Jalen Suggs vs Matas Buzelis: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Jalen Suggs in both formats: 31.6 fantasy points a game to 30.9 in points leagues, and 46th against 66th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #76
- 31.6 FP/G, slot 7.04, $13
- 9-cat leagues
- #46
- +0.7 z, slot 4.10, $19
Game-time decision (Illness)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #78
- 30.9 FP/G, slot 7.06, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #66
- -0.3 z, slot 6.06, $14
The call
Points leagues: draft Jalen Suggs. 31.6 fantasy points per game against 30.9, 76th on our board to 78th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Suggs again, +0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (46th to 66th).
Category by category, Jalen Suggs is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and Matas Buzelis in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Suggs produces more: 41.2 fantasy points to 38.1, on 27.6 minutes a night against 29.2. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Suggs plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Suggs: 94.8 projected fantasy points to 92.8 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.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jalen Suggs | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 31.6 | 30.9 |
| Minutes | 27.6 | 29.2 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 16.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 5.8 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 2.1 |
| StealsSTL | 1.8 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.5% | 46.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.5% | 78.6% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.7 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 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 | Jalen Suggs | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.2 | 38.1 |
| Points | 18.0 | 20.1 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 7.2 |
| Assists | 7.1 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 1.9 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 2.5 |
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 | Jalen Suggs | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | -0.0 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | -0.8 |
| StealsSTL | +2.3 | -0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.0 | +1.7 |
| Threes3PM | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.0 | -0.3 |
| Total | +0.7 | -0.3 |
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 and steals flips the 9-cat answer to Matas Buzelis.
| Punt | Jalen Suggs | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.1 (#35) | -0.3 (#74) |
| REB | +1.6 (#30) | -0.4 (#71) |
| AST | -0.3 (#68) | +0.5 (#45) |
| STL | -1.6 (#127) | +0.5 (#45) |
| BLK | +0.6 (#46) | -2.1 (#140) |
| 3PM | +0.1 (#61) | -0.9 (#93) |
| FG% | +1.7 (#32) | +0.1 (#61) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#56) | -0.2 (#67) |
| TO | +1.8 (#38) | -0.1 (#63) |
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 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jalen Suggs: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed GTD.
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Suggs: 32.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 31.6 on the board.
- Matas Buzelis: 33.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.9 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Jalen Suggs or Matas Buzelis in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Jalen Suggs. 31.6 fantasy points per game against 30.9, 76th on our board to 78th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Suggs again, +0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.3 (46th to 66th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Suggs or Matas Buzelis?
Category by category, Jalen Suggs is ahead in 3 (AST, STL and FT%) and Matas Buzelis in 6 (PTS, REB, BLK, 3PM, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Suggs or Matas Buzelis?
Jalen Suggs plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Jalen Suggs: 94.8 projected fantasy points to 92.8 for Matas Buzelis.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number