De'Anthony Melton vs Dillon Brooks: who to start in Week 1
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dillon Brooks 2. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 55.9 for Dillon Brooks. Over the season, Dillon Brooks leads in points leagues (28.0 fantasy points a game to 22.6) and De'Anthony Melton in 9-cat leagues (173rd against 175th). 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #157
- 22.6 FP/G, slot 14.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #173
- -3.1 z, slot 15.05
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #104
- 28.0 FP/G, slot 9.08, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #175
- -3.1 z, slot 15.07
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Dillon Brooks. 28.0 fantasy points per game against 22.6, 104th on our board to 157th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (173rd to 175th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Dillon Brooks in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 35.9 fantasy points to 33.4, on 22.7 minutes a night against 30.2. 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), Dillon Brooks 2. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 55.9 for Dillon Brooks.
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 | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.6 | 28.0 |
| Minutes | 22.7 | 30.2 |
| PointsPTS | 11.4 | 19.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 1.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 2.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.2% | 43.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.6% | 82.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 56 |
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 | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.9 | 33.4 |
| Points | 18.1 | 23.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.8 | 2.1 |
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 | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | +0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | +1.3 | -0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | -1.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| Total | -3.1 | -3.1 |
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 assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Dillon Brooks.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Dillon Brooks |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#179) | -3.7 (#256) |
| REB | -1.9 (#131) | -2.2 (#141) |
| AST | -2.5 (#174) | -2.2 (#159) |
| STL | -4.4 (#266) | -3.0 (#186) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#157) | -2.1 (#137) |
| 3PM | -2.9 (#177) | -3.8 (#218) |
| FG% | -2.0 (#120) | -1.6 (#108) |
| FT% | -3.3 (#186) | -3.6 (#202) |
| TO | -3.3 (#152) | -3.2 (#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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- De'Anthony Melton: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- Dillon Brooks: 2 games (Wed @POR, Sat GSW).
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 11.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 22.6 on the board.
- Dillon Brooks: 12.8 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 28.0 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 Dillon Brooks playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Dillon Brooks?
Points leagues: Dillon Brooks. 28.0 fantasy points per game against 22.6, 104th on our board to 157th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (173rd to 175th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Dillon Brooks?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Dillon Brooks in 4 (PTS, REB, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Anthony Melton or Dillon Brooks?
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dillon Brooks 2. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 55.9 for Dillon Brooks.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number