Herbert Jones vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 2
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Royce O'Neale 4. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 78.3 projected fantasy points to 58.5 for Herbert Jones. Over the season, Royce O'Neale leads in both formats: 19.6 fantasy points a game to 19.5, and 168th against 198th 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 27, 2:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #209
- 19.5 FP/G, slot 18.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #198
- -3.7 z, slot 17.06
- Points leagues
- #208
- 19.6 FP/G, slot 18.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #168
- -2.9 z, slot 14.12
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Royce O'Neale. 19.6 fantasy points per game against 19.5, 208th on our board to 209th.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale again, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (168th to 198th).
Category by category, Herbert Jones is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, BLK and FT%) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Royce O'Neale produces more: 28.0 fantasy points to 26.5, on 25.2 minutes a night against 26.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Royce O'Neale 4. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 78.3 projected fantasy points to 58.5 for Herbert Jones.
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 | Herbert Jones | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 19.5 | 19.6 |
| Minutes | 26.5 | 25.2 |
| PointsPTS | 7.9 | 8.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 4.1 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 2.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 38.7% | 41.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 80.6% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 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 | Herbert Jones | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 26.5 | 28.0 |
| Points | 10.8 | 12.1 |
| Rebounds | 4.3 | 5.9 |
| Assists | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 1.8 | 3.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 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 | Herbert Jones | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.5 | -1.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +1.0 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.4 | +0.7 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.3 | -0.9 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.0 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.8 | +1.0 |
| Total | -3.7 | -2.9 |
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 threes flips the 9-cat answer to Herbert Jones.
| Punt | Herbert Jones | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#177) | -1.6 (#146) |
| REB | -2.7 (#169) | -2.3 (#154) |
| AST | -3.1 (#195) | -2.2 (#167) |
| STL | -4.7 (#283) | -2.8 (#173) |
| BLK | -3.2 (#177) | -2.4 (#151) |
| 3PM | -3.3 (#197) | -3.7 (#214) |
| FG% | -2.5 (#142) | -2.1 (#124) |
| FT% | -3.6 (#202) | -2.8 (#165) |
| TO | -4.5 (#193) | -3.9 (#171) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Herbert Jones: 3 games (Wed DEN, Thu SAC, Sat ATL), 1 back-to-back.
- Royce O'Neale: 4 games (Mon WAS, Wed @DET, Fri @WAS, Sat PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Herbert Jones: 7.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 19.5 on the board.
- Royce O'Neale: 8.0 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 19.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Herbert Jones playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Herbert Jones or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Royce O'Neale. 19.6 fantasy points per game against 19.5, 208th on our board to 209th. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale again, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -3.7 (168th to 198th).
Who wins more categories, Herbert Jones or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Herbert Jones is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, BLK and FT%) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, Herbert Jones or Royce O'Neale?
Herbert Jones plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Royce O'Neale 4. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 78.3 projected fantasy points to 58.5 for Herbert Jones.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 2:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number