Jalen Smith or Mikal Bridges? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Cs ranked 25th 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
- 25.0
- 9-cat
- #96
- Last 7 FP
- 15.0
3 games in Week 3
Week 3 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Mikal Bridges. Both have 2 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 25.0 fantasy points to 24.6.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, -2.4 category value for the week to -4.3.
Jalen Smith's minutes are up: 25.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 21.9 on the board.
Mikal Bridges's minutes are down: 25.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 30.6 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.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8), side by side
| This week | Jalen Smith | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 25.9 (last 5) | 25.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 21.9 | 30.6 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 13.6 | 10.3 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 49.2 | 50.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -4.3 | -2.4 |
Schedule: Jalen Smith Mon @PHI, Wed @NYK, Sun PHI. Mikal Bridges Mon BKN, Wed CHI, Sat @CLE.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jalen Smith | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 21.6 | 23.5 |
| Rebounds | 14.6 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 2.9 | 6.1 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 2.3 |
| Blocks | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 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: Mikal Bridges, 25.0 fantasy points per game to 24.6.
9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 96th overall against 142nd.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jalen Smith | Mikal Bridges |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.6 | 25.0 |
| Minutes | 21.9 | 30.6 |
| PointsPTS | 10.8 | 11.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.3 | 3.5 |
| AssistsAST | 1.5 | 3.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.4 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.1% | 44.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.4% | 85.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 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 Jalen Smith playing tonight? · Is Mikal Bridges playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jalen Smith or Mikal Bridges in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Mikal Bridges. Both have 2 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 25.0 fantasy points to 24.6. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, -2.4 category value for the week to -4.3. Jalen Smith's minutes are up: 25.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 21.9 on the board. Mikal Bridges's minutes are down: 25.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 30.6 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jalen Smith or Mikal Bridges?
Points leagues: Mikal Bridges, 25.0 fantasy points per game to 24.6. 9-cat leagues: Mikal Bridges again, 96th overall against 142nd.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or Mikal Bridges?
Jalen Smith is ahead in 3 (rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage); Mikal Bridges in 5 (points, assists, steals, threes, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number