Collin Sexton vs Sam Merrill: who to start in Week 1
Collin Sexton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Collin Sexton: 74.4 projected fantasy points to 41.4 for Sam Merrill. Over the season, Collin Sexton leads in both formats: 24.8 fantasy points a game to 20.7, and 145th against 146th in 9-cat. 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 23, 7:47 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #137
- 24.8 FP/G, slot 12.05, $4
- 9-cat leagues
- #145
- -2.4 z, slot 13.01, $3
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #197
- 20.7 FP/G, slot 17.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #146
- -2.4 z, slot 13.02, $2
The call
Points leagues: Collin Sexton. 24.8 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 137th on our board to 197th.
9-cat leagues: Collin Sexton again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (145th to 146th).
Category by category, Collin Sexton is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Sam Merrill in 3 (REB, 3PM and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Collin Sexton produces more: 37.6 fantasy points to 28.3, on 23.7 minutes a night against 26.3. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Collin Sexton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Collin Sexton: 74.4 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 Sexton | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.8 | 20.7 |
| Minutes | 23.7 | 26.3 |
| PointsPTS | 15.4 | 12.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.6 | 2.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 48.5% | 45.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.5% | 85.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 68 | 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 Sexton | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.6 | 28.3 |
| Points | 23.4 | 16.8 |
| Rebounds | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Assists | 5.0 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 4.0 |
| Turnovers | 3.1 | 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 Sexton | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.6 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.3 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | +1.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.0 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +1.4 |
| 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, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Sam Merrill.
| Punt | Collin Sexton | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#176) | -1.7 (#150) |
| REB | -0.8 (#83) | -1.0 (#87) |
| AST | -2.3 (#165) | -1.8 (#142) |
| STL | -2.7 (#176) | -1.5 (#116) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#104) | -1.3 (#101) |
| 3PM | -2.5 (#157) | -3.8 (#218) |
| FG% | -2.5 (#136) | -1.9 (#118) |
| FT% | -3.1 (#179) | -2.7 (#162) |
| TO | -2.2 (#116) | -3.9 (#171) |
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 Sexton: 3 games (Wed GSW, Fri LAC, Sun @UTA).
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Collin Sexton: 32.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 24.8 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 Sexton playing tonight? · Is Sam Merrill playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Collin Sexton or Sam Merrill?
Points leagues: Collin Sexton. 24.8 fantasy points per game against 20.7, 137th on our board to 197th. 9-cat leagues: Collin Sexton again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (145th to 146th).
Who wins more categories, Collin Sexton or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Collin Sexton is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, STL, FG% and FT%) and Sam Merrill in 3 (REB, 3PM and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Collin Sexton or Sam Merrill?
Collin Sexton plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Collin Sexton: 74.4 projected fantasy points to 41.4 for Sam Merrill.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 23, 2026 at 7:47 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number