Daniel Gafford vs Davion Mitchell: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Daniel Gafford in both formats: 24.3 fantasy points a game to 24.1 in points leagues, and 121st against 167th 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
- #144
- 24.3 FP/G, slot 12.12, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #121
- -1.9 z, slot 11.01, $5
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #147
- 24.1 FP/G, slot 13.03, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #167
- -2.9 z, slot 14.11
Day to day (Rest)
The call
Points leagues: draft Daniel Gafford. 24.3 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 144th on our board to 147th.
9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (121st to 167th).
Category by category, Daniel Gafford is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Davion Mitchell in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Daniel Gafford produces more: 40.2 fantasy points to 30.3, on 21.7 minutes a night against 28.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Davion Mitchell 3. For that week alone, start Daniel Gafford: 72.8 projected fantasy points to 72.2 for Davion Mitchell.
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 | Daniel Gafford | Davion Mitchell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.3 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 21.7 | 28.6 |
| PointsPTS | 9.5 | 9.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.1 | 6.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 65.5% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 68.3% | 64.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 55 | 70 |
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 | Daniel Gafford | Davion Mitchell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 40.2 | 30.3 |
| Points | 15.8 | 11.8 |
| Rebounds | 11.4 | 3.3 |
| Assists | 1.7 | 8.2 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 2.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 1.9 |
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 | Daniel Gafford | Davion Mitchell |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | +1.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.2 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.6 | +0.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +0.4 |
| Total | -1.9 | -2.9 |
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 rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Davion Mitchell.
| Punt | Daniel Gafford | Davion Mitchell |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.6 (#89) | -1.7 (#142) |
| REB | -2.7 (#174) | -1.7 (#122) |
| AST | -0.6 (#74) | -4.4 (#262) |
| STL | -1.2 (#108) | -2.9 (#179) |
| BLK | -3.4 (#197) | -2.0 (#128) |
| 3PM | -0.1 (#65) | -2.6 (#164) |
| FG% | -4.2 (#212) | -3.3 (#170) |
| FT% | -0.8 (#86) | -2.5 (#155) |
| TO | -3.0 (#139) | -3.5 (#154) |
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)
- Daniel Gafford: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Davion Mitchell: 3 games (Wed MIN, Fri DET, Sat @CHA), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Daniel Gafford: 31.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 24.3 on the board.
- Davion Mitchell: 22.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 24.1 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 Daniel Gafford or Davion Mitchell in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Daniel Gafford. 24.3 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 144th on our board to 147th. 9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (121st to 167th).
Who wins more categories, Daniel Gafford or Davion Mitchell?
Category by category, Daniel Gafford is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Davion Mitchell in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Daniel Gafford or Davion Mitchell?
Daniel Gafford plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Davion Mitchell 3. For that week alone, start Daniel Gafford: 72.8 projected fantasy points to 72.2 for Davion Mitchell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number