Anthony Black vs Royce O'Neale: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Anthony Black in points leagues (29.4 fantasy points a game to 22.7) and Royce O'Neale in 9-cat leagues (120th against 123rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #96
- 29.4 FP/G, slot 8.12, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #123
- -1.9 z, slot 11.03, $5
Game-time decision (Ankle)
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 Anthony Black. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 96th on our board to 166th.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (120th to 123rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Royce O'Neale in 4 (REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Anthony Black produces more: 35.5 fantasy points to 28.8, on 29.8 minutes a night against 28.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 68.0 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Anthony Black | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.4 | 22.7 |
| Minutes | 29.8 | 28.4 |
| PointsPTS | 15.0 | 9.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 4.8 |
| AssistsAST | 3.7 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.7% | 42.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.2% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 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 | Anthony Black | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.5 | 28.8 |
| Points | 18.1 | 12.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 4.4 | 3.4 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 3.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 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 | Anthony Black | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.3 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.5 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.0 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.2 | +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 rebounds, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Anthony Black.
| Punt | Anthony Black | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#140) | -0.7 (#90) |
| REB | -1.3 (#102) | -1.4 (#108) |
| AST | -2.0 (#147) | -1.3 (#119) |
| STL | -3.1 (#194) | -2.0 (#141) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#141) | -1.4 (#96) |
| 3PM | -1.8 (#129) | -2.9 (#179) |
| FG% | -1.6 (#105) | -0.9 (#85) |
| FT% | -1.2 (#106) | -1.7 (#123) |
| TO | -1.7 (#101) | -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)
- Anthony Black: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed GTD.
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Anthony Black: 19.9 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.4 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 Anthony Black or Royce O'Neale in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Anthony Black. 29.4 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 96th on our board to 166th. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (120th to 123rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Anthony Black or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Royce O'Neale in 4 (REB, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Anthony Black or Royce O'Neale?
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Anthony Black: 88.2 projected fantasy points to 68.0 for Royce O'Neale.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number