Jaden McDaniels vs Josh Giddey: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Josh Giddey in both formats: 41.6 fantasy points a game to 28.6 in points leagues, and 60th 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
- #105
- 28.6 FP/G, slot 9.09, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #61
- +0.0 z, slot 6.01, $15
- Points leagues
- #21
- 41.6 FP/G, slot 2.09, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #60
- +0.2 z, slot 5.12, $16
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Josh Giddey. 41.6 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 21st on our board to 105th.
9-cat leagues: Josh Giddey again, +0.2 in summed z-scores against +0.0 (60th to 61st).
Category by category, Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and 3PM).
Per 36 minutes, Josh Giddey produces more: 46.7 fantasy points to 32.4, on 32.1 minutes a night against 31.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 124.9 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 | Jaden McDaniels | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.6 | 41.6 |
| Minutes | 31.7 | 32.1 |
| PointsPTS | 14.8 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.2 | 8.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 9.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.5% | 44.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.5% | 76.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 3.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 73 | 54 |
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 | Jaden McDaniels | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.4 | 46.7 |
| Points | 16.8 | 19.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 9.3 |
| Assists | 3.1 | 10.3 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 4.1 |
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 | Jaden McDaniels | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.3 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.7 | +1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | +2.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | -0.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | -0.4 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | -0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -2.2 |
| Total | +0.0 | +0.2 |
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, rebounds, assists and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Jaden McDaniels.
| Punt | Jaden McDaniels | Josh Giddey |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.3 (#55) | +0.0 (#62) |
| REB | +0.7 (#45) | -1.1 (#92) |
| AST | +0.4 (#46) | -2.6 (#180) |
| STL | -0.3 (#71) | +0.1 (#60) |
| BLK | -0.7 (#80) | +0.4 (#51) |
| 3PM | +0.2 (#60) | -0.1 (#66) |
| FG% | -0.6 (#76) | +0.7 (#48) |
| FT% | -0.3 (#71) | +0.6 (#48) |
| TO | -0.2 (#64) | +2.4 (#30) |
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)
- Jaden McDaniels: 3 games (Wed @MIA, Fri @ORL, Sun TOR).
- Josh Giddey: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jaden McDaniels: 28.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.6 on the board.
- Josh Giddey: 41.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 41.6 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 Jaden McDaniels or Josh Giddey in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Josh Giddey. 41.6 fantasy points per game against 28.6, 21st on our board to 105th. 9-cat leagues: Josh Giddey again, +0.2 in summed z-scores against +0.0 (60th to 61st).
Who wins more categories, Jaden McDaniels or Josh Giddey?
Category by category, Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, FG%, FT% and TO) and Josh Giddey in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and 3PM).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaden McDaniels or Josh Giddey?
Jaden McDaniels plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Josh Giddey 3. For that week alone, start Josh Giddey: 124.9 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