De'Anthony Melton vs Ziaire Williams: who to start in Week 2
De'Anthony Melton plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Ziaire Williams 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 92.9 projected fantasy points to 77.6 for Ziaire Williams. Over the season, De'Anthony Melton leads in points leagues (23.2 fantasy points a game to 19.4) and Ziaire Williams in 9-cat leagues (158th against 159th). 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 28, 2:33 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #151
- 23.2 FP/G, slot 13.07, $2
- 9-cat leagues
- #159
- -2.6 z, slot 14.03
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #211
- 19.4 FP/G, slot 18.07
- 9-cat leagues
- #158
- -2.5 z, slot 14.02
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.2 fantasy points per game against 19.4, 151st on our board to 211th.
9-cat leagues: Ziaire Williams instead, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -2.6 (158th to 159th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL) and Ziaire Williams in 3 (FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 29.4, on 22.7 minutes a night against 23.8. 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), Ziaire Williams 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 92.9 projected fantasy points to 77.6 for Ziaire Williams.
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 | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.2 | 19.4 |
| Minutes | 22.7 | 23.8 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 10.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.2 | 2.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.8% | 44.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.7% | 86.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 56 |
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 | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.8 | 29.4 |
| Points | 18.5 | 15.8 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 3.9 |
| Assists | 4.0 | 1.8 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 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 | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -1.2 |
| StealsSTL | +1.3 | +0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.1 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +1.1 |
| Total | -2.6 | -2.5 |
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 field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to De'Anthony Melton.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Ziaire Williams |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#156) | -1.5 (#137) |
| REB | -1.5 (#113) | -1.2 (#101) |
| AST | -2.1 (#154) | -1.3 (#117) |
| STL | -3.9 (#234) | -3.5 (#201) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#133) | -2.0 (#130) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#166) | -2.5 (#162) |
| FG% | -1.5 (#106) | -2.0 (#122) |
| FT% | -3.0 (#179) | -3.1 (#183) |
| TO | -2.8 (#134) | -3.7 (#165) |
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).
- Ziaire Williams: 4 games (Tue POR, Wed @LAC, Fri @GSW, Sun TOR), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 20.1 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 23.2 on the board.
- Ziaire Williams: 20.7 fantasy points a game over his last 4 of 2026-27, against 19.4 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 Ziaire Williams playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Ziaire Williams?
Points leagues: De'Anthony Melton. 23.2 fantasy points per game against 19.4, 151st on our board to 211th. 9-cat leagues: Ziaire Williams instead, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -2.6 (158th to 159th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Ziaire Williams?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL) and Ziaire Williams in 3 (FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 2, De'Anthony Melton or Ziaire Williams?
De'Anthony Melton plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Ziaire Williams 4. For that week alone, start De'Anthony Melton: 92.9 projected fantasy points to 77.6 for Ziaire Williams.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 28, 2026 at 2:33 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number