Jalen Smith or Precious Achiuwa? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Cs ranked 24th 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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The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Precious Achiuwa. Precious Achiuwa has 3 games counted to 2 for Jalen Smith, for 76.9 projected fantasy points against 49.2.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -4.3 category value for the week to -8.4, because his category mix is worth more there.
Jalen Smith's minutes are up: 25.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 21.9 on the board.
Precious Achiuwa's minutes are up: 29.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 25.4 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 | Precious Achiuwa |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 25.9 (last 5) | 29.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 21.9 | 25.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 13.6 | 11.1 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 49.2 | 76.9 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -4.3 | -8.4 |
Schedule: Jalen Smith Mon @PHI, Wed @NYK, Sun PHI. Precious Achiuwa Mon @DAL, Wed LAL, Fri SAS, Sun MIA.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jalen Smith | Precious Achiuwa |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 21.6 | 31.7 |
| Rebounds | 14.6 | 20.1 |
| Assists | 2.9 | 4.1 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 3.6 |
| Blocks | 1.6 | 2.4 |
| Threes | 3.0 | 0.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.8 |
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: Precious Achiuwa, 25.6 fantasy points per game to 24.6.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, 142nd overall against 165th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Jalen Smith vs Precious Achiuwa: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jalen Smith | Precious Achiuwa |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.6 | 25.6 |
| Minutes | 21.9 | 25.4 |
| PointsPTS | 10.8 | 10.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.3 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.4 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.1% | 54.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.4% | 50.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 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 3 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Jalen Smith playing tonight? · Is Precious Achiuwa playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jalen Smith or Precious Achiuwa in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Precious Achiuwa. Precious Achiuwa has 3 games counted to 2 for Jalen Smith, for 76.9 projected fantasy points against 49.2. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -4.3 category value for the week to -8.4, because his category mix is worth more there. Jalen Smith's minutes are up: 25.9 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 21.9 on the board. Precious Achiuwa's minutes are up: 29.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 25.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jalen Smith or Precious Achiuwa?
Points leagues: Precious Achiuwa, 25.6 fantasy points per game to 24.6. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, 142nd overall against 165th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or Precious Achiuwa?
Jalen Smith is ahead in 5 (rebounds, assists, blocks, threes, free throw percentage); Precious Achiuwa in 2 (steals, field goal percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number