Christian Braun vs De'Anthony Melton: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft De'Anthony Melton in points leagues (24.1 fantasy points a game to 23.7) and Christian Braun in 9-cat leagues (162nd against 163rd). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #153
- 23.7 FP/G, slot 13.09, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #162
- -2.8 z, slot 14.06
The pick in 9-cat 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 points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft De'Anthony Melton. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 23.7, 149th on our board to 153rd.
9-cat leagues: Christian Braun instead, -2.8 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (162nd to 163rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Christian Braun is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, FG% and TO) and De'Anthony Melton in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 37.7 fantasy points to 26.8, on 23.0 minutes a night against 31.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Christian Braun plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 72.2 projected fantasy points to 47.4 for Christian Braun.
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 | Christian Braun | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.7 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 31.8 | 23.0 |
| PointsPTS | 12.0 | 12.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.8 | 3.2 |
| AssistsAST | 2.7 | 2.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.9% | 40.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.2% | 82.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 44 | 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 | Christian Braun | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 26.8 | 37.7 |
| Points | 13.5 | 19.3 |
| Rebounds | 5.4 | 5.1 |
| Assists | 3.1 | 4.0 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 2.5 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 1.1 | 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 | Christian Braun | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.5 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | +1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -1.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +0.0 |
| Total | -2.8 | -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 rebounds, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to De'Anthony Melton.
| Punt | Christian Braun | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.0 (#157) | -2.2 (#171) |
| REB | -2.5 (#158) | -1.9 (#130) |
| AST | -2.3 (#163) | -2.4 (#171) |
| STL | -1.9 (#135) | -4.5 (#272) |
| BLK | -2.1 (#138) | -2.5 (#151) |
| 3PM | -2.1 (#142) | -2.7 (#174) |
| FG% | -3.6 (#187) | -1.7 (#112) |
| FT% | -2.7 (#159) | -3.1 (#177) |
| TO | -4.1 (#174) | -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)
- Christian Braun: 2 games (Thu @OKC, Sat NOP).
- De'Anthony Melton: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Christian Braun: 22.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 23.7 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 Christian Braun or De'Anthony Melton in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft De'Anthony Melton. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 23.7, 149th on our board to 153rd. 9-cat leagues: Christian Braun instead, -2.8 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (162nd to 163rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Christian Braun or De'Anthony Melton?
Category by category, Christian Braun is ahead in 4 (REB, AST, FG% and TO) and De'Anthony Melton in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Christian Braun or De'Anthony Melton?
Christian Braun plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), De'Anthony Melton 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 72.2 projected fantasy points to 47.4 for Christian Braun.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number