De'Anthony Melton vs Dennis Schröder: who to start in Week 1
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dennis Schröder 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 68.9 projected fantasy points to 68.6 for Dennis Schröder. Over the season, De'Anthony Melton leads in both formats: 23.0 fantasy points a game to 22.9, and 183rd against 247th 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
- #159
- 23.0 FP/G, slot 14.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #183
- -3.3 z, slot 16.03
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #160
- 22.9 FP/G, slot 14.04
- 9-cat leagues
- #247
- -4.7 z, slot 21.07
The call
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.0 fantasy points per game against 22.9, 159th on our board to 160th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -3.3 in summed z-scores against -4.7 (183rd to 247th).
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and 3PM) and Dennis Schröder in 3 (AST, FG% and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 36.2 fantasy points to 33.1, on 22.8 minutes a night against 24.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dennis Schröder 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 68.9 projected fantasy points to 68.6 for Dennis Schröder.
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 | De'Anthony Melton | Dennis Schröder |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.0 | 22.9 |
| Minutes | 22.8 | 24.9 |
| PointsPTS | 11.5 | 11.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 2.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.2% | 41.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.6% | 85.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 70 |
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 | De'Anthony Melton | Dennis Schröder |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.2 | 33.1 |
| Points | 18.2 | 16.3 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 7.1 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 2.7 |
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 | De'Anthony Melton | Dennis Schröder |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | +1.4 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.4 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.0 | +0.0 |
| Total | -3.3 | -4.7 |
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 Dennis Schröder.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Dennis Schröder |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.5 (#191) | -3.8 (#266) |
| REB | -2.2 (#147) | -3.5 (#220) |
| AST | -2.8 (#189) | -5.4 (#309) |
| STL | -4.8 (#283) | -4.0 (#231) |
| BLK | -2.8 (#165) | -3.8 (#215) |
| 3PM | -3.1 (#186) | -4.1 (#228) |
| FG% | -2.0 (#122) | -3.9 (#202) |
| FT% | -3.5 (#194) | -5.2 (#266) |
| TO | -3.3 (#147) | -4.8 (#206) |
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)
- De'Anthony Melton: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- Dennis Schröder: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 6.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.0 on the board.
- Dennis Schröder: 29.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 22.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Anthony Melton playing tonight? · Is Dennis Schröder playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Dennis Schröder?
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.0 fantasy points per game against 22.9, 159th on our board to 160th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -3.3 in summed z-scores against -4.7 (183rd to 247th).
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Dennis Schröder?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and 3PM) and Dennis Schröder in 3 (AST, FG% and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Anthony Melton or Dennis Schröder?
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dennis Schröder 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 68.9 projected fantasy points to 68.6 for Dennis Schröder.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number