Darius Garland vs Zion Williamson: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Zion Williamson in points leagues (35.2 fantasy points a game to 32.2) and Darius Garland in 9-cat leagues (99th against 102nd). 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 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #49
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 5.01, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #102
- -1.4 z, slot 9.06, $8
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 32.2, 49th on our board to 70th.
9-cat leagues: Darius Garland instead, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (99th to 102nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 3 (AST, 3PM and FT%) and Zion Williamson in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Zion Williamson produces more: 42.6 fantasy points to 38.8, on 29.7 minutes a night against 29.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 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 | Darius Garland | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.2 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 29.9 | 29.7 |
| PointsPTS | 18.8 | 21.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.4 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 6.7 | 3.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.0% | 60.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 86.1% | 71.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 45 | 62 |
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 | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.8 | 42.6 |
| Points | 22.6 | 25.5 |
| Rebounds | 2.9 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 8.1 | 3.9 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 3.3 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 2.5 |
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 | Darius Garland | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.4 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | -0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +1.5 | -0.2 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | -1.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | +2.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.5 | -1.9 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -0.2 |
| Total | -1.3 | -1.4 |
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 assists, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Zion Williamson.
| Punt | Darius Garland | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#144) | -2.2 (#173) |
| REB | +0.3 (#55) | -1.9 (#129) |
| AST | -2.9 (#193) | -1.3 (#118) |
| STL | -1.2 (#106) | -1.4 (#119) |
| BLK | -0.2 (#67) | -1.4 (#102) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#158) | +0.2 (#56) |
| FG% | -0.5 (#74) | -5.1 (#254) |
| FT% | -2.0 (#133) | +0.5 (#50) |
| TO | +0.0 (#60) | -1.3 (#91) |
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).
- Zion Williamson: 3 games (Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN), 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.
- Zion Williamson: 30.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.2 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 Darius Garland or Zion Williamson in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Zion Williamson. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 32.2, 49th on our board to 70th. 9-cat leagues: Darius Garland instead, -1.3 in summed z-scores against -1.4 (99th to 102nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Darius Garland or Zion Williamson?
Category by category, Darius Garland is ahead in 3 (AST, 3PM and FT%) and Zion Williamson in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Darius Garland or Zion Williamson?
Darius Garland plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zion Williamson 3. For that week alone, start Zion Williamson: 105.5 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