Kris Dunn vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 1
Kris Dunn plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 65.2 projected fantasy points to 64.9 for Kris Dunn. Over the season, Royce O'Neale leads in both formats: 21.7 fantasy points a game to 21.6, and 124th against 126th 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 24, 4:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #175
- 21.6 FP/G, slot 15.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #126
- -2.0 z, slot 11.06, $4
- Points leagues
- #174
- 21.7 FP/G, slot 15.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #124
- -1.9 z, slot 11.04, $4
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Royce O'Neale. 21.7 fantasy points per game against 21.6, 174th on our board to 175th.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (124th to 126th).
Category by category, Kris Dunn is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Royce O'Neale in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Royce O'Neale produces more: 28.9 fantasy points to 28.3, on 27.0 minutes a night against 27.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Kris Dunn plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 65.2 projected fantasy points to 64.9 for Kris Dunn.
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 | Kris Dunn | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.6 | 21.7 |
| Minutes | 27.5 | 27.0 |
| PointsPTS | 7.2 | 9.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.4 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.9 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.4% | 42.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 73.4% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 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 | Kris Dunn | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.3 | 28.9 |
| Points | 9.5 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 4.5 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 5.1 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 2.2 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 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 | Kris Dunn | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.6 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +1.8 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.6 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +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 points, rebounds, blocks, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Kris Dunn.
| Punt | Kris Dunn | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.4 (#77) | -0.8 (#96) |
| REB | -1.0 (#95) | -1.4 (#118) |
| AST | -2.1 (#156) | -1.3 (#119) |
| STL | -3.9 (#227) | -2.1 (#148) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#101) | -1.5 (#109) |
| 3PM | -1.4 (#111) | -3.0 (#180) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#127) | -1.0 (#90) |
| FT% | -1.8 (#129) | -1.8 (#132) |
| TO | -2.5 (#127) | -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)
- Kris Dunn: 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
- Kris Dunn: 29.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.6 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 Kris Dunn playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Kris Dunn or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Royce O'Neale. 21.7 fantasy points per game against 21.6, 174th on our board to 175th. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale again, -1.9 in summed z-scores against -2.0 (124th to 126th).
Who wins more categories, Kris Dunn or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Kris Dunn is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FG%) and Royce O'Neale in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kris Dunn or Royce O'Neale?
Kris Dunn plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 65.2 projected fantasy points to 64.9 for Kris Dunn.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number