Ivica Zubac vs Matas Buzelis: who to start in Week 1
Ivica Zubac plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Ivica Zubac: 95.9 projected fantasy points to 89.9 for Matas Buzelis. Over the season, Ivica Zubac leads in points leagues (32.0 fantasy points a game to 30.0) and Matas Buzelis in 9-cat leagues (89th against 90th). 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 24, 10:27 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #68
- 32.0 FP/G, slot 6.08, $15
- 9-cat leagues
- #90
- -1.1 z, slot 8.06, $9
The pick in points leagues.
- Points leagues
- #80
- 30.0 FP/G, slot 7.08, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #89
- -1.1 z, slot 8.05, $9
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Ivica Zubac. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 30.0, 68th on our board to 80th.
9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (89th to 90th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Ivica Zubac is ahead in 3 (REB, FG% and TO) and Matas Buzelis in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Per 36 minutes, Ivica Zubac produces more: 38.4 fantasy points to 38.2, on 29.9 minutes a night against 28.2. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Ivica Zubac plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Ivica Zubac: 95.9 projected fantasy points to 89.9 for Matas Buzelis.
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 | Ivica Zubac | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 32.0 | 30.0 |
| Minutes | 29.9 | 28.2 |
| PointsPTS | 13.9 | 15.8 |
| ReboundsREB | 10.9 | 5.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 59.5% | 44.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 68.6% | 79.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 48 | 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 | Ivica Zubac | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.4 | 38.2 |
| Points | 16.7 | 20.1 |
| Rebounds | 13.1 | 7.4 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.1 | 1.9 |
| Threes | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.2 | 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 | Ivica Zubac | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.4 | -0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | +2.3 | +0.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -1.9 | -1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.5 | +1.7 |
| Threes3PM | -1.7 | +0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +1.8 | -0.8 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -1.0 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| Total | -1.1 | -1.1 |
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 points, steals, blocks, threes and free throw percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Ivica Zubac.
| Punt | Ivica Zubac | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#91) | -1.0 (#110) |
| REB | -3.7 (#241) | -1.3 (#107) |
| AST | -0.4 (#67) | -0.4 (#66) |
| STL | +0.7 (#43) | -0.1 (#64) |
| BLK | -2.0 (#129) | -3.0 (#172) |
| 3PM | +0.6 (#45) | -1.5 (#112) |
| FG% | -3.7 (#191) | -0.4 (#75) |
| FT% | -0.0 (#60) | -1.1 (#97) |
| TO | -1.3 (#92) | -0.8 (#74) |
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 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Ivica Zubac: 3 games (Wed @NOP, Fri DAL, Sun @BKN).
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Ivica Zubac: 32.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 32.0 on the board.
- Matas Buzelis: 22.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 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 Ivica Zubac playing tonight? · Is Matas Buzelis playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Matas Buzelis
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Ivica Zubac or Matas Buzelis?
Points leagues: Ivica Zubac. 32.0 fantasy points per game against 30.0, 68th on our board to 80th. 9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis instead, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -1.1 (89th to 90th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Ivica Zubac or Matas Buzelis?
Category by category, Ivica Zubac is ahead in 3 (REB, FG% and TO) and Matas Buzelis in 5 (PTS, STL, BLK, 3PM and FT%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Ivica Zubac or Matas Buzelis?
Ivica Zubac plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Ivica Zubac: 95.9 projected fantasy points to 89.9 for Matas Buzelis.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 10:27 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number