Joel Embiid vs Michael Porter: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Joel Embiid in both formats: 44.5 fantasy points a game to 38.8 in points leagues, and 22nd against 25th 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
- #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 and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #35
- 38.8 FP/G, slot 3.11, $24
- 9-cat leagues
- #25
- +2.0 z, slot 3.01, $26
The call
Points leagues: draft Joel Embiid. 44.5 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 11th on our board to 35th.
9-cat leagues: Joel Embiid again, +2.5 in summed z-scores against +2.0 (22nd to 25th).
Category by category, Joel Embiid is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Michael Porter in 3 (STL, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Joel Embiid produces more: 50.6 fantasy points to 43.0, on 31.6 minutes a night against 32.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Joel Embiid plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Michael Porter 3. For that week alone, start Joel Embiid: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 116.4 for Michael Porter.
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 | Michael Porter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 44.5 | 38.8 |
| Minutes | 31.6 | 32.5 |
| PointsPTS | 26.9 | 24.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.7 | 7.1 |
| AssistsAST | 3.9 | 3.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.2 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 3.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.9% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.4% | 85.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.9 | 2.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 38 | 52 |
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 | Michael Porter |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 50.6 | 43.0 |
| Points | 30.6 | 26.8 |
| Rebounds | 8.8 | 7.8 |
| Assists | 4.5 | 3.4 |
| Steals | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 3.8 |
| Turnovers | 3.3 | 2.6 |
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 | Michael Porter |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.8 | +1.3 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.1 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | +1.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.5 | +0.8 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.3 | -0.6 |
| Total | +2.5 | +2.0 |
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 blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Michael Porter.
| Punt | Joel Embiid | Michael Porter |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.7 (#38) | +0.5 (#41) |
| REB | +1.6 (#28) | +1.5 (#31) |
| AST | +2.3 (#19) | +2.2 (#21) |
| STL | +3.8 (#11) | +1.9 (#24) |
| BLK | +1.4 (#34) | +2.9 (#17) |
| 3PM | +2.6 (#17) | +0.0 (#64) |
| FG% | +2.5 (#24) | +3.1 (#19) |
| FT% | +0.9 (#41) | +1.0 (#38) |
| TO | +3.8 (#17) | +2.7 (#24) |
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.
- Michael Porter: 3 games (Wed CHA, Sat @CLE, Sun IND), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Joel Embiid: 48.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 44.5 on the board.
- Michael Porter: 36.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 38.8 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 Michael Porter in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Joel Embiid. 44.5 fantasy points per game against 38.8, 11th on our board to 35th. 9-cat leagues: Joel Embiid again, +2.5 in summed z-scores against +2.0 (22nd to 25th).
Who wins more categories, Joel Embiid or Michael Porter?
Category by category, Joel Embiid is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Michael Porter in 3 (STL, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Joel Embiid or Michael Porter?
Joel Embiid plays 4 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Michael Porter 3. For that week alone, start Joel Embiid: 177.9 projected fantasy points to 116.4 for Michael Porter.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number