Aaron Gordon vs Royce O'Neale: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Aaron Gordon in points leagues (28.7 fantasy points a game to 22.7) and Royce O'Neale in 9-cat leagues (120th against 122nd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #103
- 28.7 FP/G, slot 9.07, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #122
- -1.9 z, slot 11.02, $5
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #166
- 22.7 FP/G, slot 14.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #120
- -1.8 z, slot 10.12, $6
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Aaron Gordon. 28.7 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 103rd on our board to 166th.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (120th to 122nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Aaron Gordon produces more: 37.0 fantasy points to 28.8, on 27.9 minutes a night against 28.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 68.0 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon.
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 | Aaron Gordon | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 28.7 | 22.7 |
| Minutes | 27.9 | 28.4 |
| PointsPTS | 16.2 | 9.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.7% | 42.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.7% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 36 | 78 |
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 | Aaron Gordon | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.0 | 28.8 |
| Points | 20.8 | 12.4 |
| Rebounds | 7.5 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 3.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.4 | 1.7 |
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 | Aaron Gordon | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.0 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.0 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.9 | -1.8 |
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 steals, blocks, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Aaron Gordon.
| Punt | Aaron Gordon | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#148) | -0.7 (#90) |
| REB | -2.1 (#138) | -1.4 (#108) |
| AST | -1.4 (#125) | -1.3 (#119) |
| STL | -0.8 (#85) | -2.0 (#141) |
| BLK | -1.2 (#92) | -1.4 (#96) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#135) | -2.9 (#179) |
| FG% | -2.5 (#135) | -0.9 (#85) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#114) | -1.7 (#123) |
| TO | -3.0 (#140) | -2.6 (#123) |
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)
- Aaron Gordon: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Aaron Gordon: 27.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 28.7 on the board.
- Royce O'Neale: 19.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.7 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 Aaron Gordon or Royce O'Neale in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Aaron Gordon. 28.7 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 103rd on our board to 166th. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (120th to 122nd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Aaron Gordon or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Aaron Gordon is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Aaron Gordon or Royce O'Neale?
Aaron Gordon plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 68.0 projected fantasy points to 57.3 for Aaron Gordon.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number