De'Anthony Melton vs Dylan Harper: who to start in Week 1
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dylan Harper 3. For that week alone, start Dylan Harper: 72.3 projected fantasy points to 68.9 for De'Anthony Melton. Over the season, Dylan Harper leads in points leagues (24.1 fantasy points a game to 23.0) and De'Anthony Melton in 9-cat leagues (183rd against 185th). 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, 9:54 AM 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 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #146
- 24.1 FP/G, slot 13.02, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #185
- -3.4 z, slot 16.05
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Dylan Harper. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 23.0, 146th on our board to 159th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -3.3 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (183rd to 185th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Dylan Harper in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Dylan Harper produces more: 37.5 fantasy points to 36.2, on 23.2 minutes a night against 22.8. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dylan Harper 3. For that week alone, start Dylan Harper: 72.3 projected fantasy points to 68.9 for De'Anthony Melton.
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 | Dylan Harper |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.0 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 22.8 | 23.2 |
| PointsPTS | 11.5 | 12.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 3.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.2% | 49.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.6% | 78.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 69 |
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 | Dylan Harper |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.2 | 37.5 |
| Points | 18.2 | 18.9 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 5.6 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 6.1 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 1.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 2.3 |
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 | Dylan Harper |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +0.1 |
| StealsSTL | +1.4 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | -0.8 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.4 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.0 | +0.5 |
| Total | -3.3 | -3.4 |
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, blocks, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Dylan Harper.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Dylan Harper |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.5 (#191) | -2.6 (#201) |
| REB | -2.2 (#147) | -2.5 (#164) |
| AST | -2.8 (#189) | -3.6 (#224) |
| STL | -4.8 (#283) | -2.7 (#171) |
| BLK | -2.8 (#165) | -2.8 (#163) |
| 3PM | -3.1 (#186) | -2.6 (#165) |
| FG% | -2.0 (#122) | -3.8 (#200) |
| FT% | -3.5 (#194) | -3.4 (#186) |
| TO | -3.3 (#147) | -4.0 (#176) |
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.
- Dylan Harper: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
De'Anthony Melton or Dylan Harper: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 6.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 23.0 on the board.
- Dylan Harper: 31.9 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 24.1 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 Dylan Harper playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Dylan Harper
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Dylan Harper?
Points leagues: Dylan Harper. 24.1 fantasy points per game against 23.0, 146th on our board to 159th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -3.3 in summed z-scores against -3.4 (183rd to 185th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Dylan Harper?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Dylan Harper in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Anthony Melton or Dylan Harper?
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Dylan Harper 3. For that week alone, start Dylan Harper: 72.3 projected fantasy points to 68.9 for De'Anthony Melton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number