Bilal Coulibaly or Jalen Smith? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), SFs ranked 26th and 37th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 4:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 24.7
- 9-cat
- #123
- Last 7 FP
- 21.2
4 games in Week 3, 1 back-to-back
Week 3 pick in points leagues.
The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Bilal Coulibaly. Bilal Coulibaly has 3 games counted to 2 for Jalen Smith, for 74.0 projected fantasy points against 49.2.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -4.3 category value for the week to -5.5, because his category mix is worth more there.
Bilal Coulibaly has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Bilal Coulibaly played 27.2 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 26.6 on the board.
Jalen Smith's minutes are up: 25.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 21.9 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8), side by side
| This week | Bilal Coulibaly | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.2 (last 5) | 25.9 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 26.6 | 21.9 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 7.1 | 13.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 74.0 | 49.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -5.5 | -4.3 |
Schedule: Bilal Coulibaly Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC. Jalen Smith Mon @PHI, Wed @NYK, Sun PHI.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Bilal Coulibaly | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 31.8 | 21.6 |
| Rebounds | 12.3 | 14.6 |
| Assists | 6.0 | 2.9 |
| Steals | 4.1 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.4 | 1.9 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly, 24.7 fantasy points per game to 24.6.
9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, 123rd overall against 142nd.
Bilal Coulibaly vs Jalen Smith: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Bilal Coulibaly | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.7 | 24.6 |
| Minutes | 26.6 | 21.9 |
| PointsPTS | 10.6 | 10.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.1 | 7.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 1.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.0% | 48.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.9% | 74.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.0 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 3 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Bilal Coulibaly playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Bilal Coulibaly or Jalen Smith in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Bilal Coulibaly. Bilal Coulibaly has 3 games counted to 2 for Jalen Smith, for 74.0 projected fantasy points against 49.2. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -4.3 category value for the week to -5.5, because his category mix is worth more there. Bilal Coulibaly has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on. Bilal Coulibaly played 27.2 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 26.6 on the board. Jalen Smith's minutes are up: 25.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 21.9 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Bilal Coulibaly or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Bilal Coulibaly, 24.7 fantasy points per game to 24.6. 9-cat leagues: Bilal Coulibaly again, 123rd overall against 142nd.
Who wins more categories, Bilal Coulibaly or Jalen Smith?
Bilal Coulibaly is ahead in 3 (assists, steals, blocks); Jalen Smith in 5 (rebounds, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number