De'Anthony Melton vs Matas Buzelis: who to start in Week 3
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 83.6 projected fantasy points to 71.8 for De'Anthony Melton. Over the season, Matas Buzelis leads in points leagues (27.9 fantasy points a game to 23.9) and De'Anthony Melton in 9-cat leagues (138th against 146th). 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 Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #155
- 23.9 FP/G, slot 13.11, $1
- 9-cat leagues
- #138
- -2.1 z, slot 12.06, $3
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #115
- 27.9 FP/G, slot 10.07, $7
- 9-cat leagues
- #146
- -2.3 z, slot 13.02, $2
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 27.9 fantasy points per game against 23.9, 115th on our board to 155th.
9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (138th to 146th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FT% and TO) and Matas Buzelis in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, De'Anthony Melton produces more: 37.5 fantasy points to 36.0, on 23.0 minutes a night against 27.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 83.6 projected fantasy points to 71.8 for De'Anthony Melton.
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 | De'Anthony Melton | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 23.9 | 27.9 |
| Minutes | 23.0 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 11.7 | 15.2 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.7 | 5.3 |
| AssistsAST | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 1.5 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| Threes3PM | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Field goal %FG% | 41.5% | 44.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 83.5% | 79.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.7 | 2.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 49 | 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 | De'Anthony Melton | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.5 | 36.0 |
| Points | 18.3 | 19.7 |
| Rebounds | 5.7 | 6.9 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 3.1 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
9-category z-scores
| Category | De'Anthony Melton | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.9 | -0.3 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -0.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.7 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | +1.3 | -1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.6 | +1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.2 | -0.0 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.3 | -0.5 |
| Total | -2.1 | -2.3 |
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 assists, steals, free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Matas Buzelis.
| Punt | De'Anthony Melton | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.3 (#126) | -2.0 (#170) |
| REB | -1.2 (#106) | -2.2 (#148) |
| AST | -1.6 (#126) | -1.4 (#118) |
| STL | -3.4 (#210) | -1.2 (#103) |
| BLK | -1.7 (#120) | -3.6 (#201) |
| 3PM | -2.2 (#159) | -2.5 (#170) |
| FG% | -1.2 (#97) | -1.8 (#118) |
| FT% | -2.4 (#163) | -2.3 (#159) |
| TO | -2.5 (#127) | -1.9 (#110) |
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 438 ranked players.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8)
- De'Anthony Melton: 3 games (Mon PHX, Thu MIA, Sat ORL), 1 back-to-back.
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Mon @PHI, Wed @NYK, Sun PHI).
Recent games
- De'Anthony Melton: 22.6 fantasy points a game over his last 8 of 2026-27, against 23.9 on the board.
- Matas Buzelis: 21.4 fantasy points a game over his last 7 of 2026-27, against 27.9 on the board.
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is De'Anthony Melton playing tonight? · Is Matas Buzelis playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Matas Buzelis
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, De'Anthony Melton or Matas Buzelis?
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 27.9 fantasy points per game against 23.9, 115th on our board to 155th. 9-cat leagues: De'Anthony Melton instead, -2.1 in summed z-scores against -2.3 (138th to 146th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, De'Anthony Melton or Matas Buzelis?
Category by category, De'Anthony Melton is ahead in 4 (AST, STL, FT% and TO) and Matas Buzelis in 5 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 3, De'Anthony Melton or Matas Buzelis?
De'Anthony Melton plays 3 games in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 83.6 projected fantasy points to 71.8 for De'Anthony Melton.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number