Nic Claxton vs Sandro Mamukelashvili: who to start in Week 1
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sandro Mamukelashvili 3. For that week alone, start Sandro Mamukelashvili: 67.1 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 22.4, and 134th against 136th 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #88
- 29.5 FP/G, slot 8.04, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #134
- -2.1 z, slot 12.02, $3
Out (Hamstring)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #160
- 22.4 FP/G, slot 14.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #136
- -2.1 z, slot 12.04, $3
The call
Points leagues: Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 22.4, 88th on our board to 160th.
9-cat leagues: Nic Claxton again, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (134th to 136th).
Category by category, Nic Claxton is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FG%) and Sandro Mamukelashvili in 4 (STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Nic Claxton produces more: 38.1 fantasy points to 36.6, on 27.8 minutes a night against 22.0. 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), Sandro Mamukelashvili 3. For that week alone, start Sandro Mamukelashvili: 67.1 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 | Nic Claxton | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.5 | 22.4 |
| Minutes | 27.8 | 22.0 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 10.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 57.1% | 52.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.6% | 73.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 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 | Nic Claxton | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.1 | 36.6 |
| Points | 15.2 | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 9.0 | 8.0 |
| Assists | 4.7 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 1.2 |
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 | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | -0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.2 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.9 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +1.4 |
| 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 points, rebounds, assists, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Sandro Mamukelashvili.
| Punt | Nic Claxton | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.3 (#124) | -1.1 (#116) |
| REB | -3.1 (#196) | -1.9 (#129) |
| AST | -2.2 (#165) | -1.3 (#115) |
| STL | -1.2 (#104) | -1.6 (#126) |
| BLK | -3.4 (#188) | -1.8 (#122) |
| 3PM | -0.4 (#76) | -1.8 (#129) |
| FG% | -4.3 (#220) | -2.9 (#155) |
| FT% | -0.1 (#67) | -1.7 (#125) |
| TO | -2.8 (#134) | -3.6 (#159) |
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 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Nic Claxton: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Sandro Mamukelashvili: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
Recent games
- Nic Claxton: 20.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.5 on the board.
- Sandro Mamukelashvili: 17.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 22.4 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 Sandro Mamukelashvili playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Nic Claxton or Sandro Mamukelashvili?
Points leagues: Nic Claxton. 29.5 fantasy points per game against 22.4, 88th on our board to 160th. 9-cat leagues: Nic Claxton again, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.1 (134th to 136th).
Who wins more categories, Nic Claxton or Sandro Mamukelashvili?
Category by category, Nic Claxton is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK and FG%) and Sandro Mamukelashvili in 4 (STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Nic Claxton or Sandro Mamukelashvili?
Nic Claxton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sandro Mamukelashvili 3. For that week alone, start Sandro Mamukelashvili: 67.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Nic Claxton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number