Anthony Black vs Matas Buzelis: who to start in Week 2
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.3 for Anthony Black. Over the season, Matas Buzelis leads in both formats: 30.0 fantasy points a game to 29.8, and 86th against 101st 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 26, 2:30 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #84
- 29.8 FP/G, slot 7.12, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #101
- -1.3 z, slot 9.05, $8
- Points leagues
- #81
- 30.0 FP/G, slot 7.09, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #86
- -0.9 z, slot 8.02, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.0 fantasy points per game against 29.8, 81st on our board to 84th.
9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (86th to 101st).
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FG% and TO) and Matas Buzelis in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Matas Buzelis produces more: 37.7 fantasy points to 36.2, on 28.6 minutes a night against 29.6. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.3 for Anthony Black.
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 | Anthony Black | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.8 | 30.0 |
| Minutes | 29.6 | 28.6 |
| PointsPTS | 15.2 | 16.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.8 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.8 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.3% | 45.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 72.3% | 80.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 64 | 77 |
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 | Anthony Black | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 36.2 | 37.7 |
| Points | 18.5 | 20.2 |
| Rebounds | 4.6 | 7.2 |
| Assists | 4.6 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.8 | 1.8 |
| Threes | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.4 | 2.7 |
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 | Anthony Black | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.2 | -0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | +0.0 |
| AssistsAST | +0.1 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +1.1 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.0 | +1.5 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.6 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.8 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| Total | -1.3 | -0.9 |
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, blocks and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Anthony Black.
| Punt | Anthony Black | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.2 (#114) | -0.9 (#98) |
| REB | -0.7 (#82) | -1.1 (#98) |
| AST | -1.5 (#126) | -0.1 (#59) |
| STL | -2.5 (#162) | -0.0 (#60) |
| BLK | -1.4 (#111) | -2.7 (#160) |
| 3PM | -1.5 (#117) | -1.3 (#104) |
| FG% | -1.0 (#88) | -0.3 (#72) |
| FT% | -0.6 (#79) | -1.1 (#101) |
| TO | -1.3 (#88) | -0.6 (#75) |
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)
- Anthony Black: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @TOR, Sun BOS).
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Mon @BOS, Wed NYK, Fri @BOS).
Recent games
- Anthony Black: 35.1 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 29.8 on the board.
- Matas Buzelis: 25.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 30.0 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Anthony Black playing tonight? · Is Matas Buzelis playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Anthony Black, Matas Buzelis
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Anthony Black or Matas Buzelis?
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.0 fantasy points per game against 29.8, 81st on our board to 84th. 9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -0.9 in summed z-scores against -1.3 (86th to 101st).
Who wins more categories, Anthony Black or Matas Buzelis?
Category by category, Anthony Black is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FG% and TO) and Matas Buzelis in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 2, Anthony Black or Matas Buzelis?
Anthony Black plays 3 games in Week 2 (Oct 26-Nov 1), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.3 for Anthony Black.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number