Sam Merrill vs Stephon Castle: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Stephon Castle in points leagues (35.2 fantasy points a game to 20.9) and Sam Merrill in 9-cat leagues (148th against 149th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #195
- 20.9 FP/G, slot 17.03
- 9-cat leagues
- #148
- -2.4 z, slot 13.04, $2
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #48
- 35.2 FP/G, slot 4.12, $19
- 9-cat leagues
- #149
- -2.5 z, slot 13.05, $2
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft Stephon Castle. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 48th on our board to 195th.
9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (148th to 149th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Sam Merrill is ahead in 3 (3PM, FT% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Stephon Castle produces more: 42.3 fantasy points to 28.4, on 30.0 minutes a night against 26.5. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Sam Merrill plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 105.6 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 | Sam Merrill | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 20.9 | 35.2 |
| Minutes | 26.5 | 30.0 |
| PointsPTS | 12.8 | 16.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 2.6 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 7.4 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Threes3PM | 3.0 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.1% | 47.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.5% | 73.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.8 | 3.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 52 | 68 |
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 | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 28.4 | 42.3 |
| Points | 17.3 | 20.0 |
| Rebounds | 3.5 | 6.4 |
| Assists | 3.3 | 8.9 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Blocks | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Threes | 4.1 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 1.1 | 3.8 |
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 | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.7 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -1.5 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | +1.8 |
| StealsSTL | -1.1 | +0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | -1.1 | -0.8 |
| Threes3PM | +1.4 | -0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.4 | -0.3 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -1.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.3 | -1.7 |
| Total | -2.4 | -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 threes, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Stephon Castle.
| Punt | Sam Merrill | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.8 (#147) | -2.6 (#194) |
| REB | -0.9 (#84) | -2.6 (#167) |
| AST | -1.8 (#138) | -4.5 (#268) |
| STL | -1.4 (#120) | -3.0 (#183) |
| BLK | -1.3 (#94) | -1.9 (#124) |
| 3PM | -3.9 (#225) | -2.0 (#138) |
| FG% | -1.9 (#117) | -3.0 (#158) |
| FT% | -2.7 (#162) | -1.4 (#112) |
| TO | -3.9 (#169) | -0.8 (#78) |
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)
- Sam Merrill: 2 games (Thu @PHI, Sat BKN).
- Stephon Castle: 3 games (Tue OKC, Fri HOU, Sat @DAL), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Sam Merrill: 24.2 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 20.9 on the board.
- Stephon Castle: 37.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 35.2 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 Sam Merrill or Stephon Castle in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Stephon Castle. 35.2 fantasy points per game against 20.9, 48th on our board to 195th. 9-cat leagues: Sam Merrill instead, -2.4 in summed z-scores against -2.5 (148th to 149th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Sam Merrill or Stephon Castle?
Category by category, Sam Merrill is ahead in 3 (3PM, FT% and TO) and Stephon Castle in 6 (PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Sam Merrill or Stephon Castle?
Sam Merrill plays 2 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Stephon Castle 3. For that week alone, start Stephon Castle: 105.6 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