De'Anthony Melton vs Tari Eason: who to start in Week 2
De'Anthony Melton plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Tari Eason 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 95.3 projected fantasy points to 93.1 for Tari Eason. Over the season, De'Anthony Melton leads in both formats: 23.8 fantasy points a game to 23.3, and 139th against 145th 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 26, 6:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #147
- 23.8 FP/G, slot 13.03, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #139
- -2.2 z, slot 12.07, $3
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #154
- 23.3 FP/G, slot 13.10, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.3 z, slot 13.01, $2
The call
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 23.3, 147th on our board to 154th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (139th to 145th).
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Tari Eason in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 37.5 fantasy points to 33.7, on 22.9 minutes a night against 24.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Anthony Melton plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Tari Eason 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 95.3 projected fantasy points to 93.1 for Tari Eason.
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 | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.8 | 23.3 |
| Minutes | 22.9 | 24.8 |
| PointsPTS | 12.2 | 10.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 5.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 1.3 |
| StealsSTL | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.6% | 43.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.7% | 84.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 60 |
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 | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.5 | 33.7 |
| Points | 19.1 | 15.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 | 8.4 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers | 2.9 | 1.8 |
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 | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | +0.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +1.5 | +0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | +0.8 |
| Total | -2.2 | -2.3 |
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, assists, steals, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Tari Eason.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Tari Eason |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.5 (#143) | -1.3 (#117) |
| REB | -1.1 (#102) | -2.4 (#159) |
| AST | -1.8 (#139) | -1.1 (#104) |
| STL | -3.8 (#224) | -2.9 (#180) |
| BLK | -1.8 (#123) | -2.0 (#128) |
| 3PM | -2.2 (#151) | -1.9 (#134) |
| FG% | -1.3 (#95) | -1.5 (#105) |
| FT% | -2.7 (#164) | -2.4 (#158) |
| TO | -2.4 (#119) | -3.1 (#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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- De'Anthony Melton: 4 games (Mon @DEN, Wed @MIN, Fri LAL, Sun LAC).
- Tari Eason: 4 games (Mon ATL, Wed @MIL, Fri @DAL, Sat OKC), 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.
- Tari Eason: 20.3 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 23.3 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 Tari Eason playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Tari Eason
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Tari Eason?
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.8 fantasy points per game against 23.3, 147th on our board to 154th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -2.2 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (139th to 145th).
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Tari Eason?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM and FT%) and Tari Eason in 4 (REB, BLK, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, De'Anthony Melton or Tari Eason?
De'Anthony Melton plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Tari Eason 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 95.3 projected fantasy points to 93.1 for Tari Eason.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 6:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number