Daniel Gafford vs Nic Claxton: who to start in Week 1
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Daniel Gafford: 71.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Nic Claxton. Over the season, Nic Claxton leads in points leagues (29.5 fantasy points a game to 23.7) and Daniel Gafford in 9-cat leagues (131st against 132nd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 23, 9:47 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #150
- 23.7 FP/G, slot 13.06, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #131
- -2.1 z, slot 11.11, $4
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #89
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.05, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #132
- -2.1 z, slot 11.12, $4
Out (Hamstring)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 23.7, 89th on our board to 150th.
9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford instead, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (131st to 132nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Daniel Gafford is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Nic Claxton in 3 (PTS, REB and AST).
Per 36 minutes, Daniel Gafford produces more: 39.2 fantasy points to 38.1, on 21.7 minutes a night against 27.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Daniel Gafford: 71.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Nic Claxton.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Daniel Gafford | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.7 | 29.5 |
| Minutes | 21.7 | 27.8 |
| PointsPTS | 9.1 | 11.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.6 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 1.1 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 64.8% | 57.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 66.8% | 61.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 55 | 69 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Daniel Gafford | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.2 | 38.1 |
| Points | 15.0 | 15.2 |
| Rebounds | 11.0 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 1.7 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 2.2 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 1.8 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Daniel Gafford | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.3 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.5 | +1.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.2 | -1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.6 |
| Total | -2.1 | -2.1 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Nic Claxton.
| Punt | Daniel Gafford | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#99) | -1.3 (#123) |
| REB | -2.9 (#184) | -3.2 (#202) |
| AST | -0.8 (#90) | -2.2 (#159) |
| STL | -1.5 (#117) | -1.2 (#104) |
| BLK | -3.7 (#213) | -3.4 (#196) |
| 3PM | -0.4 (#71) | -0.5 (#74) |
| FG% | -4.3 (#223) | -4.2 (#217) |
| FT% | -0.8 (#87) | -0.2 (#71) |
| TO | -3.2 (#143) | -2.9 (#135) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 393 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Daniel Gafford: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Nic Claxton: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Daniel Gafford: 12.2 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 23.7 on the board.
- Nic Claxton: 20.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.5 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Daniel Gafford playing tonight? · Is Nic Claxton playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Daniel Gafford or Nic Claxton?
Points leagues: Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 23.7, 89th on our board to 150th. 9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford instead, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (131st to 132nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Daniel Gafford or Nic Claxton?
Category by category, Daniel Gafford is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Nic Claxton in 3 (PTS, REB and AST).
Who should I start in Week 1, Daniel Gafford or Nic Claxton?
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Daniel Gafford: 71.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Nic Claxton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 9:47 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number