Nic Claxton or Santi Aldama? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Cs ranked 15th and 22nd at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 11:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 29.5
- 9-cat
- #133
- Last 10 FP
- 20.9
Out (Hamstring)
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
- FP/G
- 29.9
- 9-cat
- #99
- Last 10 FP
- 27.8
Day to day (Knee)
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Nic Claxton is listed Out (Hamstring) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Santi Aldama. Santi Aldama has 2 games counted to 0 for Nic Claxton, for 59.7 projected fantasy points against 0.0.
9-cat leagues: Nic Claxton instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -2.5, because his category mix is worth more there.
Santi Aldama has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Nic Claxton's minutes are down: 22.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 27.8 on the board.
Santi Aldama played 28.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 27.9 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 | Nic Claxton | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 0 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 22.6 (last 5) | 28.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 27.8 | 27.9 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 11.8 | 12.3 |
| Injury | Out (Hamstring) | Day to day (Knee) |
| Projected fantasy points | 0.0 | 59.7 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 0.0 | -2.5 |
Schedule: Nic Claxton Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS. Santi Aldama Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Nic Claxton | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 0.0 | 28.0 |
| Rebounds | 0.0 | 13.3 |
| Assists | 0.0 | 5.9 |
| Steals | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| Turnovers | 0.0 | 2.6 |
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: Santi Aldama, 29.9 fantasy points per game to 29.5.
9-cat leagues: Santi Aldama again, 99th overall against 133rd.
Nic Claxton vs Santi Aldama: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Nic Claxton | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.5 | 29.9 |
| Minutes | 27.8 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 57.1% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 61.6% | 66.7% |
| 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 Nic Claxton playing tonight? · Is Santi Aldama playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Nic Claxton or Santi Aldama in Week 1?
Nic Claxton is listed Out (Hamstring) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Santi Aldama. Santi Aldama has 2 games counted to 0 for Nic Claxton, for 59.7 projected fantasy points against 0.0. 9-cat leagues: Nic Claxton instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -2.5, because his category mix is worth more there. Santi Aldama has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Nic Claxton's minutes are down: 22.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 27.8 on the board. Santi Aldama played 28.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 27.9 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Nic Claxton or Santi Aldama?
Points leagues: Santi Aldama, 29.9 fantasy points per game to 29.5. 9-cat leagues: Santi Aldama again, 99th overall against 133rd.
Who wins more categories, Nic Claxton or Santi Aldama?
Nic Claxton is ahead in 4 (rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage); Santi Aldama in 5 (points, steals, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 11:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number