Collin Murray-Boyles vs Sam Merrill: who to start in Week 1
Collin Murray-Boyles plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Collin Murray-Boyles: 65.7 projected fantasy points to 41.4 for Sam Merrill. Over the season, Collin Murray-Boyles leads in points leagues (21.9 fantasy points a game to 20.7) and Sam Merrill in 9-cat leagues (150th against 151st). 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 Oct 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #170
- 21.9 FP/G, slot 15.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #151
- -2.3 z, slot 13.07, $2
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #195
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #150
- -2.3 z, slot 13.06, $2
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Collin Murray-Boyles. 21.9 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 170th on our board to 195th.
9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (150th to 151st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Collin Murray-Boyles is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Collin Murray-Boyles produces more: 36.7 fantasy points to 28.3, on 21.5 minutes a night against 26.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Collin Murray-Boyles plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Collin Murray-Boyles: 65.7 projected fantasy points to 41.4 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Collin Murray-Boyles | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 21.9 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 21.5 | 26.3 |
| PointsPTS | 8.3 | 12.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.1 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.3 | 2.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 55.4% | 45.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 70.0% | 85.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 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 | Collin Murray-Boyles | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.7 | 28.3 |
| Points | 13.9 | 16.8 |
| Rebounds | 8.5 | 3.7 |
| Assists | 3.0 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.5 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 0.4 | 4.0 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 1.0 |
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 | Collin Murray-Boyles | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.3 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.0 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.4 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -1.4 | +1.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.7 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +1.4 |
| Total | -2.3 | -2.3 |
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, assists, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Collin Murray-Boyles.
| Punt | Collin Murray-Boyles | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#107) | -1.7 (#151) |
| REB | -2.3 (#146) | -1.0 (#92) |
| AST | -1.5 (#126) | -1.8 (#141) |
| STL | -2.5 (#166) | -1.5 (#120) |
| BLK | -3.1 (#174) | -1.2 (#100) |
| 3PM | -0.9 (#95) | -3.7 (#215) |
| FG% | -3.6 (#183) | -1.8 (#116) |
| FT% | -1.7 (#127) | -2.6 (#163) |
| TO | -3.6 (#161) | -3.8 (#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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Collin Murray-Boyles: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Collin Murray-Boyles: 22.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 21.9 on the board.
- Sam Merrill: 17.0 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 20.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Collin Murray-Boyles playing tonight? · Is Sam Merrill playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Collin Murray-Boyles
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Collin Murray-Boyles or Sam Merrill?
Points leagues: Collin Murray-Boyles. 21.9 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 170th on our board to 195th. 9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (150th to 151st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Collin Murray-Boyles or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Collin Murray-Boyles is ahead in 4 (REB, STL, BLK and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 5 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Collin Murray-Boyles or Sam Merrill?
Collin Murray-Boyles plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Collin Murray-Boyles: 65.7 projected fantasy points to 41.4 for Sam Merrill.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number