Darius Garland vs Norman Powell: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Darius Garland in points leagues (32.2 fantasy points a game to 31.8) and Norman Powell in 9-cat leagues (69th against 99th). 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 leagues.
- Points leagues
- #73
- 31.8 FP/G, slot 7.01, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #69
- -0.4 z, slot 6.09, $13
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Darius Garland. 32.2 fantasy points per game against 31.8, 70th on our board to 73rd.
9-cat leagues: Norman Powell instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (69th to 99th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 1 (AST) and Norman Powell in 6 (PTS, REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Darius Garland produces more: 38.8 fantasy points to 38.6, on 29.9 minutes a night against 29.6. 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), Norman Powell 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.5 projected fantasy points to 95.3 for Norman Powell.
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 | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.2 | 31.8 |
| Minutes | 29.9 | 29.6 |
| PointsPTS | 18.8 | 21.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.4 | 3.5 |
| AssistsAST | 6.7 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.0% | 47.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.1% | 82.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 58 |
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 | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.8 | 38.6 |
| Points | 22.6 | 26.4 |
| Rebounds | 2.9 | 4.3 |
| Assists | 8.1 | 3.0 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 2.3 |
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 | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -0.1 |
| Total | -1.3 | -0.4 |
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 turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Darius Garland.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Norman Powell |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#144) | -1.4 (#124) |
| REB | +0.3 (#55) | +0.6 (#48) |
| AST | -2.9 (#193) | +0.0 (#57) |
| STL | -1.2 (#106) | -0.7 (#83) |
| BLK | -0.2 (#67) | +0.5 (#50) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#158) | -1.6 (#116) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#74) | -0.0 (#64) |
| FT% | -2.0 (#133) | -1.0 (#97) |
| TO | +0.0 (#60) | -0.3 (#69) |
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).
- Norman Powell: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 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.
- Norman Powell: 23.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 31.8 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 Norman Powell in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Darius Garland. 32.2 fantasy points per game against 31.8, 70th on our board to 73rd. 9-cat leagues: Norman Powell instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (69th to 99th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Norman Powell?
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 1 (AST) and Norman Powell in 6 (PTS, REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Darius Garland or Norman Powell?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Norman Powell 3. For that week alone, start Darius Garland: 96.5 projected fantasy points to 95.3 for Norman Powell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number