Jaime Jaquez Jr. vs Matas Buzelis: who to start in Week 1
Jaime Jaquez Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.8 for Jaime Jaquez Jr.. Over the season, Matas Buzelis leads in both formats: 30.0 fantasy points a game to 29.9, and 84th against 167th 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 25, 2:29 PM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #82
- 29.9 FP/G, slot 7.10, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #167
- -2.8 z, slot 14.11
- Points leagues
- #81
- 30.0 FP/G, slot 7.09, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #84
- -1.0 z, slot 7.12, $10
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.0 fantasy points per game against 29.9, 81st on our board to 82nd.
9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -2.8 (84th to 167th).
Category by category, Jaime Jaquez Jr. is ahead in 2 (AST and FG%) and Matas Buzelis in 6 (REB, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Matas Buzelis produces more: 37.7 fantasy points to 37.4, on 28.6 minutes a night against 28.8. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.8 for Jaime Jaquez Jr..
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 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.9 | 30.0 |
| Minutes | 28.8 | 28.6 |
| PointsPTS | 16.2 | 16.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.6 | 5.7 |
| AssistsAST | 4.5 | 2.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 1.4 |
| Threes3PM | 0.9 | 2.0 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.4% | 45.0% |
| Free throw %FT% | 74.3% | 80.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 75 | 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 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 37.4 | 37.7 |
| Points | 20.3 | 20.2 |
| Rebounds | 7.0 | 7.2 |
| Assists | 5.7 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 1.8 |
| Threes | 1.2 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.8 | 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 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.0 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.0 | +0.0 |
| AssistsAST | +0.5 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | -0.9 | +1.5 |
| Threes3PM | -0.7 | +0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.8 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.6 | +0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| Total | -2.8 | -1.0 |
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 blocks flips the 9-cat answer to Jaime Jaquez Jr..
| Punt | Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -2.8 (#207) | -0.9 (#103) |
| REB | -2.9 (#186) | -1.1 (#100) |
| AST | -3.3 (#209) | -0.2 (#60) |
| STL | -1.6 (#126) | -0.0 (#60) |
| BLK | -2.1 (#140) | -2.7 (#159) |
| 3PM | -2.1 (#147) | -1.4 (#106) |
| FG% | -4.2 (#210) | -0.4 (#72) |
| FT% | -2.2 (#148) | -1.1 (#99) |
| TO | -2.4 (#121) | -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 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Matas Buzelis: the Week 1 start/sit call
Recent games
- Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 33.2 fantasy points a game over his last 3 of 2026-27, against 29.9 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 Jaime Jaquez Jr. playing tonight? · Is Matas Buzelis playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Matas Buzelis
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Matas Buzelis?
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.0 fantasy points per game against 29.9, 81st on our board to 82nd. 9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -1.0 in summed z-scores against -2.8 (84th to 167th).
Who wins more categories, Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Matas Buzelis?
Category by category, Jaime Jaquez Jr. is ahead in 2 (AST and FG%) and Matas Buzelis in 6 (REB, STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Matas Buzelis?
Jaime Jaquez Jr. plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.8 for Jaime Jaquez Jr..
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number