De'Anthony Melton vs Jarace Walker: who to start in Week 1
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 63.9 for Jarace Walker. Over the season, De'Anthony Melton leads in both formats: 22.6 fantasy points a game to 21.3, and 173rd against 263rd 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- Points leagues
- #157
- 22.6 FP/G, slot 14.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #173
- -3.1 z, slot 15.05
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #182
- 21.3 FP/G, slot 16.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #263
- -5.2 z, slot 22.11
The call
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 22.6 fantasy points per game against 21.3, 157th on our board to 182nd.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (173rd to 263rd).
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, FT% and TO) and Jarace Walker in 3 (REB, 3PM and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 35.9 fantasy points to 31.0, on 22.7 minutes a night against 24.7. 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), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 63.9 for Jarace Walker.
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | De'Anthony Melton | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.6 | 21.3 |
| Minutes | 22.7 | 24.7 |
| PointsPTS | 11.4 | 10.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.2% | 41.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.6% | 74.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 76 |
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 | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.9 | 31.0 |
| Points | 18.1 | 15.4 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 7.2 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 3.5 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.8 | 3.0 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | De'Anthony Melton | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +1.3 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | -1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| Total | -3.1 | -5.2 |
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 Jarace Walker.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Jarace Walker |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#179) | -4.1 (#286) |
| REB | -1.9 (#131) | -5.0 (#296) |
| AST | -2.5 (#174) | -4.6 (#274) |
| STL | -4.4 (#266) | -4.4 (#264) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#157) | -4.8 (#263) |
| 3PM | -2.9 (#177) | -5.1 (#282) |
| FG% | -2.0 (#120) | -4.4 (#226) |
| FT% | -3.3 (#186) | -4.8 (#254) |
| TO | -3.3 (#152) | -5.0 (#212) |
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.
- Jarace Walker: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 11.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 22.6 on the board.
- Jarace Walker: 6.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.3 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Anthony Melton playing tonight? · Is Jarace Walker playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Jarace Walker?
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 22.6 fantasy points per game against 21.3, 157th on our board to 182nd. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -3.1 in summed z-scores against -5.2 (173rd to 263rd).
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Jarace Walker?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, FT% and TO) and Jarace Walker in 3 (REB, 3PM and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Anthony Melton or Jarace Walker?
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Jarace Walker 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 63.9 for Jarace Walker.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number