Cedric Coward vs Sam Merrill: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Cedric Coward in both formats: 26.3 fantasy points a game to 20.9 in points leagues, and 145th against 148th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #125
- 26.3 FP/G, slot 11.05, $6
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.4 z, slot 13.01, $2
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #195
- 20.9 FP/G, slot 17.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #148
- -2.4 z, slot 13.04, $2
The call
Points leagues: draft Cedric Coward. 26.3 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 125th on our board to 195th.
9-cat leagues: Cedric Coward again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (145th to 148th).
Category by category, Cedric Coward is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Sam Merrill in 2 (3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Cedric Coward produces more: 36.8 fantasy points to 28.4, on 25.8 minutes a night against 26.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Cedric Coward plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Cedric Coward: 79.0 projected fantasy points to 41.9 for Sam Merrill.
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 | Cedric Coward | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 26.3 | 20.9 |
| Minutes | 25.8 | 26.5 |
| PointsPTS | 13.6 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.9 | 2.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.1% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.3% | 85.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 62 | 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 | Cedric Coward | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.8 | 28.4 |
| Points | 19.0 | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 8.2 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.1 | 4.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 1.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Cedric Coward | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.5 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.5 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.3 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +1.3 |
| Total | -2.4 | -2.4 |
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 points, rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Sam Merrill.
| Punt | Cedric Coward | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.9 (#152) | -1.8 (#147) |
| REB | -2.5 (#160) | -0.9 (#84) |
| AST | -2.0 (#144) | -1.8 (#138) |
| STL | -1.4 (#116) | -1.4 (#120) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#132) | -1.3 (#94) |
| 3PM | -2.3 (#148) | -3.9 (#225) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#129) | -1.9 (#117) |
| FT% | -2.8 (#164) | -2.7 (#162) |
| TO | -2.8 (#133) | -3.9 (#169) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Cedric Coward: 3 games (Wed UTA, Fri @GSW, Sun @SAC).
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Cedric Coward: 27.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 26.3 on the board.
- Sam Merrill: 24.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Cedric Coward or Sam Merrill in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Cedric Coward. 26.3 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 125th on our board to 195th. 9-cat leagues: Cedric Coward again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (145th to 148th).
Who wins more categories, Cedric Coward or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Cedric Coward is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, BLK, FG% and FT%) and Sam Merrill in 2 (3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Cedric Coward or Sam Merrill?
Cedric Coward plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Cedric Coward: 79.0 projected fantasy points to 41.9 for Sam Merrill.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number