Javon Small vs Keldon Johnson: who to start in Week 3
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Keldon Johnson 4. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 85.7 projected fantasy points to 61.0 for Javon Small. Over the season, Keldon Johnson leads in both formats: 21.4 fantasy points a game to 20.3, and 204th against 210th 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #210
- 20.3 FP/G, slot 18.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #210
- -3.9 z, slot 18.06
- Points leagues
- #192
- 21.4 FP/G, slot 16.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #204
- -3.8 z, slot 17.12
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Keldon Johnson. 21.4 fantasy points per game against 20.3, 192nd on our board to 210th.
9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson again, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (204th to 210th).
Category by category, Javon Small is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Keldon Johnson in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Javon Small produces more: 36.2 fantasy points to 33.4, on 20.2 minutes a night against 23.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Keldon Johnson 4. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 85.7 projected fantasy points to 61.0 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Javon Small | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.3 | 21.4 |
| Minutes | 20.2 | 23.1 |
| PointsPTS | 9.5 | 11.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 5.4 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 0.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.4% | 51.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.9% | 77.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 41 | 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 | Javon Small | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.2 | 33.4 |
| Points | 16.9 | 18.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.3 | 8.4 |
| Assists | 6.7 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 2.7 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 1.2 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Javon Small | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.8 | +1.4 |
| Total | -3.9 | -3.8 |
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, rebounds, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Javon Small.
| Punt | Javon Small | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.6 (#201) | -2.9 (#213) |
| REB | -2.8 (#181) | -3.7 (#232) |
| AST | -4.0 (#243) | -2.6 (#181) |
| STL | -3.2 (#199) | -2.6 (#174) |
| BLK | -3.1 (#176) | -2.9 (#166) |
| 3PM | -3.6 (#224) | -2.9 (#186) |
| FG% | -3.8 (#198) | -4.6 (#241) |
| FT% | -3.9 (#218) | -3.6 (#207) |
| TO | -4.8 (#208) | -5.4 (#227) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Javon Small: 3 games (Mon NOP, Wed IND, Fri OKC).
- Keldon Johnson: 4 games (Mon UTA, Wed DAL, Fri @SAC, Sat @POR), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Javon Small: 14.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.3 on the board.
- Keldon Johnson: 18.8 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 21.4 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Javon Small playing tonight? · Is Keldon Johnson playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Javon Small
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Javon Small or Keldon Johnson?
Points leagues: Keldon Johnson. 21.4 fantasy points per game against 20.3, 192nd on our board to 210th. 9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson again, -3.8 in summed z-scores against -3.9 (204th to 210th).
Who wins more categories, Javon Small or Keldon Johnson?
Category by category, Javon Small is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Keldon Johnson in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, Javon Small or Keldon Johnson?
Javon Small plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Keldon Johnson 4. For that week alone, start Keldon Johnson: 85.7 projected fantasy points to 61.0 for Javon Small.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number