Joel Embiid or Jaden McDaniels: who to draft in 2026-27 fantasy basketball

Joel Embiid wins 4 of the nine categories, Jaden McDaniels wins 4, and 1 is too close to call.

Our board separates them by 26 picks; consensus ADP separates them by 60 picks, with Joel Embiid going earlier in the room.
Against the 179 ranked players in this set, Joel Embiid projects above average in 5 of the nine categories and Jaden McDaniels in 6.
They do not fill the same slot: Joel Embiid is C, Jaden McDaniels is SF/PF.
The board grades Joel Embiid "fragile" for availability and Jaden McDaniels "moderate".
Both rank inside the 179 players this comparison set is drawn from: Joel Embiid 45th, Jaden McDaniels 71st.

Category by category

Projected per game for 2026-27, nine-category scoring. Turnovers count fewest-first.
Category	Joel Embiid	Jaden McDaniels	Edge
PTS	20.7	15.1	Joel Embiid wins
REB	7.2	4.4	Joel Embiid wins
AST	3.4	2.6	Joel Embiid wins
STL	0.6	1.1	Jaden McDaniels wins
BLK	0.9	1.0	too close to call
3PM	1.1	1.7	Jaden McDaniels wins
TO	2.2	1.7	Jaden McDaniels wins
FG%	48.1%	50.1%	Jaden McDaniels wins
FT%	85.1%	81.0%	Joel Embiid wins

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