RJ Barrett vs Sam Merrill: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft RJ Barrett in both formats: 32.0 fantasy points a game to 20.9 in points leagues, and 146th 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
- #71
- 32.0 FP/G, slot 6.11, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #146
- -2.4 z, slot 13.02, $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 RJ Barrett. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 71st on our board to 195th.
9-cat leagues: RJ Barrett again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (146th to 148th).
Category by category, RJ Barrett is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 3 (3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, RJ Barrett produces more: 38.1 fantasy points to 28.4, on 30.3 minutes a night against 26.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
RJ Barrett plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 96.1 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 | RJ Barrett | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.0 | 20.9 |
| Minutes | 30.3 | 26.5 |
| PointsPTS | 19.3 | 12.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.3 | 2.6 |
| AssistsAST | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 3.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.1% | 46.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 71.7% | 85.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 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 | RJ Barrett | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.1 | 28.4 |
| Points | 22.9 | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 6.3 | 3.5 |
| Assists | 3.9 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.0 | 4.1 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 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 | RJ Barrett | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.5 | -0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.3 | -1.5 |
| AssistsAST | -0.2 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.8 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.7 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.0 | +1.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.2 | +0.2 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.2 | +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 field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Sam Merrill.
| Punt | RJ Barrett | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -3.0 (#218) | -1.8 (#147) |
| REB | -2.5 (#159) | -0.9 (#84) |
| AST | -2.4 (#168) | -1.8 (#138) |
| STL | -1.8 (#131) | -1.4 (#120) |
| BLK | -1.9 (#127) | -1.3 (#94) |
| 3PM | -2.6 (#161) | -3.9 (#225) |
| FG% | -3.2 (#165) | -1.9 (#117) |
| FT% | -1.3 (#109) | -2.7 (#162) |
| TO | -2.7 (#130) | -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)
- RJ Barrett: 3 games (Wed CHI, Fri @WAS, Sun @MIN).
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- RJ Barrett: 32.8 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 32.0 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 RJ Barrett or Sam Merrill in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft RJ Barrett. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 71st on our board to 195th. 9-cat leagues: RJ Barrett again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (146th to 148th).
Who wins more categories, RJ Barrett or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, RJ Barrett is ahead in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%) and Sam Merrill in 3 (3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, RJ Barrett or Sam Merrill?
RJ Barrett plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start RJ Barrett: 96.1 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