Justin Champagnie vs Sam Merrill: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Justin Champagnie in points leagues (20.9 fantasy points a game to 20.9) and Sam Merrill in 9-cat leagues (148th against 154th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #194
- 20.9 FP/G, slot 17.02
- 9-cat leagues
- #154
- -2.6 z, slot 13.10, $1
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #195
- 20.9 FP/G, slot 17.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #148
- -2.4 z, slot 13.04, $2
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Justin Champagnie. 20.9 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 194th on our board to 195th.
9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.6 (148th to 154th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Justin Champagnie is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Sam Merrill in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Justin Champagnie produces more: 37.8 fantasy points to 28.4, on 20.0 minutes a night against 26.5. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Justin Champagnie plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Justin Champagnie: 62.8 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 | Justin Champagnie | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.9 | 20.9 |
| Minutes | 20.0 | 26.5 |
| PointsPTS | 8.7 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.6 | 2.6 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.8 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 50.2% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.4% | 85.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 69 | 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 | Justin Champagnie | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.8 | 28.4 |
| Points | 15.6 | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 10.0 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 2.2 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.5 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.4 | 4.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.2 | 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 | Justin Champagnie | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.4 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.1 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.5 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.1 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.9 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.2 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.5 | +1.3 |
| Total | -2.6 | -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, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Justin Champagnie.
| Punt | Justin Champagnie | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#113) | -1.8 (#147) |
| REB | -2.7 (#169) | -0.9 (#84) |
| AST | -1.3 (#121) | -1.8 (#138) |
| STL | -2.2 (#150) | -1.4 (#120) |
| BLK | -2.7 (#156) | -1.3 (#94) |
| 3PM | -1.7 (#120) | -3.9 (#225) |
| FG% | -3.1 (#163) | -1.9 (#117) |
| FT% | -2.5 (#154) | -2.7 (#162) |
| TO | -4.3 (#181) | -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)
- Justin Champagnie: 3 games (Wed MIL, Fri TOR, Sat @CHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Justin Champagnie: 24.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.9 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 Justin Champagnie or Sam Merrill in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Justin Champagnie. 20.9 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 194th on our board to 195th. 9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.6 (148th to 154th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Justin Champagnie or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Justin Champagnie is ahead in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, FG% and TO) and Sam Merrill in 4 (PTS, AST, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Justin Champagnie or Sam Merrill?
Justin Champagnie plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Justin Champagnie: 62.8 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