Keldon Johnson vs Sandro Mamukelashvili: who to start in Week 1
Keldon Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sandro Mamukelashvili 3. For that week alone, start Sandro Mamukelashvili: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 68.2 for Keldon Johnson. Over the season, Sandro Mamukelashvili leads in both formats: 22.8 fantasy points a game to 22.7, and 127th against 169th 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, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #163
- 22.7 FP/G, slot 14.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #169
- -2.9 z, slot 15.01
- Points leagues
- #162
- 22.8 FP/G, slot 14.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #127
- -2.0 z, slot 11.07, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Sandro Mamukelashvili. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 162nd on our board to 163rd.
9-cat leagues: Sandro Mamukelashvili again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (127th to 169th).
Category by category, Keldon Johnson is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and FT%) and Sandro Mamukelashvili in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Sandro Mamukelashvili produces more: 37.4 fantasy points to 35.4, on 21.9 minutes a night against 23.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Keldon Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sandro Mamukelashvili 3. For that week alone, start Sandro Mamukelashvili: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 68.2 for Keldon Johnson.
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 | Keldon Johnson | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.7 | 22.8 |
| Minutes | 23.1 | 21.9 |
| PointsPTS | 13.0 | 10.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 1.3 | 1.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.8% | 51.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.9% | 73.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 80 |
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 | Keldon Johnson | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.4 | 37.4 |
| Points | 20.2 | 17.7 |
| Rebounds | 8.2 | 8.0 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.3 |
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 | Keldon Johnson | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.2 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | -0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +1.4 |
| Total | -2.9 | -2.0 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Sandro Mamukelashvili stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Keldon Johnson | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.4 (#186) | -1.1 (#111) |
| REB | -2.8 (#181) | -1.8 (#128) |
| AST | -1.8 (#141) | -1.2 (#107) |
| STL | -2.0 (#142) | -1.7 (#127) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#129) | -1.8 (#124) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#162) | -1.8 (#125) |
| FG% | -3.7 (#194) | -2.8 (#152) |
| FT% | -3.0 (#174) | -1.7 (#120) |
| TO | -4.3 (#187) | -3.5 (#155) |
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)
- Keldon Johnson: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
- Sandro Mamukelashvili: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
Recent games
- Keldon Johnson: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.7 on the board.
- Sandro Mamukelashvili: 18.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Keldon Johnson playing tonight? · Is Sandro Mamukelashvili playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Keldon Johnson or Sandro Mamukelashvili?
Points leagues: Sandro Mamukelashvili. 22.8 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 162nd on our board to 163rd. 9-cat leagues: Sandro Mamukelashvili again, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (127th to 169th).
Who wins more categories, Keldon Johnson or Sandro Mamukelashvili?
Category by category, Keldon Johnson is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and FT%) and Sandro Mamukelashvili in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Keldon Johnson or Sandro Mamukelashvili?
Keldon Johnson plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sandro Mamukelashvili 3. For that week alone, start Sandro Mamukelashvili: 68.3 projected fantasy points to 68.2 for Keldon Johnson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number