Kris Dunn vs Sam Merrill: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Sam Merrill in both formats: 20.9 fantasy points a game to 20.6 in points leagues, and 148th against 150th 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
- #202
- 20.6 FP/G, slot 17.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #150
- -2.5 z, slot 13.06, $2
- Points leagues
- #195
- 20.9 FP/G, slot 17.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #148
- -2.4 z, slot 13.04, $2
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Sam Merrill. 20.9 fantasy points per game against 20.6, 195th on our board to 202nd.
9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (148th to 150th).
Category by category, Kris Dunn is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Sam Merrill produces more: 28.4 fantasy points to 27.2, on 26.5 minutes a night against 27.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Kris Dunn plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Kris Dunn: 61.7 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 | Kris Dunn | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.6 | 20.9 |
| Minutes | 27.2 | 26.5 |
| PointsPTS | 7.3 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.3 | 2.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.6 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.6 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 47.6% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.5% | 85.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 82 | 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 | Kris Dunn | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 27.2 | 28.4 |
| Points | 9.6 | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.4 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 4.8 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 2.1 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.3 | 4.1 |
| Turnovers | 1.8 | 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 | Kris Dunn | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.7 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.1 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.0 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +1.6 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | +1.3 |
| Total | -2.5 | -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, threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Kris Dunn.
| Punt | Kris Dunn | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.9 (#105) | -1.8 (#147) |
| REB | -1.6 (#118) | -0.9 (#84) |
| AST | -2.5 (#176) | -1.8 (#138) |
| STL | -4.2 (#247) | -1.4 (#120) |
| BLK | -1.6 (#111) | -1.3 (#94) |
| 3PM | -1.8 (#128) | -3.9 (#225) |
| FG% | -2.8 (#147) | -1.9 (#117) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#152) | -2.7 (#162) |
| TO | -3.3 (#146) | -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)
- Kris Dunn: 3 games (Wed SAC, Fri @LAL, Sun @OKC).
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Kris Dunn: 17.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.6 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 Kris Dunn or Sam Merrill in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Sam Merrill. 20.9 fantasy points per game against 20.6, 195th on our board to 202nd. 9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (148th to 150th).
Who wins more categories, Kris Dunn or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Kris Dunn is ahead in 5 (REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 4 (PTS, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kris Dunn or Sam Merrill?
Kris Dunn plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Kris Dunn: 61.7 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