This article is part of our DraftKings EuroLeague DFS Picks series.
Slate Overview
The big news for Thursday is the fact that DraftKings for one reason or another posted two main $1,000-to-first EuroLeague DFS contests, which due to the start of March Madness should both have severe overlay. Of all days to enter EuroLeague DFS contests on DraftKings, this is the one! We aren't waiting for much regarding injury news, and if Zach LeDay remains away, Partizan's bigs will be very appealing. My favorite game to stack will be the last one, which will be an intense matchup between Real Madrid and Partizan in Stark Arena. Good luck, everyone!
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Keenan Evans, Zalgiris Kaunas ($10,700)
He didn't do great for us Tuesday but was still able to get 28.0 DraftKings points despite foul trouble and limited minutes. I love going back here, as he faces one of the highest-paced teams in the league in Baskonia.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($11,000)
Consecutive appearances below 30.0 DraftKings points is less than stellar, but there' no better way to break through that wall than a matchup against a lowly ALBA team that is very poor defensively and plays fast.
Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid ($9,800)
With Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodriguez out for another Round we should see no less than 25 minutes from Campazzo. He has a playing time ceiling in the high-20s as one of only two true guards available, and Partizan has been vulnernable against players at those spots.
Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus ($9,000)
His price is back up, but I'm okay paying it Thursday due to the matchup. Walkup has a limited ceiling do to his inconsistency when it comes to scoring, but he stuffs the stat sheet elsewhere and should have no issue doing that against ASVEL.
Valuable Values
Carlos Alocen, Real Madrid ($4,500)
Filling in the backup point guard role in place of Llull and Rodriguez, Alocen played all the minutes Tuesday that Campazzo didn't, and he looked good doing so. I think the playing time stays the same, and for this price you can fit in anyone else you want.
Matt Thomas, ALBA Berlin ($7,300)
Martin Hermannsson, ALBA Berlin ($6,600)
We love attacking Efes defensively and these two have been playing well since Matteo Spagnolo and Gabriele Procida went down. Thomas is your microwave scorer and Hermannsson is your floor general.
Darius Thompson, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($8,000)
Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($7,400)
Rodrigue Beaubois, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($7,500)
All three Efes guards are very volatile, but given the nature of the matchup I think each possesses slate-winning upside if you catch the right one. I'd rank them as listed.
P.J. Dozier, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($7,100)
Dozier should start again, and if he avoids foul trouble I really like his chances to 3x value in a fast-paced game.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid ($9,600)
Guerschon Yabusele, Real Madrid ($9,300)
Whenever Hezonja and or Yabusele start they're live to post big numbers, and they both did so Tuesday while opening the game on the court. This will be a back-and-forth game that I think both players can thrive in given how effective they are in transition.
Kevin Punter, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($9,900)
Punter has some of the same traits as Hezonja, and I think he will really get up for this game following all that went down when these teams met in the Playoffs last year.
Will Clyburn, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($10,200)
I'm not sure how ALBA is going to match up with Clyburn. They don't really have a small forward that can contain him and Johannes Thiemann might be a step slow if they want to go with a big.
Chima Moneke, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($10,100)
Moneke dropped a season-high 54.8 DraftKings points last time he saw Zalgiris, and with the forward spots being weak Thursday it's wise to take a shot on a guy that has that type of performance in the bag.
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus ($8,900)
He gets a great matchup and could put up 30 points in the box score, but despite that he feels like more of a cash play or last man in, because when Olympiacos is fully healthy it's tough for him to get 40.0 DraftKings points. I'm not saying that's what we need, but I would like the boom rate to match the bust rate, which it doesn't seem to.
Valuable Values
Johannes Thiemann, ALBA Berlin ($7,900)
He dropped what was easily a season-high 46.5 DraftKings points last time he faced Efes, and what we saw on Tuesday is what I've been wanting to see, which is Thiemann starting and playing minutes in the upper-20s. I love him at this price if he starts again.
Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus ($8,200)
We get another "Battle of the Falls" Thursday with Moustapha and Youssoupha (no relation), and also another history of success, as Fall dropped 38.3 DraftKings points last time he saw ASVEL. I feel like he will be a little overlooked with the price hike and I'll gladly take all the shares, as no team is worse than ASVEL when it comes to defense in the paint.
Frank Kaminsky, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($7,500)
Bruno Caboclo, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($7,400)
If LeDay is back I'll fade this situation entirely, but if he's out again I love going back to one of these two. They can stretch the floor and bring Walter Tavares out of the paint, and they play well alongside each other.
Laurynas Birutis, Zalgiris Kaunas ($7,300)
Arnas Butkevicius, Zalgiris Kaunas ($6,000)
These two play two different positions but one of them is going to pop for 3.5-4x value soon, and although it's more likely to be the true center in Birutis against a beatable Baskonia interior, I could see Butkevicius getting enough looks on the perimeter to deliver.
Kevarrius Hayes, Zalgiris Kaunas ($6,200)
He backs up Birutis but has been playing very well lately. He will have just as much of an opportunity to take advantage of Baskonia' interior defense.
Deshaun Thomas, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne ($6,300)
As long as Mike Scott is out of the lineup Thomas will continue flirting with 30 minutes, which is extremely appealing at this price point.
