Sam Merrill vs Shaedon Sharpe: who to start in Week 2
Sam Merrill plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Shaedon Sharpe 3. For that week alone, start Sam Merrill: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Shaedon Sharpe. Over the season, Shaedon Sharpe leads in points leagues (31.6 fantasy points a game to 20.3) and Sam Merrill in 9-cat leagues (150th against 151st). 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 27, 8:32 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #197
- 20.3 FP/G, slot 17.05
- 9-cat leagues
- #150
- -2.5 z, slot 13.06, $2
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #70
- 31.6 FP/G, slot 6.10, $14
- 9-cat leagues
- #151
- -2.5 z, slot 13.07, $2
Out (Knee)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Shaedon Sharpe. 31.6 fantasy points per game against 20.3, 70th on our board to 197th.
9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (150th to 151st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Sam Merrill is ahead in 4 (3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Shaedon Sharpe in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL).
Per 36 minutes, Shaedon Sharpe produces more: 38.7 fantasy points to 27.7, on 29.4 minutes a night against 26.3. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Sam Merrill plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Shaedon Sharpe 3. For that week alone, start Sam Merrill: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Shaedon Sharpe.
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 | Sam Merrill | Shaedon Sharpe |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.3 | 31.6 |
| Minutes | 26.3 | 29.4 |
| PointsPTS | 11.8 | 20.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.7 | 4.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 2.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.5% | 45.2% |
| Free throw %FT% | 87.9% | 78.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.7 | 2.9 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 52 | 50 |
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 | Sam Merrill | Shaedon Sharpe |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 27.7 | 38.7 |
| Points | 16.1 | 25.5 |
| Rebounds | 3.8 | 5.3 |
| Assists | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.7 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 3.7 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 0.9 | 3.6 |
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 | Sam Merrill | Shaedon Sharpe |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.8 | +0.8 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.3 | -0.6 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.5 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | +1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.2 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +1.1 | +0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | -1.0 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.5 | -1.3 |
| Total | -2.5 | -2.5 |
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 blocks, threes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Shaedon Sharpe.
| Punt | Sam Merrill | Shaedon Sharpe |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.7 (#153) | -3.3 (#229) |
| REB | -1.2 (#101) | -1.9 (#131) |
| AST | -2.0 (#146) | -2.1 (#160) |
| STL | -1.6 (#124) | -3.5 (#205) |
| BLK | -1.4 (#107) | -1.4 (#105) |
| 3PM | -3.7 (#215) | -3.0 (#185) |
| FG% | -2.0 (#120) | -1.7 (#112) |
| FT% | -2.9 (#172) | -2.5 (#158) |
| TO | -4.0 (#174) | -1.1 (#88) |
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 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1)
- Sam Merrill: 4 games (Mon MIN, Wed WAS, Thu @ATL, Sat @MIL), 1 back-to-back.
- Shaedon Sharpe: 3 games (Tue @LAL, Thu MEM, Sat @UTA), listed Out.
Recent games
- Sam Merrill: 16.9 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 20.3 on the board.
- Shaedon Sharpe: 26.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 31.6 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Sam Merrill playing tonight? · Is Shaedon Sharpe playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Sam Merrill or Shaedon Sharpe?
Points leagues: Shaedon Sharpe. 31.6 fantasy points per game against 20.3, 70th on our board to 197th. 9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.5 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (150th to 151st), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Sam Merrill or Shaedon Sharpe?
Category by category, Sam Merrill is ahead in 4 (3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Shaedon Sharpe in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and STL).
Who should I start in Week 2, Sam Merrill or Shaedon Sharpe?
Sam Merrill plays 4 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Shaedon Sharpe 3. For that week alone, start Sam Merrill: 81.0 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Shaedon Sharpe.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number