Andrew Wiggins vs Jaden McDaniels: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Andrew Wiggins in both formats: 30.1 fantasy points a game to 28.6 in points leagues, and 58th against 61st in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #89
- 30.1 FP/G, slot 8.05, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #58
- +0.3 z, slot 5.10, $17
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #105
- 28.6 FP/G, slot 9.09, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #61
- +0.0 z, slot 6.01, $15
The call
Points leagues: draft Andrew Wiggins. 30.1 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 89th on our board to 105th.
9-cat leagues: Andrew Wiggins again, +0.3 in summed z-scores against +0.0 (58th to 61st).
Category by category, Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and TO) and Jaden McDaniels in 2 (FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Andrew Wiggins produces more: 35.7 fantasy points to 32.4, on 30.3 minutes a night against 31.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaden McDaniels 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 90.2 projected fantasy points to 85.7 for Jaden McDaniels.
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 Wiggins | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.1 | 28.6 |
| Minutes | 30.3 | 31.7 |
| PointsPTS | 15.4 | 14.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 4.2 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.5% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.4% | 83.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 73 |
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 Wiggins | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.7 | 32.4 |
| Points | 18.2 | 16.8 |
| Rebounds | 5.7 | 4.8 |
| Assists | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 2.0 |
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 | Andrew Wiggins | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | +0.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | +0.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.4 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +0.1 |
| Total | +0.3 | +0.0 |
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 rebounds, threes and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jaden McDaniels.
| Punt | Andrew Wiggins | Jaden McDaniels |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.4 (#47) | +0.3 (#55) |
| REB | +0.6 (#46) | +0.7 (#45) |
| AST | +0.7 (#43) | +0.4 (#46) |
| STL | -0.1 (#67) | -0.3 (#71) |
| BLK | -0.5 (#73) | -0.7 (#80) |
| 3PM | -0.2 (#68) | +0.2 (#60) |
| FG% | +0.4 (#53) | -0.6 (#76) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#54) | -0.3 (#71) |
| TO | -0.2 (#67) | -0.2 (#64) |
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 Wiggins: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Jaden McDaniels: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
Recent games
- Andrew Wiggins: 25.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.1 on the board.
- Jaden McDaniels: 28.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.6 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 Wiggins or Jaden McDaniels in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Andrew Wiggins. 30.1 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 89th on our board to 105th. 9-cat leagues: Andrew Wiggins again, +0.3 in summed z-scores against +0.0 (58th to 61st).
Who wins more categories, Andrew Wiggins or Jaden McDaniels?
Category by category, Andrew Wiggins is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and TO) and Jaden McDaniels in 2 (FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Andrew Wiggins or Jaden McDaniels?
Andrew Wiggins plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaden McDaniels 3. For that week alone, start Andrew Wiggins: 90.2 projected fantasy points to 85.7 for Jaden McDaniels.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number