Brook Lopez vs Sam Merrill: who to start in Week 3
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Sam Merrill 4. For that week alone, start Sam Merrill: 79.6 projected fantasy points to 61.4 for Brook Lopez. Over the season, Brook Lopez leads in points leagues (20.5 fantasy points a game to 19.9) and Sam Merrill in 9-cat leagues (162nd against 177th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #204
- 20.5 FP/G, slot 17.12
- 9-cat leagues
- #177
- -3.0 z, slot 15.09
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #217
- 19.9 FP/G, slot 19.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #162
- -2.7 z, slot 14.06
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Brook Lopez. 20.5 fantasy points per game against 19.9, 204th on our board to 217th.
9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.7 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (162nd to 177th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Brook Lopez is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Brook Lopez produces more: 33.7 fantasy points to 27.9, on 21.9 minutes a night against 25.7. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Sam Merrill 4. For that week alone, start Sam Merrill: 79.6 projected fantasy points to 61.4 for Brook Lopez.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Brook Lopez | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.5 | 19.9 |
| Minutes | 21.9 | 25.7 |
| PointsPTS | 9.8 | 11.4 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.0 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.6% | 44.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 77.1% | 87.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 52 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Brook Lopez | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.7 | 27.9 |
| Points | 16.1 | 15.9 |
| Rebounds | 6.6 | 3.8 |
| Assists | 2.0 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 0.9 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | Brook Lopez | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.2 | -1.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.8 | -1.3 |
| AssistsAST | -1.3 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.9 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.3 | +0.9 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.2 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.3 | +1.7 |
| Total | -3.0 | -2.7 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting assists, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Brook Lopez.
| Punt | Brook Lopez | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#161) | -1.7 (#159) |
| REB | -2.4 (#157) | -1.4 (#112) |
| AST | -1.7 (#140) | -2.1 (#150) |
| STL | -1.8 (#137) | -1.8 (#135) |
| BLK | -4.1 (#226) | -1.7 (#119) |
| 3PM | -2.7 (#178) | -3.6 (#220) |
| FG% | -3.0 (#164) | -2.2 (#135) |
| FT% | -2.9 (#183) | -3.0 (#186) |
| TO | -4.4 (#188) | -4.5 (#189) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 438 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- Brook Lopez: 3 games (Mon TOR, Wed MIA, Sun NOP), 1 back-to-back.
- Sam Merrill: 4 games (Mon OKC, Wed @OKC, Fri PHI, Sat NYK), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Brook Lopez: 23.2 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 20.5 on the board.
- Sam Merrill: 17.7 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 19.9 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Brook Lopez playing tonight? · Is Sam Merrill playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Brook Lopez or Sam Merrill?
Points leagues: Brook Lopez. 20.5 fantasy points per game against 19.9, 204th on our board to 217th. 9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.7 in summed z-scores against -3.0 (162nd to 177th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brook Lopez or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Brook Lopez is ahead in 3 (REB, BLK and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, Brook Lopez or Sam Merrill?
Brook Lopez plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Sam Merrill 4. For that week alone, start Sam Merrill: 79.6 projected fantasy points to 61.4 for Brook Lopez.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number