Brandon Williams vs De'Anthony Melton: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Brandon Williams in points leagues (24.1 fantasy points a game to 24.1) and De'Anthony Melton in 9-cat leagues (163rd against 234th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #146
- 24.1 FP/G, slot 13.02, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #234
- -4.4 z, slot 20.06
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #149
- 24.1 FP/G, slot 13.05, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #163
- -2.9 z, slot 14.07
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Brandon Williams. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 146th on our board to 149th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -4.4 (163rd to 234th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and FG%) and De'Anthony Melton in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Brandon Williams produces more: 39.2 fantasy points to 37.7, on 22.2 minutes a night against 23.0. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Williams: 72.4 projected fantasy points to 72.2 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Brandon Williams | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.1 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 22.2 | 23.0 |
| PointsPTS | 13.0 | 12.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.9 | 3.2 |
| AssistsAST | 3.9 | 2.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.2% | 40.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.3% | 82.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 66 | 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 | Brandon Williams | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 39.2 | 37.7 |
| Points | 21.1 | 19.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.7 | 5.1 |
| Assists | 6.3 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 0.9 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 2.9 |
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 | Brandon Williams | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.6 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.3 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.2 | +1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -1.1 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.0 | +0.0 |
| Total | -4.4 | -2.9 |
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 steals flips the 9-cat answer to Brandon Williams.
| Punt | Brandon Williams | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.7 (#267) | -2.2 (#171) |
| REB | -3.3 (#215) | -1.9 (#130) |
| AST | -4.5 (#271) | -2.4 (#171) |
| STL | -4.2 (#253) | -4.5 (#272) |
| BLK | -3.8 (#220) | -2.5 (#151) |
| 3PM | -3.2 (#191) | -2.7 (#174) |
| FG% | -4.7 (#241) | -1.7 (#112) |
| FT% | -4.3 (#232) | -3.1 (#177) |
| TO | -4.5 (#189) | -2.9 (#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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Brandon Williams: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- De'Anthony Melton: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
Brandon Williams or De'Anthony Melton: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Brandon Williams: 25.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 24.1 on the board.
- De'Anthony Melton: 22.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 24.1 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 Brandon Williams or De'Anthony Melton in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Brandon Williams. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 146th on our board to 149th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -4.4 (163rd to 234th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brandon Williams or De'Anthony Melton?
Category by category, Brandon Williams is ahead in 3 (PTS, AST and FG%) and De'Anthony Melton in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Brandon Williams or De'Anthony Melton?
Brandon Williams plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start Brandon Williams: 72.4 projected fantasy points to 72.2 for De'Anthony Melton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number