Cameron Johnson vs De'Anthony Melton: who to start in Week 1
Cameron Johnson plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 68.9 projected fantasy points to 46.0 for Cameron Johnson. Over the season, Cameron Johnson leads in both formats: 23.0 fantasy points a game to 23.0, and 122nd against 183rd 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #158
- 23.0 FP/G, slot 14.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #122
- -1.8 z, slot 11.02, $6
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #159
- 23.0 FP/G, slot 14.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #183
- -3.3 z, slot 16.03
The call
Points leagues: Cameron Johnson. 23.0 fantasy points per game against 23.0, 158th on our board to 159th.
9-cat leagues: Cameron Johnson again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -3.3 (122nd to 183rd).
Category by category, Cameron Johnson is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and De'Anthony Melton in 1 (STL).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 36.2 fantasy points to 27.1, on 22.8 minutes a night against 30.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Cameron Johnson plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 68.9 projected fantasy points to 46.0 for Cameron Johnson.
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 | Cameron Johnson | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.0 | 23.0 |
| Minutes | 30.5 | 22.8 |
| PointsPTS | 12.2 | 11.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.0% | 40.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.9% | 82.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 54 | 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 | Cameron Johnson | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 27.1 | 36.2 |
| Points | 14.4 | 18.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Assists | 2.9 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 2.4 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Turnovers | 1.0 | 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 | Cameron Johnson | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | +1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | +0.4 | -0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.3 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.3 | -0.0 |
| Total | -1.8 | -3.3 |
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
No punt changes the answer: Cameron Johnson stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Cameron Johnson | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.1 (#110) | -2.5 (#191) |
| REB | -0.9 (#88) | -2.2 (#147) |
| AST | -1.2 (#111) | -2.8 (#189) |
| STL | -1.1 (#97) | -4.8 (#283) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#101) | -2.8 (#165) |
| 3PM | -2.3 (#148) | -3.1 (#186) |
| FG% | -1.7 (#110) | -2.0 (#122) |
| FT% | -2.1 (#140) | -3.5 (#194) |
| TO | -3.2 (#142) | -3.3 (#147) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Cameron Johnson: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- De'Anthony Melton: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Cameron Johnson: 27.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 23.0 on the board.
- De'Anthony Melton: 6.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Cameron Johnson playing tonight? · Is De'Anthony Melton playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Cameron Johnson
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Cameron Johnson or De'Anthony Melton?
Points leagues: Cameron Johnson. 23.0 fantasy points per game against 23.0, 158th on our board to 159th. 9-cat leagues: Cameron Johnson again, -1.8 in summed z-scores against -3.3 (122nd to 183rd).
Who wins more categories, Cameron Johnson or De'Anthony Melton?
Category by category, Cameron Johnson is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and De'Anthony Melton in 1 (STL).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cameron Johnson or De'Anthony Melton?
Cameron Johnson plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 68.9 projected fantasy points to 46.0 for Cameron Johnson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number