This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
Many may have become a bit disconnected from the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge with the league on hiatus the last few weeks, and that's understandable.
Allow me to help you reconnect.
The best way to do so is by employing verified strategies when selecting players for your team(s). One such strategy is to identify teammates who will miss the next game and capitalize on that information by selecting someone expected to receive more minutes as a result.
If you have any questions or comments about strategy or the picks below, feel free to drop those at the bottom of this article or reach out via @RotoWireEuro.
And here are your players!
Guard
Mike James, AS Monaco (19.3 credits)
As the final stage of the regular season approaches, we may consider bringing in the most expensive players who consistently play at least 30 minutes. James is one of those players. I won't delve into his stat line because it's impressive across the board. A red flag is Monaco's upcoming opponent, Barcelona -- who excel at defending guards -- but James simply doesn't care, particularly with him on the verge of becoming the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (18.5 credits)
Larkin is a top-tier player who consistently gets 30 minutes. His field goal attempts per game have dropped slightly recently, likely due to the return of his teammates from injuries. Despite this, let's end the overview of Larkin on a positive note. Efes will be facing Partizan, who tend to defend guards poorly and are actually one of the worst in the league at that.
Wade Baldwin IV, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (17.2 credits)
Baldwin averaged the most PIR per game over the last five Rounds, and he will now face teams that allow at least 90 PIR per game: ALBA, Zalgiris, Red Star, ASVEL and Bayern. All those teams are below average in that department, so Baldwin is primed to keep the momentum going.
Kevin Punter, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (13.3 credits)
Punter is a great fantasy player, and his value might increase further if James Nunnally misses the next Round. Nunnally missed team training Wednesday, raising concerns about his availability for Thursday's game against Efes. Punter went into the break on a three-game tear over which he averaged 30 minutes, 24.0 points and 13.3 FGA while shooting 52.5 percent from the field, 56.3 percent beyond the arc and going 21-of-22 at the charity stripe.
Yago Dos Santos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (10.3 credits)
Milos Teodosic is likely to miss this Round, and if he does Dos Santos will be a nice pick. He could see a lot of minutes against Bayern, and he has stepped up a number of times when Teodosic sits -- including in Round 26 when he tossed up 21 points and 14 assists.
Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus (10.0 credits)
The biggest argument for picking Walkup is that all of Nigel Williams-Goss, Giannoulis Larentzakis and Naz Mitrou-Long are expected to be sidelined. As a result, Walkup is likely to play 30 minutes. Another note in his favor is their upcoming opponent, Zalgiris, a team that does not defend guards very well. They have been improving, though, and were an average team defensively over the last five games.
Forward
Chima Moneke, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (15.7 credits)
Tadas Sedekerskis is a game-time decision at the moment. If he does not play, Moneke would be in line for extended minutes in Round 27. In games when Sedekerskis is not playing, Moneke is recording roughly 4 more minutes (24+ vs. 28+ minutes accordingly). He is the best rebounder in the league, which is great as we could expect a lot of PIR generated outside of scoring.
Bonzie Colson, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (13.7 credits)
Colson played a lot of minutes during the last 4 rounds before the break (around 30 per game), but his PIR fluctuated (from 6 to 28 player index rating). The biggest argument for picking him is his playing time, although he is not a confident fantasy addition due to the fluctuation.
Vladimir Lucic, FC Bayern Munich (9.6 credits)
Lucic is averaging around 30 minutes over the last 3 games. He does not attempt too many shots (6.0) over this span but adds 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, draws 3.3 fouls, and records 12.3 PIR over the last 3 games. Last but not least, his next 2 opponents (Zvezda, Efes) tend to allow lots of PIR for their opponents, so it might be a favorable matchup for Lucic.
Mbaye Ndiaye, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (6.1 credits)
I was wrong about this player, thinking his minutes would go down since Asvel's injured players came back to the roster one by one. He maintains his 20ish minutes per game. He is really good at rebounding and blocking, which might be what is securing him his playing time. Ndiaye is at least a considerable fantasy addition for 6.1 credits.
Tim Schneider, Alba Berlin (4.8 credits)
Schneider is enjoying a boost in playing time, which has translated into higher PIR quite nicely. He is averaging 20+ minutes and 11.0 PIR over the last 3 games. Their next games are against Maccabi and Baskonia, who allow a lot of PIR to their opponents.
Center
Willy Hernangomez, FC Barcelona (14.0 credits)
Jan Vesely is GTD, but it was reported that he has a minor injury which prevented him from playing for the National Team during this break in the EuroLeague season. If it is confirmed that Vesely will miss the next round, we could expect more minutes for Willy, therefore, adding him to your fantasy roster might be a logical move.
Johnathan Motley, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (13.2 credits)
Motley has seen a boost in his stats without averaging more minutes, which is not very common. He is attempting more shots, grabbing more rebounds, drawing more fouls, and visiting the free-throw line a lot more, resulting in a higher PIR. He seems to have taken on a slightly bigger role, showing more initiative, especially on the offensive end. However, the big red flag is his inconsistent playing time, as he may play 17 minutes one night and 29 minutes another. He's a risky pick, but worth considering.
Laurynas Birutis, Zalgiris Kaunas (9.9 credits)
Birutis is a risky pick because he recently picked up a minor injury which prevented him from playing for the National Team. Please follow his injury report on RotoWire. Another red flag is their next opponent, Olympiacos, who are among the better teams in the league defending center position players. However, let's not forget his recent amazing run when he spiked in minutes per game, shot attempts, fouls drawn, free-throw attempts, and PIR. Over the last 5 games, he has been averaging an 18.6 PIR.
Head Coach
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (6.5 credits)
EA7 team still has ambitions to reach the playoff/play-in stage and will play against one of the worst teams in the league, Asvel. However, it will be an away game, which always adds a little uncertainty. It's a slightly risky pick.
Pablo Laso, FC Bayern Munich (4.9 credits)
They will play at home against Red Star. Additionally, Bayer has no players on the injury list. Even though Red Star has been struggling recently, you can't count them out so easily. However, Bayern playing at home will give them an additional advantage over their opponents.
Drop Candidates
Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (10.8 credits)
Nunn is playing a lot of minutes and attempting a lot of shots, but he is not a confident pick for the next round. This is mostly because of their next opponent, Real Madrid, which might be a tough matchup for Nunn. He usually scores more points than PIR, indicating that he may miss quite a lot of shots, commit turnovers, and not produce many rebounds, assists, or fouls drawn. If you want a top tier fantasy player for your team, it's worth looking for someone who generates more PIR than points.
Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (8.8 credits)
With Will Clyburn regaining his minutes, Bryant's playing time has drastically decreased. This happened a few rounds before the EuroLeague break. Hence, having Bryant on your fantasy roster is a very risky move, as he is no longer projected to be a 25-30 minutes player but rather around 15 minutes.
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