Royce O'Neale vs Sam Merrill: who to start in Week 1
Royce O'Neale plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 61.7 projected fantasy points to 40.6 for Sam Merrill. Over the season, Royce O'Neale leads in both formats: 20.6 fantasy points a game to 20.3, and 152nd against 153rd 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 25, 8:28 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #197
- 20.6 FP/G, slot 17.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #152
- -2.4 z, slot 13.08, $1
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #202
- 20.3 FP/G, slot 17.10
- 9-cat leagues
- #153
- -2.4 z, slot 13.09, $1
The call
Points leagues: Royce O'Neale. 20.6 fantasy points per game against 20.3, 197th on our board to 202nd.
9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (152nd to 153rd).
Category by category, Royce O'Neale is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and BLK) and Sam Merrill in 6 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Royce O'Neale produces more: 28.3 fantasy points to 28.1, on 26.1 minutes a night against 26.0. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Royce O'Neale plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 61.7 projected fantasy points to 40.6 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 | Royce O'Neale | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.6 | 20.3 |
| Minutes | 26.1 | 26.0 |
| PointsPTS | 9.0 | 12.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.4 | 2.7 |
| AssistsAST | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.7% | 46.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 71.1% | 86.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 78 | 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 | Royce O'Neale | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.3 | 28.1 |
| Points | 12.3 | 16.5 |
| Rebounds | 6.0 | 3.7 |
| Assists | 3.1 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 3.4 | 3.9 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 1.0 |
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 | Royce O'Neale | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.3 | -0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.6 | -1.4 |
| AssistsAST | -0.7 | -0.6 |
| StealsSTL | -0.1 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.9 | +1.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.4 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.3 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.9 | +1.4 |
| 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 rebounds, steals and blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Sam Merrill.
| Punt | Royce O'Neale | Sam Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#117) | -1.7 (#151) |
| REB | -1.9 (#130) | -1.1 (#102) |
| AST | -1.8 (#138) | -2.0 (#148) |
| STL | -2.5 (#161) | -1.5 (#123) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#135) | -1.4 (#105) |
| 3PM | -3.3 (#195) | -3.7 (#213) |
| FG% | -1.6 (#106) | -2.0 (#119) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#151) | -2.8 (#170) |
| TO | -3.4 (#155) | -4.0 (#176) |
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 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Royce O'Neale: 3 games (Wed @BKN, Fri ATL, Sat MIA), 1 back-to-back.
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
Recent games
- Royce O'Neale: 10.1 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 20.6 on the board.
- Sam Merrill: 15.4 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 20.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Royce O'Neale playing tonight? · Is Sam Merrill playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Royce O'Neale or Sam Merrill?
Points leagues: Royce O'Neale. 20.6 fantasy points per game against 20.3, 197th on our board to 202nd. 9-cat leagues: Royce O'Neale again, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.4 (152nd to 153rd).
Who wins more categories, Royce O'Neale or Sam Merrill?
Category by category, Royce O'Neale is ahead in 3 (REB, STL and BLK) and Sam Merrill in 6 (PTS, AST, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Royce O'Neale or Sam Merrill?
Royce O'Neale plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Sam Merrill 2. For that week alone, start Royce O'Neale: 61.7 projected fantasy points to 40.6 for Sam Merrill.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 8:28 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number