Matas Buzelis vs Tre Jones: who to start in Week 1
Matas Buzelis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tre Jones 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 92.1 projected fantasy points to 83.3 for Tre Jones. Over the season, Matas Buzelis leads in both formats: 30.7 fantasy points a game to 27.8, and 76th against 77th 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 22, 9:54 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- 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 and 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #107
- 27.8 FP/G, slot 9.11, $8
- 9-cat leagues
- #77
- -0.7 z, slot 7.05, $12
The call
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.7 fantasy points per game against 27.8, 79th on our board to 107th.
9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (76th to 77th).
Category by category, Matas Buzelis is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM) and Tre Jones in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Per 36 minutes, Tre Jones produces more: 38.3 fantasy points to 38.2, on 26.1 minutes a night against 28.9. 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), Tre Jones 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 92.1 projected fantasy points to 83.3 for Tre Jones.
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.
Advertisement
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Matas Buzelis | Tre Jones |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 30.7 | 27.8 |
| Minutes | 28.9 | 26.1 |
| PointsPTS | 16.3 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.8 | 3.1 |
| AssistsAST | 1.9 | 5.0 |
| StealsSTL | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.5 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.4% | 55.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.3% | 83.5% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 77 | 65 |
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 | Tre Jones |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 38.2 | 38.3 |
| Points | 20.3 | 19.3 |
| Rebounds | 7.3 | 4.3 |
| Assists | 2.4 | 7.0 |
| Steals | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 0.2 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 0.8 |
| Turnovers | 2.6 | 1.8 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
Advertisement
9-category z-scores
| Category | Matas Buzelis | Tre Jones |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.0 | -0.4 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.0 | -1.2 |
| AssistsAST | -0.9 | +0.7 |
| StealsSTL | -1.0 | +0.2 |
| BlocksBLK | +1.8 | -1.1 |
| Threes3PM | +0.5 | -1.1 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -0.7 | +1.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.1 | +0.4 |
| TurnoversTO | -0.3 | +0.7 |
| Total | -0.7 | -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 points, rebounds, blocks and threes flips the 9-cat answer to Tre Jones.
| Punt | Matas Buzelis | Tre Jones |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.7 (#90) | -0.3 (#69) |
| REB | -0.8 (#82) | +0.4 (#48) |
| AST | +0.1 (#50) | -1.5 (#120) |
| STL | +0.2 (#57) | -1.0 (#94) |
| BLK | -2.6 (#157) | +0.3 (#52) |
| 3PM | -1.2 (#100) | +0.3 (#56) |
| FG% | -0.1 (#64) | -2.1 (#124) |
| FT% | -0.7 (#80) | -1.2 (#99) |
| TO | -0.4 (#68) | -1.4 (#94) |
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)
- Matas Buzelis: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Tre Jones: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Matas Buzelis: 27.2 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 30.7 on the board.
- Tre Jones: 16.6 fantasy points a game over his last 1 of 2026-27, against 27.8 on the board.
Advertisement
Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Matas Buzelis playing tonight? · Is Tre Jones playing tonight?
Rookie cards: Matas Buzelis, Tre Jones
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Matas Buzelis or Tre Jones?
Points leagues: Matas Buzelis. 30.7 fantasy points per game against 27.8, 79th on our board to 107th. 9-cat leagues: Matas Buzelis again, -0.7 in summed z-scores against -0.7 (76th to 77th).
Who wins more categories, Matas Buzelis or Tre Jones?
Category by category, Matas Buzelis is ahead in 4 (PTS, REB, BLK and 3PM) and Tre Jones in 5 (AST, STL, FG%, FT% and TO).
Who should I start in Week 1, Matas Buzelis or Tre Jones?
Matas Buzelis plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Tre Jones 3. For that week alone, start Matas Buzelis: 92.1 projected fantasy points to 83.3 for Tre Jones.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 22, 2026 at 9:54 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number