Derrick Jones Jr. vs Nic Claxton: who to start in Week 1
Derrick Jones Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Derrick Jones Jr.: 64.3 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Nic Claxton. Over the season, Nic Claxton leads in both formats: 29.5 fantasy points a game to 21.4, and 133rd against 135th in 9-cat. 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 22, 3:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #185
- 21.4 FP/G, slot 16.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #135
- -2.2 z, slot 12.03, $3
- Points leagues
- #89
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.05, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #133
- -2.1 z, slot 12.01, $4
Out (Hamstring)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 21.4, 89th on our board to 185th.
9-cat leagues: Nic Claxton again, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (133rd to 135th).
Category by category, Derrick Jones Jr. is ahead in 4 (STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Nic Claxton in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Nic Claxton produces more: 38.1 fantasy points to 28.6, on 27.8 minutes a night against 26.9. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Derrick Jones Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Derrick Jones Jr.: 64.3 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 | Derrick Jones Jr. | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.4 | 29.5 |
| Minutes | 26.9 | 27.8 |
| PointsPTS | 9.9 | 11.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.6 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 1.6 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.7% | 57.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.6% | 61.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 50 | 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 | Derrick Jones Jr. | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.6 | 38.1 |
| Points | 13.3 | 15.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 9.0 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 4.7 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 1.5 | 0.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.1 | 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 | Derrick Jones Jr. | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.0 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -0.3 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | +0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.5 | -1.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | +1.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | -1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.3 | +0.6 |
| Total | -2.2 | -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 points, rebounds, assists, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Derrick Jones Jr..
| Punt | Derrick Jones Jr. | Nic Claxton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#114) | -1.4 (#123) |
| REB | -1.4 (#113) | -3.1 (#203) |
| AST | -1.2 (#108) | -2.2 (#160) |
| STL | -2.0 (#143) | -1.2 (#104) |
| BLK | -2.9 (#169) | -3.4 (#196) |
| 3PM | -1.7 (#123) | -0.5 (#73) |
| FG% | -2.7 (#149) | -4.2 (#215) |
| FT% | -1.9 (#133) | -0.3 (#72) |
| TO | -3.7 (#164) | -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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Derrick Jones Jr.: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Nic Claxton: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
Recent games
- Derrick Jones Jr.: 24.7 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 21.4 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 Derrick Jones Jr. playing tonight? · Is Nic Claxton playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Derrick Jones Jr. or Nic Claxton?
Points leagues: Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 21.4, 89th on our board to 185th. 9-cat leagues: Nic Claxton again, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (133rd to 135th).
Who wins more categories, Derrick Jones Jr. or Nic Claxton?
Category by category, Derrick Jones Jr. is ahead in 4 (STL, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Nic Claxton in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Derrick Jones Jr. or Nic Claxton?
Derrick Jones Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Nic Claxton 3. For that week alone, start Derrick Jones Jr.: 64.3 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Nic Claxton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number