Sam Merrill DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Sam Merrill (illness) is active against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. He has been upgraded from questionable to available. Merrill faced the possibility of missing a second straight game. With Caris LeVert (wrist) and Isaac Okoro (shoulder) out, Merrill will be a valuable option off the bench. However, his performances generally aren't good enough to help fantasy managers. Cleveland also has Darius Garland (rest) back in action on Thursday, which likely pushes Jaylon Tyson out of the rotation.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (illness) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Hawks after missing Wednesday's win in Miami. With Caris LeVert (wrist) sidelined, Merrill has been getting more work off the bench, but he has only scored double-digit points once in his last 10 games while averaging 5.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 15.9 minutes per game. If he's out again on Thursday, there will be more work available for Georges Niang and Max Strus on the wing for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (ankle) could be in line for a larger workload with Donovan Mitchell (rest) out against the Raptors on Thursday, but the 28-year-old from Utah State will have to overcome his own questionable tag. Merrill has missed the last three games for Cleveland but could be able to return for the second half of his team's home back-to-back Thursday night. Merrill had 20 points in a spot start against the Jazz just before Christmas, so he does have potential upside. However, on the season, he has only averaged 7.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.8 three-pointers while playing 19.2 minutes per game.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Sam Merrill (ankle) has been ruled out for Friday's matchup against Dallas. He hurt his right ankle against the Lakers on Tuesday, and Merrill was unlikely to be available for Friday's contest when the team listed him as doubtful on the initial injury report. His absence shouldn't be a big loss for the Cavaliers, as Merrill has averaged only 7.0 points in 19.2 minutes this season. Max Strus and Caris LeVert will likely share the available minutes on Friday. Strus appears to be getting closer to working at full capacity. He logged a season-high 26 minutes on Tuesday against the Lakers, notching 15 points with three rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Sam Merrill (quadriceps) will play on Monday against Utah. A quadriceps injury limited Merrill to only eight minutes of action last time out against Philadelphia, but he's been cleared for action after carrying a questionable tag entering Monday. Merrill will make his second start of the campaign, filling in for Dean Wade (knee). He's been logging 20 minutes regularly thus far but might have to settle for a lesser role once Max Strus finds his feet.