Kris Dunn and Elfrid Payton have posted pretty similar season-long stat lines. Whom would you rather take the rest of the way, and does roto or points scoring make a difference?
Jim McCormick: There is a reasonable argument that Payton is a better actual NBA contributor right now than Dunn. Not only does he claim a clear lead in cool hairstyle ratings, Payton sports a higher true shooting percentage and has a sizable lead in win shares and offensive rating over Dunn this season. Yet there is also a valid argument that Dunn is the better fantasy producer. Dunn claims stronger assist and usage rates, and his elite steal percentage is 48 percent higher than Payton's. The Providence product is second among all point guards in added value from steals on the Player Rater, while Payton is 14th. Dunn even has a 62 percent advantage in block rate and a higher rebounding percentage. Since taking over as a full-time starter in late November, Dunn has put up numbers that trump Payton's in nearly every regard. No matter the format, give me Dunn going forward.
Andre Snellings: Per the Player Rater, Dunn has the slightly better numbers for both the season and over the past month in roto leagues. In the standard points scoring system, though, Payton has the slightly higher average on the season and they are tied over the past month. I would tend to take Payton slightly higher overall, in both scoring formats, for two reasons. First, while both Dunn and Payton had slow starts to the season, Dunn ramped up to his best level earlier, while Payton still has room to improve up to the level he showed in the late months of last season. Second, Dunn's numbers could take a small hit as the Bulls work Zach LaVine fully into the mix, while Payton continues to be the only game in town in the Magic backcourt. With those two things together, I expect Payton to be the more impressive of the two down the stretch.
Kyle Soppe: Give me Dunn in this matchup of promising young point guards. Payton's floor may be higher, but I'll roll the dice in this spot, as Dunn's minutes are on the rise and the Bulls appear willing to extend him even further. The book on Dunn coming out of Providence was that his defensive tenacity would make an instant impact (and it has: 2.1 steals per game), so the fact that he is gaining confidence on the offensive end (22 shots per 48 minutes since the beginning of December) makes him a fantasy asset with his arrow pointing up. Payton, on the other hand, is overachieving a bit, as he shot 27.4 percent from distance last season and is sitting at a nice round 40 percent this season. Both are nice options that I believe in, but give me Dunn in all formats for the remainder of 2018.
