Brandon Williams or De'Anthony Melton? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), PGs ranked 28th and 31st at the position, compared on 2025-26 per-game production.
- FP/G
- 24.1
- 9-cat
- #234
- Last 10 FP
- 25.6
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
- FP/G
- 24.1
- 9-cat
- #163
- Last 10 FP
- 22.4
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Brandon Williams. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 24.1 fantasy points to 24.1.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -8.6 category value for the week to -13.1, because his category mix is worth more there.
Brandon Williams has 1 back-to-back and De'Anthony Melton has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Brandon Williams's minutes are up: 24.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 22.2 on the board.
De'Anthony Melton played 22.7 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 23.0 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | Brandon Williams | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 24.7 (last 5) | 22.7 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 22.2 | 23.0 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 14.3 | 11.4 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 72.4 | 72.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -13.1 | -8.6 |
Schedule: Brandon Williams Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX. De'Anthony Melton Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Brandon Williams | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 39.0 | 36.9 |
| Rebounds | 8.7 | 9.7 |
| Assists | 11.6 | 7.7 |
| Steals | 2.8 | 4.7 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Threes | 1.6 | 4.4 |
| Turnovers | 5.7 | 5.6 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2025-26. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Brandon Williams, 24.1 fantasy points per game to 24.1.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, 163rd overall against 234th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Brandon Williams | De'Anthony Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.1 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 22.2 | 23.0 |
| PointsPTS | 13.0 | 12.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.9 | 3.2 |
| AssistsAST | 3.9 | 2.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.2% | 40.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.3% | 82.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.9 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
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Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Common questions
Should I start Brandon Williams or De'Anthony Melton in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Brandon Williams. Both have 3 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 24.1 fantasy points to 24.1. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -8.6 category value for the week to -13.1, because his category mix is worth more there. Brandon Williams has 1 back-to-back and De'Anthony Melton has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. Brandon Williams's minutes are up: 24.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 22.2 on the board. De'Anthony Melton played 22.7 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 23.0 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Brandon Williams or De'Anthony Melton?
Points leagues: Brandon Williams, 24.1 fantasy points per game to 24.1. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, 163rd overall against 234th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brandon Williams or De'Anthony Melton?
Brandon Williams is ahead in 3 (points, assists, field goal percentage); De'Anthony Melton in 5 (rebounds, steals, blocks, threes, free throw percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number