Derrick Jones Jr. vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 1
Derrick Jones Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Derrick Jones Jr.: 65.5 projected fantasy points to 65.2 for Royce O'Neale. Over the season, Derrick Jones Jr. leads in points leagues (21.8 fantasy points a game to 21.7) and Royce O'Neale in 9-cat leagues (125th against 127th). 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #171
- 21.8 FP/G, slot 15.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #127
- -2.0 z, slot 11.07, $4
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #174
- 21.7 FP/G, slot 15.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #125
- -1.9 z, slot 11.05, $4
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Derrick Jones Jr.. 21.8 fantasy points per game against 21.7, 171st on our board to 174th.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (125th to 127th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Derrick Jones Jr. is ahead in 4 (PTS, BLK, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (REB, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Royce O'Neale produces more: 28.9 fantasy points to 28.7, on 27.0 minutes a night against 27.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Derrick Jones Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Derrick Jones Jr.: 65.5 projected fantasy points to 65.2 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 | Derrick Jones Jr. | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.8 | 21.7 |
| Minutes | 27.4 | 27.0 |
| PointsPTS | 10.3 | 9.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.6 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.6 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.2 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.3% | 42.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.0% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 50 | 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 | Derrick Jones Jr. | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.7 | 28.9 |
| Points | 13.6 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.0 | 1.6 |
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 | Derrick Jones Jr. | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.0 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.4 | +0.8 |
| Total | -2.0 | -1.9 |
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, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Derrick Jones Jr..
| Punt | Derrick Jones Jr. | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#109) | -0.8 (#96) |
| REB | -1.2 (#105) | -1.4 (#117) |
| AST | -1.0 (#102) | -1.3 (#119) |
| STL | -2.0 (#142) | -2.1 (#148) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#153) | -1.5 (#109) |
| 3PM | -1.6 (#121) | -3.0 (#180) |
| FG% | -2.6 (#143) | -1.0 (#90) |
| FT% | -1.6 (#120) | -1.8 (#132) |
| TO | -3.5 (#156) | -2.8 (#135) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Derrick Jones Jr.: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Derrick Jones Jr.: 26.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.8 on the board.
- Royce O'Neale: 14.6 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Derrick Jones Jr. playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Derrick Jones Jr. or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Derrick Jones Jr.. 21.8 fantasy points per game against 21.7, 171st on our board to 174th. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (125th to 127th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Derrick Jones Jr. or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Derrick Jones Jr. is ahead in 4 (PTS, BLK, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (REB, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Derrick Jones Jr. or Royce O'Neale?
Derrick Jones Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Derrick Jones Jr.: 65.5 projected fantasy points to 65.2 for Royce O'Neale.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number