Ace Bailey vs De'Anthony Melton: who to start in Week 1
Ace Bailey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start Ace Bailey: 73.4 projected fantasy points to 67.9 for De'Anthony Melton. Over the season, Ace Bailey leads in points leagues (24.5 fantasy points a game to 22.6) and De'Anthony Melton in 9-cat leagues (173rd against 174th). 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
- #140
- 24.5 FP/G, slot 12.08, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #174
- -3.1 z, slot 15.06
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #157
- 22.6 FP/G, slot 14.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #173
- -3.1 z, slot 15.05
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Ace Bailey. 24.5 fantasy points per game against 22.6, 140th on our board to 157th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (173rd to 174th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Ace Bailey is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and De'Anthony Melton in 3 (AST, STL and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 35.9 fantasy points to 32.5, on 22.7 minutes a night against 27.1. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Ace Bailey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start Ace Bailey: 73.4 projected fantasy points to 67.9 for De'Anthony Melton.
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 | Ace Bailey | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.5 | 22.6 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 22.7 |
| PointsPTS | 13.2 | 11.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.4 | 3.0 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.6% | 41.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 72.5% | 82.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 72 | 49 |
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 | Ace Bailey | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 32.5 | 35.9 |
| Points | 17.6 | 18.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.9 | 4.8 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| Blocks | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.8 |
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 | Ace Bailey | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.2 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.2 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -1.2 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.3 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.5 | +0.1 |
| Total | -3.1 | -3.1 |
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 and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Ace Bailey.
| Punt | Ace Bailey | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.6 (#198) | -2.2 (#180) |
| REB | -2.6 (#168) | -1.9 (#131) |
| AST | -2.3 (#169) | -2.5 (#174) |
| STL | -2.4 (#158) | -4.4 (#266) |
| BLK | -3.5 (#193) | -2.7 (#157) |
| 3PM | -3.4 (#198) | -2.9 (#177) |
| FG% | -2.2 (#133) | -2.0 (#120) |
| FT% | -2.8 (#172) | -3.3 (#186) |
| TO | -3.7 (#165) | -3.3 (#152) |
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)
- Ace Bailey: 3 games (Wed @MEM, Fri NOP, Sun LAL).
- De'Anthony Melton: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Ace Bailey: 23.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.5 on the board.
- De'Anthony Melton: 11.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 22.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Ace Bailey playing tonight? · Is De'Anthony Melton playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Ace Bailey
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ace Bailey or De'Anthony Melton?
Points leagues: Ace Bailey. 24.5 fantasy points per game against 22.6, 140th on our board to 157th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (173rd to 174th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Ace Bailey or De'Anthony Melton?
Category by category, Ace Bailey is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO) and De'Anthony Melton in 3 (AST, STL and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ace Bailey or De'Anthony Melton?
Ace Bailey plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start Ace Bailey: 73.4 projected fantasy points to 67.9 for De'Anthony Melton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number