Slate Overview
We have quickly reached the final step of the Group Phase, and that will be accompanied by an amazing Friday slate. Brazil and Japan have been frustrating for DFS purposes, but they tip off at 5:00 AM ET and will not be part of the contest. We're left with six talent-laden teams with players who are appropriately priced on DraftKings. All six squads will be motivated to win, so we won't have to worry too much about minutes being limited.
Good luck, everyone!
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Josh Giddey, Australia ($9,300)
Patty Mills, Australia ($8,100)
As stated when Australia last played, one of these two will return meaningful value as long as the game is not a blowout, and I'm not expecting that Friday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Canada ($9,800)
Gilgeous-Alexander lost 4-to-5 minutes last game due to early foul trouble, but he still went about his business and dropped 34.0 DraftKings points. He will have a very favorable matchup against a Spanish backcourt that is not stout on the defensive end, and Gilgeous-Alexander could hit his ceiling again.
Dennis Schroder, Germany ($8,700)
As much as I love Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey, it's tough to not just slot in Mills and Schroder and sacrifice some floor for dollars. Schroder is a streaky player, but he has got the job done thus far, and I wonder if an even bigger night is coming. Yuki Kawamura looked like Stephen Curry against France, so maybe Schroder will heat up from downtown as well.
Valuable Values
Lorenzo Brown, Spain ($5,500)
Great minutes, great usage but hasn't had a splash game yet. I assume he will be a chalk play in cash games, but I'm fine using him as a last piece and differentiating elsewhere.
Giannoulis Larentzakis, Greece ($3,200)
Larentzakis hasn't gotten going from long range, but I know he's capable of doing so. The playing time has been encouraging, so I'll go back to a guy who is listed at this price, can rack up threes and could get 20 minutes.
Thomas Walkup, Greece ($5,800)
Vassilis Toliopoulos, Greece ($4,700)
Nick Calathes was banged up last game but somewhat surprisingly is good to go for Friday's contest. If he's forced out early or is limited, these two guys would benefit and be fantastic GPP plays.
Nick Weiler-Babb, Germany ($3,400)
He's cheap, and although he's out there for his defense I think he's safe for 12-to-20 minutes. He's very versatile in the sense that he can play both backcourt spots as well as small forward, so he benefits from foul trouble at any of those positions.
Nando de Colo, France ($3,800)
Andrew Albicy, France ($3,000)
I do not recommend playing French guards unless you're ready to be disappointed, but they're so cheap that those of us who mass multi-enter might be sick enough to give it another go. As someone who has watched the EuroLeague and thinks I understand what head coach Vincent Collet wants, I trust Albicy more minutes-wise. de Colo is the better offensive player of the two, though.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece ($11,000)
Victor Wembanyama, France ($10,500)
I hope I don't need to explain myself here. Both are great plays and will get big minutes yet again. I lean toward Antetokounmpo here if I'm splitting hairs.
Jock Landale, Australia ($8,400)
This is another good matchup for the big man, who is plus-42 through two games. Australia simply can't afford to take him off the court, and I think they're starting to realize that. Landale is such a safety net at the center spot in DraftKings contests with the other options being limited and volatile.
Santi Aldama, Spain ($9,500)
Aldama has been amazing so far and remains a solid GPP play, but I worry about the odd matchup with Canada, which doesn't start a true power forward. I may be overthinking this one, but with the abundance of options to throw dollars at Friday, I'm fine with Aldama being the player I am underweight on.
Nicolas Batum, France ($6,600)
Batum came back to earth last game, but I'm fully prepared to go right back to him. He's in a price range at the forward spot where not many others are trustworthy or seeing as many minutes, which draws me even more to him if you fall in this spot.
Willy Hernangomez, Spain ($7,200)
As mentioned the center position is not too glamorous, but I love this matchup against Dwight Powell, who I think he can draw fouls against while not picking them up on the other end. Hernangomez is a sneaky upside play in GPPs and provides leverage/savings compared to Landale.
Valuable Values
Konstantinos Mitoglou, Greece ($3,700)
Mitoglou will get all the minutes that Georgios Papagiannis spends off the court and has been solid thus far when it comes to fantasy points per minute.
Guerschon Yabusele, France ($4,800)
I do not think Yabusele shoots 50 percent from long range again, but he has upside when he's out there, and even if he plays 15-to-20 minutes I think he can make an impact. I kind of like this matchup for him, though I do wish he was a tad cheaper.
Alex Abrines, Spain ($5,000)
Juancho Hernangomez, Spain ($3,200)
I'm interested in these two guys with Rudy Fernandez falling on his head and walking gingerly back to the bench last game. That's concerning for a guy who is just about ready to call it a career. If we confirm Fernandez is out, that opens up 17-to-22 minutes on the wing for Spain, and although those would get spread out these are the guys I would expect to benefit most.
