Andrew Nembhard vs Darius Garland: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Andrew Nembhard in points leagues (32.5 fantasy points a game to 32.2) and Darius Garland in 9-cat leagues (99th against 125th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #68
- 32.5 FP/G, slot 6.08, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #125
- -1.9 z, slot 11.05, $5
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #70
- 32.2 FP/G, slot 6.10, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #99
- -1.3 z, slot 9.03, $8
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Andrew Nembhard. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 32.2, 68th on our board to 70th.
9-cat leagues: Darius Garland instead, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (99th to 125th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Andrew Nembhard is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and TO) and Darius Garland in 6 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Darius Garland produces more: 38.8 fantasy points to 37.4, on 29.9 minutes a night against 31.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Andrew Nembhard plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Darius Garland 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Nembhard: 97.6 projected fantasy points to 96.5 for Darius Garland.
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 | Andrew Nembhard | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.5 | 32.2 |
| Minutes | 31.3 | 29.9 |
| PointsPTS | 16.9 | 18.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| AssistsAST | 7.7 | 6.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.2% | 46.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.5% | 86.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 2.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 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 | Andrew Nembhard | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.4 | 38.8 |
| Points | 19.5 | 22.6 |
| Rebounds | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Assists | 8.8 | 8.1 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 3.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.8 | 3.5 |
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 | Andrew Nembhard | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.0 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.4 | -1.6 |
| AssistsAST | +2.0 | +1.5 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.7 | -1.3 |
| Total | -1.9 | -1.3 |
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 threes flips the 9-cat answer to Andrew Nembhard.
| Punt | Andrew Nembhard | Darius Garland |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#161) | -1.8 (#144) |
| REB | -0.6 (#79) | +0.3 (#55) |
| AST | -4.0 (#247) | -2.9 (#193) |
| STL | -1.7 (#128) | -1.2 (#106) |
| BLK | -0.9 (#84) | -0.2 (#67) |
| 3PM | -2.3 (#146) | -2.5 (#158) |
| FG% | -1.1 (#90) | -0.5 (#74) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#151) | -2.0 (#133) |
| TO | -1.3 (#89) | +0.0 (#60) |
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)
- Andrew Nembhard: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
Andrew Nembhard or Darius Garland: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Andrew Nembhard: 32.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 32.5 on the board.
- Darius Garland: 31.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 32.2 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 Andrew Nembhard or Darius Garland in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Andrew Nembhard. 32.5 fantasy points per game against 32.2, 68th on our board to 70th. 9-cat leagues: Darius Garland instead, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (99th to 125th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Andrew Nembhard or Darius Garland?
Category by category, Andrew Nembhard is ahead in 3 (REB, AST and TO) and Darius Garland in 6 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Andrew Nembhard or Darius Garland?
Andrew Nembhard plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Darius Garland 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Nembhard: 97.6 projected fantasy points to 96.5 for Darius Garland.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number