Darius Garland vs Kyshawn George: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Darius Garland in both formats: 32.2 fantasy points a game to 30.7 in points leagues, and 99th against 100th 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
- #70
- 32.2 FP/G, slot 6.10, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #99
- -1.3 z, slot 9.03, $8
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #82
- 30.7 FP/G, slot 7.10, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #100
- -1.3 z, slot 9.04, $8
The call
Points leagues: draft Darius Garland. 32.2 fantasy points per game against 30.7, 70th on our board to 82nd.
9-cat leagues: Darius Garland again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (99th to 100th).
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%) and Kyshawn George in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Darius Garland produces more: 38.8 fantasy points to 38.1, on 29.9 minutes a night against 29.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyshawn George 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.5 projected fantasy points to 92.1 for Kyshawn George.
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 | Darius Garland | Kyshawn George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.2 | 30.7 |
| Minutes | 29.9 | 29.0 |
| PointsPTS | 18.8 | 14.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.4 | 5.1 |
| AssistsAST | 6.7 | 4.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.9 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 2.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.0% | 43.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.1% | 80.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 2.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 48 |
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 | Darius Garland | Kyshawn George |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.8 | 38.1 |
| Points | 22.6 | 18.4 |
| Rebounds | 2.9 | 6.3 |
| Assists | 8.1 | 5.5 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 1.1 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 3.2 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Darius Garland | Kyshawn George |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | -0.3 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | +0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | +0.4 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | +0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -0.9 |
| Total | -1.3 | -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 points, assists, threes, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Kyshawn George.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Kyshawn George |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#144) | -1.1 (#109) |
| REB | +0.3 (#55) | -1.1 (#94) |
| AST | -2.9 (#193) | -1.8 (#136) |
| STL | -1.2 (#106) | -1.3 (#111) |
| BLK | -0.2 (#67) | -1.9 (#126) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#158) | -1.8 (#126) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#74) | -0.5 (#72) |
| FT% | -2.0 (#133) | -1.4 (#111) |
| TO | +0.0 (#60) | -0.5 (#70) |
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)
- Darius Garland: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Kyshawn George: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Darius Garland: 31.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 32.2 on the board.
- Kyshawn George: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.7 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Darius Garland or Kyshawn George in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Darius Garland. 32.2 fantasy points per game against 30.7, 70th on our board to 82nd. 9-cat leagues: Darius Garland again, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (99th to 100th).
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Kyshawn George?
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG% and FT%) and Kyshawn George in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Darius Garland or Kyshawn George?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyshawn George 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.5 projected fantasy points to 92.1 for Kyshawn George.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number