Jakob Poeltl vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 1
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 75.1 projected fantasy points to 67.1 for Royce O'Neale. Over the season, Jakob Poeltl leads in points leagues (25.0 fantasy points a game to 22.4) and Royce O'Neale in 9-cat leagues (119th against 120th). 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
- #134
- 25.0 FP/G, slot 12.02, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #120
- -1.7 z, slot 10.12, $6
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #169
- 22.4 FP/G, slot 15.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #119
- -1.7 z, slot 10.11, $6
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Jakob Poeltl. 25.0 fantasy points per game against 22.4, 134th on our board to 169th.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (119th to 120th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Jakob Poeltl produces more: 36.4 fantasy points to 29.1, on 24.8 minutes a night against 27.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 75.1 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 | Jakob Poeltl | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.0 | 22.4 |
| Minutes | 24.8 | 27.7 |
| PointsPTS | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.0 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 70.3% | 42.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 57.9% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 46 | 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 | Jakob Poeltl | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.4 | 29.1 |
| Points | 14.9 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 10.1 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 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 | Jakob Poeltl | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.5 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.4 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +2.3 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.5 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +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 assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jakob Poeltl.
| Punt | Jakob Poeltl | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#92) | -0.6 (#87) |
| REB | -2.6 (#175) | -1.3 (#107) |
| AST | -0.9 (#91) | -1.2 (#109) |
| STL | -1.4 (#117) | -2.0 (#141) |
| BLK | -2.1 (#135) | -1.4 (#105) |
| 3PM | -0.1 (#66) | -2.8 (#174) |
| FG% | -4.8 (#247) | -0.9 (#84) |
| FT% | -0.2 (#70) | -1.6 (#119) |
| TO | -2.8 (#133) | -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)
- Jakob Poeltl: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jakob Poeltl: 16.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 25.0 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 Jakob Poeltl playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jakob Poeltl or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Jakob Poeltl. 25.0 fantasy points per game against 22.4, 134th on our board to 169th. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.7 (119th to 120th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jakob Poeltl or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Jakob Poeltl is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 4 (AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jakob Poeltl or Royce O'Neale?
Jakob Poeltl plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Jakob Poeltl: 75.1 projected fantasy points to 67.1 for Royce O'Neale.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number