Kristaps Porziņģis vs Matas Buzelis: who to start in Week 1
Kristaps Porziņģis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 92.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Kristaps Porziņģis. Over the season, Matas Buzelis leads in points leagues (30.7 fantasy points a game to 30.7) and Kristaps Porziņģis in 9-cat leagues (70th against 76th). 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 22, 8:57 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #80
- 30.7 FP/G, slot 7.08, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #70
- -0.4 z, slot 6.10, $13
Out (Undisclosed)
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #79
- 30.7 FP/G, slot 7.07, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #76
- -0.7 z, slot 7.04, $12
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.7 fantasy points per game against 30.7, 79th on our board to 80th.
9-cat leagues: Kristaps Porziņģis instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (70th to 76th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Kristaps Porziņģis is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, FT% and TO) and Matas Buzelis in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, 3PM and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, Kristaps Porziņģis produces more: 46.0 fantasy points to 38.2, on 24.0 minutes a night against 28.9. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Kristaps Porziņģis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 92.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Kristaps Porziņģis.
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 | Kristaps Porziņģis | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.7 | 30.7 |
| Minutes | 24.0 | 28.9 |
| PointsPTS | 16.7 | 16.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.2 | 5.8 |
| AssistsAST | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Threes3PM | 1.7 | 2.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.6% | 45.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.2% | 79.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 2.1 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 32 | 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 | Kristaps Porziņģis | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 46.0 | 38.2 |
| Points | 25.0 | 20.3 |
| Rebounds | 7.8 | 7.3 |
| Assists | 3.8 | 2.4 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Turnovers | 1.9 | 2.6 |
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 | Kristaps Porziņģis | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | +0.0 | -0.0 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.3 | +0.0 |
| AssistsAST | -0.6 | -0.9 |
| StealsSTL | -1.3 | -1.0 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.1 | +1.8 |
| Threes3PM | +0.1 | +0.5 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.7 | -0.1 |
| TurnoversTO | +0.7 | -0.3 |
| Total | -0.4 | -0.7 |
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 free throw percentage and turnovers flips the 9-cat answer to Matas Buzelis.
| Punt | Kristaps Porziņģis | Matas Buzelis |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.4 (#78) | -0.7 (#90) |
| REB | -0.2 (#61) | -0.8 (#82) |
| AST | +0.1 (#49) | +0.1 (#50) |
| STL | +0.8 (#40) | +0.2 (#57) |
| BLK | -1.6 (#114) | -2.6 (#157) |
| 3PM | -0.5 (#77) | -1.2 (#100) |
| FG% | +0.4 (#52) | -0.1 (#64) |
| FT% | -1.1 (#96) | -0.7 (#80) |
| TO | -1.2 (#90) | -0.4 (#68) |
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 391 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Kristaps Porziņģis: 3 games (Wed @LAL, Fri MEM, Sat @PHX), 1 back-to-back, listed Out.
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Kristaps Porziņģis: 27.5 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.7 on the board.
- Matas Buzelis: 27.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Kristaps Porziņģis playing tonight? · Is Matas Buzelis playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Matas Buzelis
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Kristaps Porziņģis or Matas Buzelis?
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.7 fantasy points per game against 30.7, 79th on our board to 80th. 9-cat leagues: Kristaps Porziņģis instead, -0.4 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (70th to 76th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Kristaps Porziņģis or Matas Buzelis?
Category by category, Kristaps Porziņģis is ahead in 4 (PTS, AST, FT% and TO) and Matas Buzelis in 5 (REB, STL, BLK, 3PM and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Kristaps Porziņģis or Matas Buzelis?
Kristaps Porziņģis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Matas Buzelis 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 92.1 projected fantasy points to 0.0 for Kristaps Porziņģis.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number