Aaron Gordon vs Anthony Black: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Anthony Black in points leagues (29.4 fantasy points a game to 28.7) and Aaron Gordon in 9-cat leagues (122nd against 123rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #103
- 28.7 FP/G, slot 9.07, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #122
- -1.9 z, slot 11.02, $5
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #96
- 29.4 FP/G, slot 8.12, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #123
- -1.9 z, slot 11.03, $5
Game-time decision (Ankle)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Anthony Black. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 28.7, 96th on our board to 103rd.
9-cat leagues: Aaron Gordon instead, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (122nd to 123rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Anthony Black in 3 (AST, STL and BLK).
Per 36 minutes, Aaron Gordon produces more: 37.0 fantasy points to 35.5, on 27.9 minutes a night against 29.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Anthony Black 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon.
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 | Aaron Gordon | Anthony Black |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.7 | 29.4 |
| Minutes | 27.9 | 29.8 |
| PointsPTS | 16.2 | 15.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 3.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 3.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.7% | 44.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.7% | 73.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 64 |
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 | Aaron Gordon | Anthony Black |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.0 | 35.5 |
| Points | 20.8 | 18.1 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 4.6 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 4.4 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 2.5 |
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 | Aaron Gordon | Anthony Black |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.0 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | +0.0 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | +1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | +0.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | -0.2 |
| Total | -1.9 | -1.9 |
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, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Anthony Black.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | Anthony Black |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#148) | -1.7 (#140) |
| REB | -2.1 (#138) | -1.3 (#102) |
| AST | -1.4 (#125) | -2.0 (#147) |
| STL | -0.8 (#85) | -3.1 (#194) |
| BLK | -1.2 (#92) | -2.2 (#141) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#135) | -1.8 (#129) |
| FG% | -2.5 (#135) | -1.6 (#105) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#114) | -1.2 (#106) |
| TO | -3.0 (#140) | -1.7 (#101) |
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)
- Aaron Gordon: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Anthony Black: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed GTD.
Recent games
- Aaron Gordon: 27.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.7 on the board.
- Anthony Black: 19.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.4 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 Aaron Gordon or Anthony Black in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Anthony Black. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 28.7, 96th on our board to 103rd. 9-cat leagues: Aaron Gordon instead, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (122nd to 123rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Anthony Black?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Anthony Black in 3 (AST, STL and BLK).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Gordon or Anthony Black?
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Anthony Black 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number