Aaron Gordon vs Darius Garland: who to start in Week 2
Aaron Gordon plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Darius Garland 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 84.4 for Aaron Gordon. Over the season, Darius Garland leads in both formats: 32.2 fantasy points a game to 28.1, and 121st against 123rd 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 27, 6:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #101
- 28.1 FP/G, slot 9.05, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #123
- -1.8 z, slot 11.03, $5
- Points leagues
- #65
- 32.2 FP/G, slot 6.05, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #121
- -1.8 z, slot 11.01, $5
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.2 fantasy points per game against 28.1, 65th on our board to 101st.
9-cat leagues: Darius Garland again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (121st to 123rd).
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Darius Garland in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Darius Garland produces more: 37.8 fantasy points to 35.8, on 30.7 minutes a night against 28.3. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Aaron Gordon plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Darius Garland 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 84.4 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Aaron Gordon | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.1 | 32.2 |
| Minutes | 28.3 | 30.7 |
| PointsPTS | 15.4 | 19.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.7 | 2.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 6.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 2.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.7% | 46.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.7% | 82.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 3.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 45 |
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 | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.8 | 37.8 |
| Points | 19.5 | 23.1 |
| Rebounds | 7.2 | 2.7 |
| Assists | 3.3 | 7.9 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 3.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 4.0 |
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 | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | +1.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.0 | +1.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | -1.9 |
| Total | -1.8 | -1.8 |
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, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Aaron Gordon.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#151) | -2.4 (#194) |
| REB | -2.1 (#141) | -0.2 (#65) |
| AST | -1.4 (#121) | -3.6 (#217) |
| STL | -1.2 (#107) | -1.6 (#126) |
| BLK | -1.2 (#99) | -0.6 (#81) |
| 3PM | -1.8 (#132) | -3.2 (#190) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#123) | -1.3 (#95) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#115) | -2.2 (#149) |
| TO | -2.8 (#132) | +0.1 (#61) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Aaron Gordon: 3 games (Mon GSW, Wed @NOP, Fri @PHX).
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Wed LAL, Fri @MIN, Sun @GSW).
Recent games
- Aaron Gordon: 25.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 28.1 on the board.
- Darius Garland: 32.5 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 32.2 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Aaron Gordon playing tonight? · Is Darius Garland playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Aaron Gordon, Darius Garland
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Aaron Gordon or Darius Garland?
Points leagues: Darius Garland. 32.2 fantasy points per game against 28.1, 65th on our board to 101st. 9-cat leagues: Darius Garland again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (121st to 123rd).
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Darius Garland?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Darius Garland in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Aaron Gordon or Darius Garland?
Aaron Gordon plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Darius Garland 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.7 projected fantasy points to 84.4 for Aaron Gordon.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 6:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number