Royce O'Neale vs Zach LaVine: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Zach LaVine in both formats: 27.0 fantasy points a game to 22.7 in points leagues, and 119th against 120th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #166
- 22.7 FP/G, slot 14.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #120
- -1.8 z, slot 10.12, $6
- Points leagues
- #118
- 27.0 FP/G, slot 10.10, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #119
- -1.8 z, slot 10.11, $6
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Zach LaVine. 27.0 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 118th on our board to 166th.
9-cat leagues: Zach LaVine again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (119th to 120th).
Category by category, Royce O'Neale is ahead in 6 (REB, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Zach LaVine in 3 (PTS, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Zach LaVine produces more: 30.9 fantasy points to 28.8, on 31.4 minutes a night against 28.4. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Royce O'Neale plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zach LaVine 3. For that week alone, start Zach LaVine: 80.9 projected fantasy points to 68.0 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Royce O'Neale | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.7 | 27.0 |
| Minutes | 28.4 | 31.4 |
| PointsPTS | 9.8 | 19.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 2.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.1% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 71.1% | 88.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 78 | 39 |
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 | Royce O'Neale | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.8 | 30.9 |
| Points | 12.4 | 22.0 |
| Rebounds | 6.1 | 3.2 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 3.4 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.7 | 2.2 |
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 | Royce O'Neale | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | +0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.9 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.9 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | -0.0 |
| Total | -1.8 | -1.8 |
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, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Royce O'Neale.
| Punt | Royce O'Neale | Zach LaVine |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#90) | -2.3 (#176) |
| REB | -1.4 (#108) | -0.4 (#68) |
| AST | -1.3 (#119) | -1.2 (#107) |
| STL | -2.0 (#141) | -1.0 (#96) |
| BLK | -1.4 (#96) | -0.9 (#85) |
| 3PM | -2.9 (#179) | -2.8 (#177) |
| FG% | -0.9 (#85) | -1.5 (#100) |
| FT% | -1.7 (#123) | -2.8 (#166) |
| TO | -2.6 (#123) | -1.8 (#103) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
- Zach LaVine: 3 games (Wed @LAC, Fri POR, Sun MEM).
Recent games
- Royce O'Neale: 19.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 22.7 on the board.
- Zach LaVine: 25.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 27.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Royce O'Neale or Zach LaVine in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Zach LaVine. 27.0 fantasy points per game against 22.7, 118th on our board to 166th. 9-cat leagues: Zach LaVine again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -1.8 (119th to 120th).
Who wins more categories, Royce O'Neale or Zach LaVine?
Category by category, Royce O'Neale is ahead in 6 (REB, AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and TO) and Zach LaVine in 3 (PTS, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Royce O'Neale or Zach LaVine?
Royce O'Neale plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Zach LaVine 3. For that week alone, start Zach LaVine: 80.9 projected fantasy points to 68.0 for Royce O'Neale.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number