De'Anthony Melton vs Jaime Jaquez: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jaime Jaquez in points leagues (29.3 fantasy points a game to 24.1) and De'Anthony Melton in 9-cat leagues (163rd against 164th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #149
- 24.1 FP/G, slot 13.05, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #163
- -2.9 z, slot 14.07
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #97
- 29.3 FP/G, slot 9.01, $10
- 9-cat leagues
- #164
- -2.9 z, slot 14.08
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Jaime Jaquez. 29.3 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 97th on our board to 149th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (163rd to 164th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jaime Jaquez in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 37.7 fantasy points to 37.2, on 23.0 minutes a night against 28.3. 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), Jaime Jaquez 3. For that week alone, start Jaime Jaquez: 87.8 projected fantasy points to 72.2 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | De'Anthony Melton | Jaime Jaquez |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.1 | 29.3 |
| Minutes | 23.0 | 28.3 |
| PointsPTS | 12.3 | 15.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 5.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.6 | 4.7 |
| StealsSTL | 1.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.7% | 50.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.6% | 76.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 75 |
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 | Jaime Jaquez |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.7 | 37.2 |
| Points | 19.3 | 19.6 |
| Rebounds | 5.1 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| Steals | 2.5 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 2.6 |
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 | Jaime Jaquez |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.2 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +0.5 |
| StealsSTL | +1.6 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.4 | +0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.0 | -0.2 |
| Total | -2.9 | -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 steals, blocks, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Jaime Jaquez.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Jaime Jaquez |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#171) | -2.7 (#201) |
| REB | -1.9 (#130) | -2.7 (#170) |
| AST | -2.4 (#171) | -3.4 (#222) |
| STL | -4.5 (#272) | -2.0 (#140) |
| BLK | -2.5 (#151) | -2.2 (#142) |
| 3PM | -2.7 (#174) | -2.1 (#140) |
| FG% | -1.7 (#112) | -3.7 (#191) |
| FT% | -3.1 (#177) | -2.7 (#158) |
| TO | -2.9 (#135) | -2.8 (#134) |
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)
- De'Anthony Melton: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back.
- Jaime Jaquez: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 22.4 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 24.1 on the board.
- Jaime Jaquez: 29.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 29.3 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 De'Anthony Melton or Jaime Jaquez in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jaime Jaquez. 29.3 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 97th on our board to 149th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -2.9 (163rd to 164th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Jaime Jaquez?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and Jaime Jaquez in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Anthony Melton or Jaime Jaquez?
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jaime Jaquez 3. For that week alone, start Jaime Jaquez: 87.8 projected fantasy points to 72.2 for De'Anthony Melton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number