De'Anthony

Melton

For those questioning whether they should grab Melton off the waiver wire, Thursday’s performance should be a convincing one. He needed 23 minutes off the bench to record a complete stat line, and he’s scored at least 23 points in three of his last five appearances. While Melton remains outside the top-150 in season-long value, that was influenced by the time he missed at the start of the season. With Jimmy Butler III (knee) done for the season, the reward outweighs the risk when it comes to adding Melton.

This is a new injury for Payton II, who is dealing with right foot soreness. If Payton II is forced to sit out against Dallas, De’Anthony Melton could see a bump in playing time.

Melton still isn’t ready for both legs of back-to-back sets, but he’ll return after sitting out Monday. His role could increase significantly moving forward with Jimmy Butler (knee) done for the season.

Butler’s absence is a major blow to the Warriors, who are treading water in the competitive Western Conference standings. Golden State should have more minutes available for the likes of De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Quinten Post, though there is no clear-cut fantasy beneficiary to immediately identify.

Melton will sit out Monday’s game for injury management reasons, as it’s the first of two in as many nights for the Warriors. His absence may lead to Pat Spencer or Buddy Hield moving into the back end of the Warriors’ rotation, but neither is a must-stream player.

Melton stepped up to spearhead Golden State’s offensive output on a night where Stephen Curry finished with just 14 points and Jimmy Butler sat out for personal reasons. He knocked down 3-of-6 from beyond the arc as the Warriors bench went off for 72 points. The 27-year-old has been hot-and-cold this season but he’s in the midst of a nice stretch, scoring at least 19 points in four of his last six games. The Warriors have four games coming up next week including showdowns against the Heat, Raptors, Mavericks and Timberwolves.

Melton has been excellent off the bench for the Warriors recently, and that continued in this game. His 23 points were the most he’s had in a game since 2023, and it also led both teams in scoring. It has been a long journey back to healthy for Melton, but he’s only 27 years old and has always had a fantasy-friendly game. If he can maintain this large reserve role for the Warriors, he’ll be able to make an impact for fantasy managers.

A big part of Melton’s fantasy appeal is his ability to record complete stat lines. That didn’t happen on Friday, but the Warriors’ guard had one of his best offensive performances of the season. The 19 points were three shy of his season-high, which was recorded on Wednesday against the Bucks. Melton has been a safe bet for assists and defensive stats in the past, so there isn’t too much need for concern following Friday’s lack of numbers in those categories. And he played 19 minutes; if Melton can consistently get closer to 25 minutes, he can be a game-changer down the stretch in fantasy leagues.

Melton’s season-best performance wasn’t highlighted by any extraordinary takeover moments. The veteran guard never scored more than eight points in any quarter; instead, he picked his spots en route to setting a new season-high. Melton got a late start to the season due to a knee injury that kept him out until December. But since returning, he’s had several good scoring performances to boost this Warriors bench. He’ll have a chance to follow up his Wednesday performance with another strong one on Friday against the Kings.

Melton will sit out the first leg of this back-to-back, meaning he should be made available against the Jazz on Saturday. The Warriors are also without Stephen Curry (ankle) and Jimmy Butler (illness) for this game, so there should be plenty of minutes for Brandin Podziemski, Pat Spencer and Gary Payton II.