Pascal Siakam vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 1
Pascal Siakam plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Pascal Siakam: 117.8 projected fantasy points to 65.2 for Royce O'Neale. Over the season, Pascal Siakam leads in both formats: 39.3 fantasy points a game to 21.7, and 122nd against 125th 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, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #31
- 39.3 FP/G, slot 3.07, $25
- 9-cat leagues
- #122
- -1.8 z, slot 11.02, $5
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #174
- 21.7 FP/G, slot 15.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #125
- -1.9 z, slot 11.05, $4
The call
Points leagues: Pascal Siakam. 39.3 fantasy points per game against 21.7, 31st on our board to 174th.
9-cat leagues: Pascal Siakam again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (122nd to 125th).
Category by category, Pascal Siakam is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Pascal Siakam produces more: 42.8 fantasy points to 28.9, on 33.0 minutes a night against 27.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Pascal Siakam plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Pascal Siakam: 117.8 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 | Pascal Siakam | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 39.3 | 21.7 |
| Minutes | 33.0 | 27.0 |
| PointsPTS | 24.3 | 9.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.5 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.6 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.5% | 42.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 66.1% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.4 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 62 | 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 | Pascal Siakam | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 42.8 | 28.9 |
| Points | 26.4 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 7.1 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.9 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 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 | Pascal Siakam | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +1.4 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.3 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | +0.0 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.3 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -2.6 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.6 | +0.8 |
| Total | -1.8 | -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, assists and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Royce O'Neale.
| Punt | Pascal Siakam | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.3 (#236) | -0.8 (#96) |
| REB | -2.7 (#171) | -1.4 (#117) |
| AST | -2.1 (#149) | -1.3 (#119) |
| STL | -2.0 (#141) | -2.1 (#148) |
| BLK | -1.4 (#104) | -1.5 (#109) |
| 3PM | -2.0 (#137) | -3.0 (#180) |
| FG% | -3.3 (#165) | -1.0 (#90) |
| FT% | +0.7 (#43) | -1.8 (#132) |
| TO | -1.2 (#86) | -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)
- Pascal Siakam: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Pascal Siakam: 34.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 39.3 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 Pascal Siakam playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Pascal Siakam
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Pascal Siakam or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Pascal Siakam. 39.3 fantasy points per game against 21.7, 31st on our board to 174th. 9-cat leagues: Pascal Siakam again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (122nd to 125th).
Who wins more categories, Pascal Siakam or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Pascal Siakam is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Pascal Siakam or Royce O'Neale?
Pascal Siakam plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Royce O'Neale 3. For that week alone, start Pascal Siakam: 117.8 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