Nic Claxton vs Ryan Kalkbrenner: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Nic Claxton in points leagues (29.5 fantasy points a game to 20.2) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 9-cat leagues (136th against 138th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #94
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.10, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #138
- -2.3 z, slot 12.06, $3
Day to day (Hamstring)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #205
- 20.2 FP/G, slot 18.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #136
- -2.2 z, slot 12.04, $3
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 20.2, 94th on our board to 205th.
9-cat leagues: Ryan Kalkbrenner instead, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (136th to 138th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Nic Claxton is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Nic Claxton produces more: 38.1 fantasy points to 33.9, on 27.8 minutes a night against 21.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3. For that week alone, start Nic Claxton: 88.4 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Ryan Kalkbrenner.
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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Nic Claxton | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.5 | 20.2 |
| Minutes | 27.8 | 21.4 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 7.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 5.5 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 0.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 57.1% | 75.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.6% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 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 | Nic Claxton | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.1 | 33.9 |
| Points | 15.2 | 12.7 |
| Rebounds | 9.0 | 9.2 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 1.3 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 2.5 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| 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 | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -1.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | -1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | +1.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.1 | +1.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.8 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +1.2 |
| Total | -2.3 | -2.2 |
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 blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Nic Claxton.
| Punt | Nic Claxton | Ryan Kalkbrenner |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#128) | -0.6 (#87) |
| REB | -3.2 (#204) | -2.3 (#145) |
| AST | -2.3 (#159) | -0.7 (#84) |
| STL | -1.4 (#114) | -0.7 (#82) |
| BLK | -3.5 (#203) | -4.1 (#233) |
| 3PM | -0.6 (#83) | -0.5 (#78) |
| FG% | -4.5 (#224) | -4.6 (#230) |
| FT% | -0.4 (#76) | -1.7 (#122) |
| TO | -3.1 (#142) | -3.7 (#164) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Nic Claxton: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 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.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner: 16.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Nic Claxton or Ryan Kalkbrenner in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 20.2, 94th on our board to 205th. 9-cat leagues: Ryan Kalkbrenner instead, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (136th to 138th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Nic Claxton or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Category by category, Nic Claxton is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL) and Ryan Kalkbrenner in 4 (BLK, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Nic Claxton or Ryan Kalkbrenner?
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Ryan Kalkbrenner 3. For that week alone, start Nic Claxton: 88.4 projected fantasy points to 60.5 for Ryan Kalkbrenner.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number