Joel Embiid or James Harden: who to draft in 2026-27 fantasy basketball

Joel Embiid wins 5 of the nine categories, James Harden wins 4.

Our board separates them by 9 picks; consensus ADP separates them by 21 picks, with James Harden going earlier in the room.
Against the 181 ranked players in this set, Joel Embiid projects above average in 6 of the nine categories and James Harden in 5.
They do not fill the same slot: Joel Embiid is C, James Harden is PG.
The board grades both "moderate" for availability.
Both rank inside the 181 players this comparison set is drawn from: Joel Embiid 33rd, James Harden 42nd.

Category by category

Projected per game for 2026-27, nine-category scoring. Turnovers count fewest-first.
Category	Joel Embiid	James Harden	Edge
PTS	22.3	19.4	Joel Embiid wins
REB	8.2	4.4	Joel Embiid wins
AST	3.9	6.4	James Harden wins
STL	0.7	1.1	James Harden wins
BLK	1.0	0.5	Joel Embiid wins
3PM	1.2	3.0	James Harden wins
TO	2.5	3.0	Joel Embiid wins
FG%	48.1%	41.9%	Joel Embiid wins
FT%	85.1%	86.9%	James Harden wins

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