De'Anthony Melton or Jeremiah Fears? Week 1
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), SGs ranked 29th and 30th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Oct 25, 4:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 23.8
- 9-cat
- #141
- Last 3 FP
- 22.7
3 games in Week 1, 1 back-to-back
Week 2 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 2 call
Both have finished Week 1, so this is the call for Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1).
Points leagues, Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1): start De'Anthony Melton. De'Anthony Melton has 4 games counted to 3 for Jeremiah Fears, for 95.3 projected fantasy points against 72.5.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -8.7 category value for the week to -14.1.
De'Anthony Melton has 1 back-to-back and Jeremiah Fears has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on.
De'Anthony Melton played 22.7 minutes a game over his last 3 games of 2026-27, in line with his 22.9 on the board.
Jeremiah Fears's minutes are down: 22.7 a game over his last 3 games of 2026-27, against 25.2 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 | Jeremiah Fears |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (Week 2) | 4 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 22.7 (last 3) | 22.7 (last 3) |
| Minutes, board | 22.9 | 25.2 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 11.1 | 16.4 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 95.3 | 72.5 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -8.7 | -14.1 |
Schedule: De'Anthony Melton Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX. Jeremiah Fears Wed IND, Fri @UTA, Sat @DEN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | De'Anthony Melton | Jeremiah Fears |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 48.7 | 39.8 |
| Rebounds | 12.5 | 10.6 |
| Assists | 10.1 | 9.2 |
| Steals | 6.3 | 3.3 |
| Blocks | 1.6 | 0.9 |
| Threes | 6.2 | 3.4 |
| Turnovers | 7.3 | 6.4 |
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 3 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Jeremiah Fears, 24.2 fantasy points per game to 23.8.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, 141st overall against 242nd, because the categories reward a different mix.
De'Anthony Melton vs Jeremiah Fears: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | De'Anthony Melton | Jeremiah Fears |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.8 | 24.2 |
| Minutes | 22.9 | 25.2 |
| PointsPTS | 12.2 | 13.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.1 | 3.5 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 3.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.6 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 1.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 42.6% | 41.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.7% | 79.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 2.1 |
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 Jeremiah Fears playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start De'Anthony Melton or Jeremiah Fears in Week 1?
Both have finished Week 1, so this is the call for Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1). Points leagues, Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1): start De'Anthony Melton. De'Anthony Melton has 4 games counted to 3 for Jeremiah Fears, for 95.3 projected fantasy points against 72.5. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton again, -8.7 category value for the week to -14.1. De'Anthony Melton has 1 back-to-back and Jeremiah Fears has 1 back-to-back in Week 1, the nights rest days tend to land on. De'Anthony Melton played 22.7 minutes a game over his last 3 games of 2026-27, in line with his 22.9 on the board. Jeremiah Fears's minutes are down: 22.7 a game over his last 3 games of 2026-27, against 25.2 on the board.
Who is better for the season, De'Anthony Melton or Jeremiah Fears?
Points leagues: Jeremiah Fears, 24.2 fantasy points per game to 23.8. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, 141st overall against 242nd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Jeremiah Fears?
De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 6 (steals, blocks, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers); Jeremiah Fears in 3 (points, rebounds, assists), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 4:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number