Aaron Nesmith or Cam Spencer? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SFs ranked 28th and 30th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 23, 10:25 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Aaron Nesmith. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.5 fantasy points to 23.0.
9-cat leagues: Cam Spencer instead, -1.9 category value for the week to -3.5, because his category mix is worth more there.
Aaron Nesmith played 30.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 29.7 on the board.
Cam Spencer's minutes are down: 16.3 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.3 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Aaron Nesmith | Cam Spencer |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 1 | 1 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 30.8 (last 5) | 16.3 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 29.7 | 23.3 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 13.6 | 8.8 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 23.5 | 23.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -3.5 | -1.9 |
Schedule: Aaron Nesmith Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN. Cam Spencer Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Aaron Nesmith | Cam Spencer |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 13.8 | 10.6 |
| Rebounds | 4.2 | 2.6 |
| Assists | 1.9 | 5.3 |
| Steals | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.3 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Aaron Nesmith, 23.5 fantasy points per game to 23.0.
9-cat leagues: Cam Spencer instead, 123rd overall against 189th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Aaron Nesmith | Cam Spencer |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.5 | 23.0 |
| Minutes | 29.7 | 23.3 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 10.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 2.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 5.3 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.4% | 46.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.9% | 94.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.3 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Aaron Nesmith playing tonight? · Is Cam Spencer playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Aaron Nesmith or Cam Spencer in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Aaron Nesmith. Both have 1 game left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 23.5 fantasy points to 23.0. 9-cat leagues: Cam Spencer instead, -1.9 category value for the week to -3.5, because his category mix is worth more there. Aaron Nesmith played 30.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 29.7 on the board. Cam Spencer's minutes are down: 16.3 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.3 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Aaron Nesmith or Cam Spencer?
Points leagues: Aaron Nesmith, 23.5 fantasy points per game to 23.0. 9-cat leagues: Cam Spencer instead, 123rd overall against 189th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Nesmith or Cam Spencer?
Aaron Nesmith is ahead in 4 (points, rebounds, blocks, threes); Cam Spencer in 5 (assists, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 10:25 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number