0 (#187) | -4.1 (#240) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#159) | -4.9 (#270) |
| 3PM | -3.3 (#201) | -6.1 (#330) |
| FG% | -3.4 (#175) | -3.2 (#164) |
| FT% | -3.7 (#206) | -6.1 (#307) |
| TO | -4.2 (#184) | -5.7 (#236) |
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)
- Javon Small: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
- Jordan Poole: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Javon Small: 24.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.7 on the board.
- Jordan Poole: 9.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Javon Small playing tonight? · Is Jordan Poole playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Javon Small, Jordan Poole
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Javon Small or Jordan Poole?
Points leagues: Jordan Poole. 20.7 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 196th on our board to 198th. 9-cat leagues: Javon Small instead, -3.4 in summed z-scores against -5.4 (187th to 273rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Javon Small or Jordan Poole?
Category by category, Javon Small is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, STL, FG% and TO) and Jordan Poole in 4 (PTS, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Javon Small or Jordan Poole?
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jordan Poole 3. For that week alone, start Jordan Poole: 62.2 projected fantasy points to 62.1 for Javon Small.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number