Lauri Markkanen or Joel Embiid: who to draft in 2026-27 fantasy basketball

Net Prophet ranks Lauri Markkanen 42nd and Joel Embiid 45th for the 2026-27 season, 3 picks apart. A category counts as won only when the projected gap clears 0.25 standard deviations of that category across the 177 ranked players this comparison is drawn from.

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

Our board separates them by 3 picks; consensus ADP separates them by 14 picks, with Joel Embiid going earlier in the room.
Joel Embiid leads in REB, 5.4 to 6.7 per game as the board projects them.
They do not fill the same slot: Lauri Markkanen is PF/SF, Joel Embiid is C.
The board grades Lauri Markkanen "moderate" for availability and Joel Embiid "fragile".
Both rank inside the 177 players this comparison set is drawn from.

Draft position

Where each is ranked and where the room is taking them (2026-27).
Measure	Lauri Markkanen	Joel Embiid
Net Prophet rank	#42	#45
Consensus ADP	#63	#49

Category by category

Projected per game for 2026-27, nine-category scoring. Turnovers count fewest-first.
Category	Lauri Markkanen	Joel Embiid	Edge
PTS	20.4	19.7	too close to call
REB	5.4	6.7	Joel Embiid wins
AST	1.8	3.3	Joel Embiid wins
STL	0.8	0.6	Lauri Markkanen wins
BLK	0.4	0.9	Joel Embiid wins
3PM	2.3	1.1	Lauri Markkanen wins
TO	1.3	2.1	Lauri Markkanen wins
FG%	46.8%	48.2%	Joel Embiid wins
FT%	88.5%	85.1%	Lauri Markkanen wins

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