Jalen Smith or Jonathan Kuminga? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 28th and 38th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 3:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 23.2
- 9-cat
- #151
- Last 1 FP
- 29.1
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jonathan Kuminga. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.8 fantasy points to 23.2.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -5.0 category value for the week to -8.9, because his category mix is worth more there.
Jalen Smith has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
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.
Jonathan Kuminga's minutes are up: 29.5 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.5 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 | Jalen Smith | Jonathan Kuminga |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 19.0 (last 1) | 29.5 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 20.6 | 23.5 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 19.0 | 12.2 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 46.4 | 47.6 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -5.0 | -8.9 |
Schedule: Jalen Smith Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS. Jonathan Kuminga Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jalen Smith | Jonathan Kuminga |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 21.0 | 24.3 |
| Rebounds | 13.6 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 2.4 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Blocks | 1.6 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 2.9 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 3.6 |
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: Jonathan Kuminga, 23.8 fantasy points per game to 23.2.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, 151st overall against 238th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jalen Smith | Jonathan Kuminga |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.2 | 23.8 |
| Minutes | 20.6 | 23.5 |
| PointsPTS | 10.5 | 12.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.8 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 2.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.4% | 46.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.9% | 72.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.8 |
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 Jalen Smith playing tonight? · Is Jonathan Kuminga playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jalen Smith or Jonathan Kuminga in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Jonathan Kuminga. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.8 fantasy points to 23.2. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -5.0 category value for the week to -8.9, because his category mix is worth more there. Jalen Smith has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. 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. Jonathan Kuminga's minutes are up: 29.5 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.5 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jalen Smith or Jonathan Kuminga?
Points leagues: Jonathan Kuminga, 23.8 fantasy points per game to 23.2. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, 151st overall against 238th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or Jonathan Kuminga?
Jalen Smith is ahead in 6 (rebounds, blocks, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Jonathan Kuminga in 3 (points, assists, steals), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number