Robert Williams III vs Royce O'Neale: who to start in Week 1
Robert Williams III plays 2 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 43.6 for Robert Williams III. Over the season, Robert Williams III leads in both formats: 21.8 fantasy points a game to 21.7, and 110th against 124th 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
- #173
- 21.8 FP/G, slot 15.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #110
- -1.5 z, slot 10.02, $7
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #174
- 21.7 FP/G, slot 15.06
- 9-cat leagues
- #124
- -1.9 z, slot 11.04, $4
The call
Points leagues: Robert Williams III. 21.8 fantasy points per game against 21.7, 173rd on our board to 174th.
9-cat leagues: Robert Williams III again, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (110th to 124th).
Category by category, Robert Williams III is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Robert Williams III produces more: 46.1 fantasy points to 28.9, on 17.0 minutes a night against 27.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Robert Williams III plays 2 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 43.6 for Robert Williams III.
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 | Robert Williams III | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.8 | 21.7 |
| Minutes | 17.0 | 27.0 |
| PointsPTS | 6.8 | 9.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.1 | 4.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.1 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 71.7% | 42.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 58.5% | 71.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 59 | 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 | Robert Williams III | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.1 | 28.9 |
| Points | 14.4 | 12.6 |
| Rebounds | 15.1 | 6.1 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 3.1 |
| Steals | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 3.0 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 0.3 | 3.5 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 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 | Robert Williams III | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.7 | -1.2 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | -0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | +0.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.5 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.5 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.6 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.3 | +0.8 |
| Total | -1.5 | -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 rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Royce O'Neale.
| Punt | Robert Williams III | Royce O'Neale |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +0.2 (#55) | -0.8 (#96) |
| REB | -2.3 (#151) | -1.4 (#118) |
| AST | -0.2 (#58) | -1.3 (#119) |
| STL | -0.2 (#68) | -2.1 (#148) |
| BLK | -3.3 (#185) | -1.5 (#109) |
| 3PM | +0.1 (#59) | -3.0 (#180) |
| FG% | -3.7 (#186) | -1.0 (#90) |
| FT% | -0.7 (#84) | -1.8 (#132) |
| TO | -2.9 (#137) | -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)
- Robert Williams III: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Robert Williams III: 19.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.8 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 Robert Williams III playing tonight? · Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Robert Williams III or Royce O'Neale?
Points leagues: Robert Williams III. 21.8 fantasy points per game against 21.7, 173rd on our board to 174th. 9-cat leagues: Robert Williams III again, -1.5 in summed z-scores against -1.9 (110th to 124th).
Who wins more categories, Robert Williams III or Royce O'Neale?
Category by category, Robert Williams III is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and Royce O'Neale in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Robert Williams III or Royce O'Neale?
Robert Williams III plays 2 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 43.6 for Robert Williams III.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number