Matas Buzelis vs Payton Pritchard: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft Matas Buzelis in both formats: 30.9 fantasy points a game to 30.7 in points leagues, and 66th against 70th 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
- #78
- 30.9 FP/G, slot 7.06, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #66
- -0.3 z, slot 6.06, $14
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #81
- 30.7 FP/G, slot 7.09, $12
- 9-cat leagues
- #70
- -0.4 z, slot 6.10, $13
The call
Points leagues: draft Matas Buzelis. 30.9 fantasy points per game against 30.7, 78th on our board to 81st.
9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (66th to 70th).
Category by category, Matas Buzelis is ahead in 2 (REB and BLK) and Payton Pritchard in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Matas Buzelis produces more: 38.1 fantasy points to 34.2, on 29.2 minutes a night against 32.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Matas Buzelis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 92.8 projected fantasy points to 61.4 for Payton Pritchard.
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 | Matas Buzelis | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.9 | 30.7 |
| Minutes | 29.2 | 32.4 |
| PointsPTS | 16.3 | 17.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 3.9 |
| AssistsAST | 2.1 | 5.2 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| Field goal %FG% | 46.3% | 46.4% |
| Free throw %FT% | 78.6% | 89.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.4 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 79 |
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 | Matas Buzelis | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.1 | 34.2 |
| Points | 20.1 | 18.9 |
| Rebounds | 7.2 | 4.4 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 5.7 |
| Steals | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 0.1 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| Turnovers | 2.5 | 1.5 |
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 | Matas Buzelis | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.0 | -0.9 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -0.9 | -0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.7 | -1.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.6 | +1.0 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.5 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +0.6 |
| Total | -0.3 | -0.4 |
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 rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Payton Pritchard.
| Punt | Matas Buzelis | Payton Pritchard |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.3 (#74) | -0.5 (#84) |
| REB | -0.4 (#71) | +0.6 (#49) |
| AST | +0.5 (#45) | -1.2 (#106) |
| STL | +0.5 (#45) | +0.3 (#50) |
| BLK | -2.1 (#140) | +0.8 (#42) |
| 3PM | -0.9 (#93) | -1.6 (#115) |
| FG% | +0.1 (#61) | +0.3 (#56) |
| FT% | -0.2 (#67) | -1.0 (#93) |
| TO | -0.1 (#63) | -1.0 (#80) |
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)
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Payton Pritchard: 2 games (Tue @DET, Fri NYK).
Recent games
- Matas Buzelis: 33.3 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.9 on the board.
- Payton Pritchard: 30.7 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 30.7 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 Matas Buzelis or Payton Pritchard in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft Matas Buzelis. 30.9 fantasy points per game against 30.7, 78th on our board to 81st. 9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -0.3 in summed z-scores against -0.4 (66th to 70th).
Who wins more categories, Matas Buzelis or Payton Pritchard?
Category by category, Matas Buzelis is ahead in 2 (REB and BLK) and Payton Pritchard in 6 (PTS, AST, STL, 3PM, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Matas Buzelis or Payton Pritchard?
Matas Buzelis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Payton Pritchard 2. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 92.8 projected fantasy points to 61.4 for Payton Pritchard.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number