Nic Claxton vs Payton Pritchard: who to start in Week 2
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Payton Pritchard 4. For that week alone, start Payton Pritchard: 118.5 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Nic Claxton. Over the season, Payton Pritchard leads in both formats: 29.6 fantasy points a game to 29.5, and 65th 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 27, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #87
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.03, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #135
- -2.1 z, slot 12.03, $4
Out (Hamstring)
- Points leagues
- #86
- 29.6 FP/G, slot 8.02, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #65
- -0.2 z, slot 6.05, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 29.6 fantasy points per game against 29.5, 86th on our board to 87th.
9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (65th to 135th).
Category by category, Nic Claxton is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Nic Claxton produces more: 38.1 fantasy points to 34.0, on 27.8 minutes a night against 31.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Payton Pritchard 4. For that week alone, start Payton Pritchard: 118.5 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 | Nic Claxton | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.5 | 29.6 |
| Minutes | 27.8 | 31.4 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 16.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 4.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 57.1% | 46.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.6% | 86.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 79 |
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 | Nic Claxton | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.1 | 34.0 |
| Points | 15.2 | 19.4 |
| Rebounds | 9.0 | 4.2 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 1.5 |
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 | Nic Claxton | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | +0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +1.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.3 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -2.0 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| Total | -2.1 | -0.2 |
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 threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Nic Claxton.
| Punt | Nic Claxton | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#119) | -0.5 (#77) |
| REB | -3.1 (#192) | +0.8 (#40) |
| AST | -2.1 (#153) | -1.0 (#99) |
| STL | -1.1 (#101) | +0.4 (#49) |
| BLK | -3.3 (#183) | +0.9 (#38) |
| 3PM | -0.3 (#71) | -1.7 (#121) |
| FG% | -4.2 (#216) | +0.3 (#53) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#60) | -0.9 (#93) |
| TO | -2.7 (#125) | -0.9 (#81) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Nic Claxton: 3 games (Mon @BOS, Wed NYK, Fri @BOS), listed Out.
- Payton Pritchard: 4 games (Mon CHI, Tue BKN, Fri CHI, Sun @ORL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Nic Claxton: 20.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.5 on the board.
- Payton Pritchard: 24.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 29.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Nic Claxton playing tonight? · Is Payton Pritchard playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Payton Pritchard
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Nic Claxton or Payton Pritchard?
Points leagues: Payton Pritchard. 29.6 fantasy points per game against 29.5, 86th on our board to 87th. 9-cat leagues: Payton Pritchard again, -0.2 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (65th to 135th).
Who wins more categories, Nic Claxton or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Nic Claxton is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Payton Pritchard in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Nic Claxton or Payton Pritchard?
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Payton Pritchard 4. For that week alone, start Payton Pritchard: 118.5 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Nic Claxton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number