Naji Marshall vs Sam Merrill: who to start in Week 1
Naji Marshall plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 83.3 projected fantasy points to 41.9 for Sam Merrill. Over the season, Naji Marshall leads in both formats: 27.8 fantasy points a game to 20.9, and 141st against 142nd 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 22, 1:54 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #106
- 27.8 FP/G, slot 9.10, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #141
- -2.3 z, slot 12.09, $3
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #193
- 20.9 FP/G, slot 17.01
- 9-cat leagues
- #142
- -2.3 z, slot 12.10, $3
The call
Points leagues: Naji Marshall. 27.8 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 106th on our board to 193rd.
9-cat leagues: Naji Marshall again, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (141st to 142nd).
Category by category, Naji Marshall is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 4 (BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Naji Marshall produces more: 33.9 fantasy points to 28.4, on 29.5 minutes a night against 26.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Naji Marshall plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 83.3 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.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Naji Marshall | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 27.8 | 20.9 |
| Minutes | 29.5 | 26.5 |
| PointsPTS | 15.3 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.5 | 2.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.4 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 0.9 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 51.2% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 76.0% | 85.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 74 | 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 | Naji Marshall | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.9 | 28.4 |
| Points | 18.7 | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 5.5 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 4.2 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 1.1 | 4.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 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 | Naji Marshall | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | +0.2 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.5 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.5 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +1.3 |
| 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, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Sam Merrill.
| Punt | Naji Marshall | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#173) | -1.8 (#151) |
| REB | -2.0 (#132) | -0.8 (#84) |
| AST | -2.3 (#166) | -1.8 (#139) |
| STL | -2.7 (#172) | -1.4 (#115) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#100) | -1.2 (#99) |
| 3PM | -1.7 (#122) | -3.8 (#221) |
| FG% | -3.3 (#171) | -1.8 (#115) |
| FT% | -2.0 (#134) | -2.7 (#164) |
| TO | -2.7 (#130) | -3.8 (#167) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Naji Marshall: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Naji Marshall: 28.4 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 27.8 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
Is Naji Marshall playing tonight? · Is Sam Merrill playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Naji Marshall or Sam Merrill?
Points leagues: Naji Marshall. 27.8 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 106th on our board to 193rd. 9-cat leagues: Naji Marshall again, -2.3 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (141st to 142nd).
Who wins more categories, Naji Marshall or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Naji Marshall is ahead in 5 (PTS, REB, AST, STL and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 4 (BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Naji Marshall or Sam Merrill?
Naji Marshall plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Naji Marshall: 83.3 projected fantasy points to 41.9 for Sam Merrill.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number