P.J. Washington vs Sam Merrill: who to start in Week 3
P.J. Washington plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Sam Merrill 4. For that week alone, start P.J. Washington: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 80.1 for Sam Merrill. Over the season, P.J. Washington leads in both formats: 29.1 fantasy points a game to 20.0, and 160th against 162nd 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 Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #101
- 29.1 FP/G, slot 9.05, $9
- 9-cat leagues
- #160
- -2.6 z, slot 14.04
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #215
- 20.0 FP/G, slot 18.11
- 9-cat leagues
- #162
- -2.6 z, slot 14.06
The call
Points leagues: P.J. Washington. 29.1 fantasy points per game against 20.0, 101st on our board to 215th.
9-cat leagues: P.J. Washington again, -2.6 in summed z-scores against -2.6 (160th to 162nd).
Category by category, P.J. Washington is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, STL and BLK) and Sam Merrill in 5 (AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, P.J. Washington produces more: 33.0 fantasy points to 28.1, on 31.7 minutes a night against 25.7. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
P.J. Washington plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Sam Merrill 4. For that week alone, start P.J. Washington: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 80.1 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 | P.J. Washington | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.1 | 20.0 |
| Minutes | 31.7 | 25.7 |
| PointsPTS | 14.1 | 11.5 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.4 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.6 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 2.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.2% | 45.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 69.2% | 86.1% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 0.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 56 | 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 | P.J. Washington | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 33.0 | 28.1 |
| Points | 16.0 | 16.2 |
| Rebounds | 8.4 | 3.8 |
| Assists | 1.8 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 1.7 | 3.7 |
| Turnovers | 2.0 | 0.9 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | P.J. Washington | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.9 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.7 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.7 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.7 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | -0.2 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.1 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | +1.6 |
| Total | -2.6 | -2.6 |
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, steals, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Sam Merrill.
| Punt | P.J. Washington | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.2 (#180) | -1.7 (#159) |
| REB | -3.4 (#216) | -1.3 (#105) |
| AST | -1.6 (#131) | -2.0 (#152) |
| STL | -2.0 (#143) | -1.8 (#131) |
| BLK | -3.6 (#200) | -1.6 (#115) |
| 3PM | -2.3 (#167) | -3.6 (#222) |
| FG% | -2.3 (#138) | -2.3 (#134) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#120) | -2.9 (#184) |
| TO | -3.0 (#142) | -4.4 (#188) |
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 432 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- P.J. Washington: 4 games (Mon SAC, Wed @SAS, Fri UTA, Sun BKN).
- Sam Merrill: 4 games (Mon OKC, Wed @OKC, Fri PHI, Sat NYK), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- P.J. Washington: 27.0 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 29.1 on the board.
- Sam Merrill: 17.7 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 20.0 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is P.J. Washington playing tonight? · Is Sam Merrill playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, P.J. Washington or Sam Merrill?
Points leagues: P.J. Washington. 29.1 fantasy points per game against 20.0, 101st on our board to 215th. 9-cat leagues: P.J. Washington again, -2.6 in summed z-scores against -2.6 (160th to 162nd).
Who wins more categories, P.J. Washington or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, P.J. Washington is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, STL and BLK) and Sam Merrill in 5 (AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 3, P.J. Washington or Sam Merrill?
P.J. Washington plays 4 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Sam Merrill 4. For that week alone, start P.J. Washington: 116.4 projected fantasy points to 80.1 for Sam Merrill.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number