Ajay Mitchell vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 1
Ajay Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Ajay Mitchell: 77.2 projected fantasy points to 67.1 for Royce O'Neale. Over the season, Ajay Mitchell leads in both formats: 25.7 fantasy points a game to 22.4, and 118th against 119th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 22, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #130
- 25.7 FP/G, slot 11.10, $5
- 9-cat leagues
- #118
- -1.7 z, slot 10.10, $6
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #169
- 22.4 FP/G, slot 15.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #119
- -1.7 z, slot 10.11, $6
The call
Points leagues: Ajay Mitchell. 25.7 fantasy points per game against 22.4, 130th on our board to 169th.
9-cat leagues: Ajay Mitchell again, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (118th to 119th).
Category by category, Ajay Mitchell is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Royce O'Neale in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ajay Mitchell produces more: 36.1 fantasy points to 29.1, on 25.7 minutes a night against 27.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ajay Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Ajay Mitchell: 77.2 projected fantasy points to 67.1 for Royce O'Neale.
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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Ajay Mitchell | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.7 | 22.4 |
| Minutes | 25.7 | 27.7 |
| PointsPTS | 13.0 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.4 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.3% | 42.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.0% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 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 | Ajay Mitchell | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.1 | 29.1 |
| Points | 18.2 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 5.3 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 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 | Ajay Mitchell | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.6 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.7 | -1.7 |
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 points, assists, steals, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Royce O'Neale.
| Punt | Ajay Mitchell | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#112) | -0.6 (#87) |
| REB | -0.7 (#78) | -1.3 (#107) |
| AST | -1.8 (#140) | -1.2 (#109) |
| STL | -2.2 (#150) | -2.0 (#141) |
| BLK | -1.0 (#86) | -1.4 (#105) |
| 3PM | -1.1 (#99) | -2.8 (#174) |
| FG% | -1.6 (#105) | -0.9 (#84) |
| FT% | -2.3 (#150) | -1.6 (#119) |
| TO | -2.3 (#119) | -2.5 (#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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Ajay Mitchell: 3 games (Tue @SAS, Thu DEN, Sun LAC).
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Ajay Mitchell: 18.0 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 25.7 on the board.
- Royce O'Neale: 17.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Ajay Mitchell playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ajay Mitchell
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ajay Mitchell or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Ajay Mitchell. 25.7 fantasy points per game against 22.4, 130th on our board to 169th. 9-cat leagues: Ajay Mitchell again, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (118th to 119th).
Who wins more categories, Ajay Mitchell or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Ajay Mitchell is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Royce O'Neale in 4 (REB, BLK, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ajay Mitchell or Royce O'Neale?
Ajay Mitchell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Ajay Mitchell: 77.2 projected fantasy points to 67.1 for Royce O'Neale.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number