Daniel Gafford or Jalen Smith? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 36th and 38th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 5:55 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 23.7
- 9-cat
- #130
- Last 1 FP
- 15.1
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Daniel Gafford. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.7 fantasy points to 23.2.
9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, -4.2 category value for the week to -5.0.
Daniel Gafford has 1 back-to-back and Jalen Smith has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Daniel Gafford played 21.5 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 21.7 on the board.
Jalen Smith played 19.0 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 20.6 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Daniel Gafford | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 21.5 (last 1) | 19.0 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 21.7 | 20.6 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 1.7 | 19.0 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 47.4 | 46.4 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -4.2 | -5.0 |
Schedule: Daniel Gafford Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS. Jalen Smith Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Daniel Gafford | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 18.1 | 21.0 |
| Rebounds | 13.3 | 13.6 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 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 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Daniel Gafford, 23.7 fantasy points per game to 23.2.
9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, 130th overall against 151st.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Daniel Gafford | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.7 | 23.2 |
| Minutes | 21.7 | 20.6 |
| PointsPTS | 9.1 | 10.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.6 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 64.8% | 48.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 66.8% | 75.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 0.9 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Daniel Gafford playing tonight? · Is Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Daniel Gafford or Jalen Smith in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Daniel Gafford. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.7 fantasy points to 23.2. 9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, -4.2 category value for the week to -5.0. Daniel Gafford has 1 back-to-back and Jalen Smith has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Daniel Gafford played 21.5 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 21.7 on the board. Jalen Smith played 19.0 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 20.6 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Daniel Gafford or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: Daniel Gafford, 23.7 fantasy points per game to 23.2. 9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, 130th overall against 151st.
Who wins more categories, Daniel Gafford or Jalen Smith?
Daniel Gafford is ahead in 3 (steals, blocks, field goal percentage); Jalen Smith in 6 (points, rebounds, assists, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 5:55 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number