Peyton Watson vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 1
Peyton Watson plays 2 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 54.5 for Peyton Watson. Over the season, Peyton Watson leads in points leagues (27.3 fantasy points a game to 22.4) and Royce O'Neale in 9-cat leagues (120th against 121st). 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 23, 3:53 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #112
- 27.3 FP/G, slot 10.04, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #121
- -1.8 z, slot 11.01, $6
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #167
- 22.4 FP/G, slot 14.11
- 9-cat leagues
- #120
- -1.7 z, slot 10.12, $6
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Peyton Watson. 27.3 fantasy points per game against 22.4, 112th on our board to 167th.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (120th to 121st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Peyton Watson is ahead in 3 (PTS, BLK and FG%) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Peyton Watson produces more: 33.1 fantasy points to 29.1, on 29.6 minutes a night against 27.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Peyton Watson plays 2 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 54.5 for Peyton Watson.
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 | Peyton Watson | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.3 | 22.4 |
| Minutes | 29.6 | 27.7 |
| PointsPTS | 14.2 | 9.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.1 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.2% | 42.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.9% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 54 | 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 | Peyton Watson | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.1 | 29.1 |
| Points | 17.3 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 5.6 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 1.4 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.3 | 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 | Peyton Watson | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.4 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | +0.7 |
| Total | -1.8 | -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, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Peyton Watson.
| Punt | Peyton Watson | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.4 (#128) | -0.6 (#88) |
| REB | -1.5 (#116) | -1.3 (#106) |
| AST | -1.1 (#101) | -1.2 (#109) |
| STL | -1.8 (#132) | -1.9 (#139) |
| BLK | -2.9 (#167) | -1.4 (#106) |
| 3PM | -1.6 (#119) | -2.8 (#174) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#124) | -0.9 (#85) |
| FT% | -1.3 (#108) | -1.6 (#121) |
| TO | -1.8 (#103) | -2.5 (#126) |
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)
- Peyton Watson: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Peyton Watson: 16.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 27.3 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 Peyton Watson playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Peyton Watson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Peyton Watson or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Peyton Watson. 27.3 fantasy points per game against 22.4, 112th on our board to 167th. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (120th to 121st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Peyton Watson or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Peyton Watson is ahead in 3 (PTS, BLK and FG%) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Peyton Watson or Royce O'Neale?
Peyton Watson plays 2 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 54.5 for Peyton Watson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 3:53 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number