Ja Morant vs Sam Merrill: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Ja Morant in both formats: 35.8 fantasy points a game to 20.9 in points leagues, and 147th 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
- #45
- 35.8 FP/G, slot 4.09, $20
- 9-cat leagues
- #147
- -2.4 z, slot 13.03, $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 Ja Morant. 35.8 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 45th on our board to 195th.
9-cat leagues: Ja Morant again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (147th to 148th).
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK and FT%) and Sam Merrill in 3 (3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Ja Morant produces more: 45.3 fantasy points to 28.4, on 28.4 minutes a night against 26.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.5 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 | Ja Morant | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.8 | 20.9 |
| Minutes | 28.4 | 26.5 |
| PointsPTS | 19.4 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 2.6 |
| AssistsAST | 8.1 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.0% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.7% | 85.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.5 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 20 | 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 | Ja Morant | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 45.3 | 28.4 |
| Points | 24.6 | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.1 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 10.2 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 4.1 |
| Turnovers | 4.5 | 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 | Ja Morant | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.2 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | +2.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.1 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.8 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -2.0 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +1.8 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | -2.1 | +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, steals, blocks and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Sam Merrill.
| Punt | Ja Morant | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.9 (#214) | -1.8 (#147) |
| REB | -1.3 (#104) | -0.9 (#84) |
| AST | -4.7 (#279) | -1.8 (#138) |
| STL | -2.4 (#159) | -1.4 (#120) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#117) | -1.3 (#94) |
| 3PM | -1.9 (#133) | -3.9 (#225) |
| FG% | -0.4 (#69) | -1.9 (#117) |
| FT% | -4.3 (#233) | -2.7 (#162) |
| TO | -0.3 (#68) | -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)
- Ja Morant: 2 games (Wed PHX, Fri @SAC).
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Ja Morant: 35.6 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.8 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 Ja Morant or Sam Merrill in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Ja Morant. 35.8 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 45th on our board to 195th. 9-cat leagues: Ja Morant again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (147th to 148th).
Who wins more categories, Ja Morant or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Ja Morant is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK and FT%) and Sam Merrill in 3 (3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ja Morant or Sam Merrill?
Ja Morant plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Ja Morant: 71.5 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