Brook Lopez vs De'Anthony Melton: who to start in Week 2
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), De'Anthony Melton 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 95.3 projected fantasy points to 63.4 for Brook Lopez. Over the season, De'Anthony Melton leads in both formats: 23.8 fantasy points a game to 21.1, and 139th against 141st 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 26, 8:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #185
- 21.1 FP/G, slot 16.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #141
- -2.2 z, slot 12.09, $3
- Points leagues
- #147
- 23.8 FP/G, slot 13.03, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #139
- -2.2 z, slot 12.07, $3
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 21.1, 147th on our board to 185th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (139th to 141st).
Category by category, Brook Lopez is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and De'Anthony Melton in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 37.5 fantasy points to 34.5, on 22.9 minutes a night against 22.1. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), De'Anthony Melton 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 95.3 projected fantasy points to 63.4 for Brook Lopez.
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 | Brook Lopez | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.1 | 23.8 |
| Minutes | 22.1 | 22.9 |
| PointsPTS | 10.0 | 12.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 42.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.4% | 84.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 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 | Brook Lopez | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 34.5 | 37.5 |
| Points | 16.4 | 19.1 |
| Rebounds | 6.4 | 4.9 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 2.5 |
| Blocks | 2.0 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.5 | 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 | Brook Lopez | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -1.1 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | +1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.2 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.2 | +0.1 |
| Total | -2.2 | -2.2 |
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, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Brook Lopez.
| Punt | Brook Lopez | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#113) | -1.5 (#143) |
| REB | -1.6 (#121) | -1.1 (#102) |
| AST | -1.1 (#103) | -1.8 (#139) |
| STL | -1.1 (#102) | -3.8 (#224) |
| BLK | -3.6 (#203) | -1.8 (#123) |
| 3PM | -2.2 (#150) | -2.2 (#151) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#133) | -1.3 (#95) |
| FT% | -2.2 (#148) | -2.7 (#164) |
| TO | -3.5 (#162) | -2.4 (#119) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Brook Lopez: 3 games (Wed LAL, Fri @MIN, Sun @GSW).
- De'Anthony Melton: 4 games (Mon @DEN, Wed @MIN, Fri LAL, Sun LAC).
Recent games
- Brook Lopez: 30.6 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 21.1 on the board.
- De'Anthony Melton: 22.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.8 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brook Lopez playing tonight? · Is De'Anthony Melton playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brook Lopez or De'Anthony Melton?
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 21.1, 147th on our board to 185th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (139th to 141st).
Who wins more categories, Brook Lopez or De'Anthony Melton?
Category by category, Brook Lopez is ahead in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO) and De'Anthony Melton in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Brook Lopez or De'Anthony Melton?
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), De'Anthony Melton 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 95.3 projected fantasy points to 63.4 for Brook Lopez.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 8:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number