De'Anthony Melton or Dylan Harper? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 28th and 31st at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 22, 5:55 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 23.0
- 9-cat
- #183
- Last 1 FP
- 6.4
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in 9-cat leagues.
- FP/G
- 24.1
- 9-cat
- #185
- Last 1 FP
- 31.9
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 1 pick in points leagues.
The Week 1 call
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Dylan Harper. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 24.1 fantasy points to 23.0.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -6.6 category value for the week to -6.7, because his category mix is worth more there.
De'Anthony Melton has 1 back-to-back and Dylan Harper has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
De'Anthony Melton played 20.9 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 22.8 on the board.
Dylan Harper's minutes are up: 31.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.2 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.
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Week 1 (Oct 19-25), side by side
| This week | De'Anthony Melton | Dylan Harper |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 20.9 (last 1) | 31.7 (last 1) |
| Minutes, board | 22.8 | 23.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 3.5 | 19.3 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 45.9 | 48.2 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -6.6 | -6.7 |
Schedule: De'Anthony Melton Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX. Dylan Harper Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | De'Anthony Melton | Dylan Harper |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 23.0 | 24.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 7.2 |
| Assists | 5.0 | 7.9 |
| Steals | 3.1 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 3.7 | 2.9 |
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 1 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Dylan Harper, 24.1 fantasy points per game to 23.0.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, 183rd overall against 185th, because the categories reward a different mix.
De'Anthony Melton vs Dylan Harper: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | De'Anthony Melton | Dylan Harper |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.0 | 24.1 |
| Minutes | 22.8 | 23.2 |
| PointsPTS | 11.5 | 12.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 3.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 3.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.2% | 49.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 82.6% | 78.9% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 1.5 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 1 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is De'Anthony Melton playing tonight? · Is Dylan Harper playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start De'Anthony Melton or Dylan Harper in Week 1?
Points leagues, Week 1 (Oct 19-25): start Dylan Harper. Both have 2 games left in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), so it comes down to per game: 24.1 fantasy points to 23.0. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -6.6 category value for the week to -6.7, because his category mix is worth more there. De'Anthony Melton has 1 back-to-back and Dylan Harper has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. De'Anthony Melton played 20.9 minutes a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, in line with his 22.8 on the board. Dylan Harper's minutes are up: 31.7 a game over his last 1 game of 2026-27, against 23.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, De'Anthony Melton or Dylan Harper?
Points leagues: Dylan Harper, 24.1 fantasy points per game to 23.0. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, 183rd overall against 185th, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Dylan Harper?
De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (steals, blocks, threes, free throw percentage); Dylan Harper in 5 (points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 5:55 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number