DeMar DeRozan or Jabari Smith Jr.? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 12th and 12th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 6:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 31.1
- 9-cat
- #55
- Last 1 FP
- 42.5
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 Jabari Smith Jr.. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 31.1 fantasy points to 30.9.
9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. again, 0.3 category value for the week to -0.6.
Jabari Smith Jr. has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
DeMar DeRozan's minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.2 on the board.
Jabari Smith Jr. played 36.5 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 35.2 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 | DeMar DeRozan | Jabari Smith Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.4 (last 5) | 36.5 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 31.2 | 35.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.9 | 16.8 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 61.7 | 62.3 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.6 | 0.3 |
Schedule: DeMar DeRozan Thu @OKC, Sat NOP. Jabari Smith Jr. Wed DAL, Fri @SAS, Sat @ATL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | DeMar DeRozan | Jabari Smith Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 36.9 | 33.3 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 13.5 |
| Assists | 8.2 | 3.6 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.7 |
| Threes | 1.2 | 4.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 2.7 |
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 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Jabari Smith Jr., 31.1 fantasy points per game to 30.9.
9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. again, 55th overall against 66th.
DeMar DeRozan vs Jabari Smith Jr.: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | DeMar DeRozan | Jabari Smith Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.9 | 31.1 |
| Minutes | 31.2 | 35.2 |
| PointsPTS | 18.4 | 16.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.9 | 6.8 |
| AssistsAST | 4.1 | 1.8 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 0.6 | 2.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.7% | 46.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.8% | 77.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.3 |
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 DeMar DeRozan playing tonight? · Is Jabari Smith Jr. playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start DeMar DeRozan or Jabari Smith Jr. in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jabari Smith Jr.. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 31.1 fantasy points to 30.9. 9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. again, 0.3 category value for the week to -0.6. Jabari Smith Jr. has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. DeMar DeRozan's minutes are down: 27.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.2 on the board. Jabari Smith Jr. played 36.5 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 35.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, DeMar DeRozan or Jabari Smith Jr.?
Points leagues: Jabari Smith Jr., 31.1 fantasy points per game to 30.9. 9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. again, 55th overall against 66th.
Who wins more categories, DeMar DeRozan or Jabari Smith Jr.?
DeMar DeRozan is ahead in 6 (points, assists, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Jabari Smith Jr. in 3 (rebounds, blocks, threes), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 6:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number