Matas Buzelis vs P.J. Washington: who to start in Week 1
Matas Buzelis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.1 for P.J. Washington. Over the season, Matas Buzelis leads in both formats: 30.0 fantasy points a game to 29.7, and 89th against 141st 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 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- 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 points and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #84
- 29.7 FP/G, slot 7.12, $11
- 9-cat leagues
- #141
- -2.2 z, slot 12.09, $3
The call
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.0 fantasy points per game against 29.7, 80th on our board to 84th.
9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (89th to 141st).
Category by category, Matas Buzelis is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and P.J. Washington in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Matas Buzelis produces more: 38.2 fantasy points to 34.4, on 28.2 minutes a night against 31.1. 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), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.1 for P.J. Washington.
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 | Matas Buzelis | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.0 | 29.7 |
| Minutes | 28.2 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 15.8 | 14.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 7.2 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| Field goal %FG% | 44.4% | 45.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.0% | 67.2% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 56 |
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 | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.2 | 34.4 |
| Points | 20.1 | 16.5 |
| Rebounds | 7.4 | 8.3 |
| Assists | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| Threes | 2.5 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 2.1 |
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 | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | +0.7 |
| AssistsAST | -0.8 | -1.0 |
| StealsSTL | -1.1 | -0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.7 | +1.0 |
| Threes3PM | +0.4 | -0.2 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.8 | -0.6 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | -1.3 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +0.0 |
| Total | -1.1 | -2.2 |
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 flips the 9-cat answer to P.J. Washington.
| Punt | Matas Buzelis | P.J. Washington |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -1.0 (#110) | -1.8 (#155) |
| REB | -1.3 (#107) | -3.2 (#203) |
| AST | -0.4 (#66) | -1.3 (#114) |
| STL | -0.1 (#64) | -1.8 (#132) |
| BLK | -3.0 (#172) | -3.6 (#199) |
| 3PM | -1.5 (#112) | -1.9 (#133) |
| FG% | -0.4 (#75) | -2.2 (#131) |
| FT% | -1.1 (#97) | -0.8 (#87) |
| TO | -0.8 (#74) | -2.3 (#118) |
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)
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- P.J. Washington: 3 games (Wed @HOU, Fri @IND, Sat SAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Matas Buzelis: 22.9 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 30.0 on the board.
- P.J. Washington: 29.7 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 29.7 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Matas Buzelis playing tonight? · Is P.J. Washington playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Matas Buzelis
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Matas Buzelis or P.J. Washington?
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.0 fantasy points per game against 29.7, 80th on our board to 84th. 9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -1.1 in summed z-scores against -2.2 (89th to 141st).
Who wins more categories, Matas Buzelis or P.J. Washington?
Category by category, Matas Buzelis is ahead in 5 (PTS, AST, BLK, 3PM and FT%) and P.J. Washington in 4 (REB, STL, FG% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Matas Buzelis or P.J. Washington?
Matas Buzelis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), P.J. Washington 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 89.9 projected fantasy points to 89.1 for P.J. Washington.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number