Jabari Smith Jr. or Yaxel Lendeborg? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), PFs ranked 11th and 15th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 36.5
- 9-cat
- #75
- Last 8 FP
- 36.5
3 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 Yaxel Lendeborg. Both have 2 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 36.5 fantasy points to 31.5.
9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. instead, 1.5 category value for the week to -1.2, because his category mix is worth more there.
Yaxel Lendeborg has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Jabari Smith Jr. played 34.5 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 34.9 on the board.
Yaxel Lendeborg played 30.6 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 31.9 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 | Jabari Smith Jr. | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 34.5 (last 5) | 30.6 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 34.9 | 31.9 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 14.2 | 16.7 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 62.9 | 72.9 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 1.5 | -1.2 |
Schedule: Jabari Smith Jr. Mon BOS, Wed MIN, Sat @PHX. Yaxel Lendeborg Mon PHX, Thu MIA, Sat ORL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jabari Smith Jr. | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 33.4 | 43.0 |
| Rebounds | 13.4 | 14.0 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Blocks | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Threes | 5.2 | 5.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 6.8 |
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: Yaxel Lendeborg, 36.5 fantasy points per game to 31.5.
9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. instead, 40th overall against 75th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jabari Smith Jr. | Yaxel Lendeborg |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 31.5 | 36.5 |
| Minutes | 34.9 | 31.9 |
| PointsPTS | 16.7 | 21.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.7 | 7.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 3.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.4% | 50.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.5% | 76.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 3.4 |
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 Jabari Smith Jr. playing tonight? · Is Yaxel Lendeborg playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jabari Smith Jr. or Yaxel Lendeborg in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Yaxel Lendeborg. Both have 2 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 36.5 fantasy points to 31.5. 9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. instead, 1.5 category value for the week to -1.2, because his category mix is worth more there. Yaxel Lendeborg has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on. Jabari Smith Jr. played 34.5 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 34.9 on the board. Yaxel Lendeborg played 30.6 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 31.9 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jabari Smith Jr. or Yaxel Lendeborg?
Points leagues: Yaxel Lendeborg, 36.5 fantasy points per game to 31.5. 9-cat leagues: Jabari Smith Jr. instead, 40th overall against 75th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jabari Smith Jr. or Yaxel Lendeborg?
Jabari Smith Jr. is ahead in 4 (blocks, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers); Yaxel Lendeborg in 5 (points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number