De'Anthony Melton vs Keldon Johnson: who to start in Week 1
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 67.5 for Keldon Johnson. Over the season, De'Anthony Melton leads in points leagues (22.6 fantasy points a game to 22.5) and Keldon Johnson in 9-cat leagues (170th against 173rd). 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, 4:26 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 points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #158
- 22.5 FP/G, slot 14.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #170
- -2.9 z, slot 15.02
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 22.6 fantasy points per game against 22.5, 157th on our board to 158th.
9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (170th to 173rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Keldon Johnson in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 35.9 fantasy points to 35.4, on 22.7 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), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 67.5 for Keldon Johnson.
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 | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 22.6 | 22.5 |
| Minutes | 22.7 | 22.9 |
| PointsPTS | 11.4 | 12.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.0 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.2% | 52.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.6% | 79.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 82 |
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 | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 35.9 | 35.4 |
| Points | 18.1 | 20.0 |
| Rebounds | 4.8 | 8.4 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.8 | 1.5 |
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 | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +1.3 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.2 | +0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | +0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +1.2 |
| Total | -3.1 | -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 points, rebounds, field goal percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to De'Anthony Melton.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Keldon Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#180) | -2.3 (#187) |
| REB | -1.9 (#131) | -2.8 (#182) |
| AST | -2.5 (#174) | -1.8 (#142) |
| STL | -4.4 (#266) | -2.0 (#144) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#157) | -1.9 (#127) |
| 3PM | -2.9 (#177) | -2.4 (#163) |
| FG% | -2.0 (#120) | -3.8 (#194) |
| FT% | -3.3 (#186) | -2.9 (#176) |
| TO | -3.3 (#152) | -4.2 (#185) |
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.
- Keldon Johnson: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 11.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 22.6 on the board.
- Keldon Johnson: 19.5 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 22.5 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 Keldon Johnson playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Keldon Johnson?
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 22.6 fantasy points per game against 22.5, 157th on our board to 158th. 9-cat leagues: Keldon Johnson instead, -2.9 in summed z-scores against -3.1 (170th to 173rd), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Keldon Johnson?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 5 (AST, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and Keldon Johnson in 4 (PTS, REB, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, De'Anthony Melton or Keldon Johnson?
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Keldon Johnson 3. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 67.9 projected fantasy points to 67.5 for Keldon Johnson.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 4:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number