Dylan Cardwell vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 1
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 67.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell. Over the season, Royce O'Neale leads in both formats: 22.4 fantasy points a game to 22.3, and 119th against 134th 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, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #170
- 22.3 FP/G, slot 15.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #134
- -2.2 z, slot 12.02, $4
Out (Calf)
- Points leagues
- #169
- 22.4 FP/G, slot 15.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #119
- -1.7 z, slot 10.11, $6
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Royce O'Neale. 22.4 fantasy points per game against 22.3, 169th on our board to 170th.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale again, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (119th to 134th).
Category by category, Dylan Cardwell is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Dylan Cardwell produces more: 39.0 fantasy points to 29.1, on 20.6 minutes a night against 27.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 67.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell.
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 | Dylan Cardwell | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Minutes | 20.6 | 27.7 |
| PointsPTS | 5.4 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.5 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 58.7% | 42.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 51.0% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 44 | 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 | Dylan Cardwell | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.0 | 29.1 |
| Points | 9.4 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 13.2 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 2.7 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 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 | Dylan Cardwell | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.9 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.8 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.8 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -1.6 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.7 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.7 |
| Total | -2.2 | -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, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Dylan Cardwell.
| Punt | Dylan Cardwell | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.3 (#74) | -0.6 (#87) |
| REB | -3.3 (#213) | -1.3 (#107) |
| AST | -1.0 (#98) | -1.2 (#109) |
| STL | -1.3 (#110) | -2.0 (#141) |
| BLK | -4.3 (#243) | -1.4 (#105) |
| 3PM | -0.5 (#74) | -2.8 (#174) |
| FG% | -3.4 (#177) | -0.9 (#84) |
| FT% | -1.0 (#94) | -1.6 (#119) |
| TO | -3.6 (#160) | -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)
- Dylan Cardwell: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM), listed Out.
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Dylan Cardwell: 23.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.3 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 Dylan Cardwell playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Dylan Cardwell or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Royce O'Neale. 22.4 fantasy points per game against 22.3, 169th on our board to 170th. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale again, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (119th to 134th).
Who wins more categories, Dylan Cardwell or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Dylan Cardwell is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Dylan Cardwell or Royce O'Neale?
Dylan Cardwell plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 67.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Dylan Cardwell.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number