Joel Embiid vs Karl-Anthony Towns: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Joel Embiid in points leagues (44.5 fantasy points a game to 40.5) and Karl-Anthony Towns in 9-cat leagues (21st against 22nd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #11
- 44.5 FP/G, slot 1.11, $33
- 9-cat leagues
- #22
- +2.5 z, slot 2.10, $29
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #27
- 40.5 FP/G, slot 3.03, $27
- 9-cat leagues
- #21
- +2.6 z, slot 2.09, $29
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Joel Embiid. 44.5 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 11th on our board to 27th.
9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns instead, +2.6 in summed z-scores against +2.5 (21st to 22nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Joel Embiid is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, BLK and FT%) and Karl-Anthony Towns in 5 (REB, STL, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Joel Embiid produces more: 50.6 fantasy points to 47.1, on 31.6 minutes a night against 31.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Joel Embiid plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Karl-Anthony Towns 3. For that week alone, start Joel Embiid: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Karl-Anthony Towns.
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 | Joel Embiid | Karl-Anthony Towns |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.5 | 40.5 |
| Minutes | 31.6 | 31.0 |
| PointsPTS | 26.9 | 20.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.7 | 11.9 |
| AssistsAST | 3.9 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 50.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.4% | 85.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 38 | 75 |
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 | Joel Embiid | Karl-Anthony Towns |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.6 | 47.1 |
| Points | 30.6 | 23.3 |
| Rebounds | 8.8 | 13.8 |
| Assists | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Steals | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 3.3 | 2.9 |
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 | Joel Embiid | Karl-Anthony Towns |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.8 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | +2.7 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.1 | -0.3 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.5 | +1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -0.8 |
| Total | +2.5 | +2.6 |
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, steals, threes, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Joel Embiid.
| Punt | Joel Embiid | Karl-Anthony Towns |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.7 (#38) | +1.9 (#19) |
| REB | +1.6 (#28) | -0.2 (#61) |
| AST | +2.3 (#19) | +2.9 (#14) |
| STL | +3.8 (#11) | +3.0 (#13) |
| BLK | +1.4 (#34) | +2.8 (#20) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#17) | +2.6 (#18) |
| FG% | +2.5 (#24) | +2.3 (#27) |
| FT% | +0.9 (#41) | +1.6 (#33) |
| TO | +3.8 (#17) | +3.3 (#21) |
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)
- Joel Embiid: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 3 games (Tue PHI, Fri @BOS, Sun ORL), listed DTD.
Recent games
- Joel Embiid: 48.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 44.5 on the board.
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 40.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 40.5 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 Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Joel Embiid. 44.5 fantasy points per game against 40.5, 11th on our board to 27th. 9-cat leagues: Karl-Anthony Towns instead, +2.6 in summed z-scores against +2.5 (21st to 22nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns?
Category by category, Joel Embiid is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, BLK and FT%) and Karl-Anthony Towns in 5 (REB, STL, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns?
Joel Embiid plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Karl-Anthony Towns 3. For that week alone, start Joel Embiid: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 121.5 for Karl-Anthony Towns.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number