De'Anthony Melton vs Jalen Smith: who to start in Week 1
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 71.5 projected fantasy points to 71.3 for Jalen Smith. Over the season, De'Anthony Melton leads in points leagues (23.8 fantasy points a game to 23.8) and Jalen Smith in 9-cat leagues (133rd against 141st). 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #150
- 23.8 FP/G, slot 13.06, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #141
- -2.2 z, slot 12.09, $3
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #152
- 23.8 FP/G, slot 13.08, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #133
- -2.0 z, slot 12.01, $4
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 23.8, 150th on our board to 152nd.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (133rd to 141st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 40.7 fantasy points to 37.5, on 21.0 minutes a night against 22.9. 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), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 71.5 projected fantasy points to 71.3 for Jalen Smith.
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 | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.8 | 23.8 |
| Minutes | 22.9 | 21.0 |
| PointsPTS | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 6.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.6 | 0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.6% | 49.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.7% | 77.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 53 |
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 | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.5 | 40.7 |
| Points | 19.1 | 18.7 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 11.9 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 2.0 |
| Steals | 2.5 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 1.7 |
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 | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | +0.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +1.5 | -1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | +0.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | +0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +1.1 |
| Total | -2.2 | -2.0 |
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, blocks, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to De'Anthony Melton.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Jalen Smith |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#137) | -1.1 (#112) |
| REB | -1.1 (#98) | -2.7 (#175) |
| AST | -1.7 (#132) | -0.8 (#89) |
| STL | -3.8 (#221) | -0.8 (#83) |
| BLK | -1.8 (#119) | -2.3 (#149) |
| 3PM | -2.2 (#148) | -1.9 (#132) |
| FG% | -1.2 (#93) | -2.3 (#136) |
| FT% | -2.6 (#162) | -1.9 (#131) |
| TO | -2.3 (#118) | -3.2 (#146) |
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.
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 22.7 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.8 on the board.
- Jalen Smith: 28.4 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.8 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 Jalen Smith playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Jalen Smith?
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 23.8, 150th on our board to 152nd. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -2.0 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (133rd to 141st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Jalen Smith?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, STL and FT%) and Jalen Smith in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Anthony Melton or Jalen Smith?
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jalen Smith 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 71.5 projected fantasy points to 71.3 for Jalen Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number