This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
We have reached the final Round of the EuroLeague regular season -- and also Round 34 of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge. Some teams will play their final game this week, but 10 others will move on to the Play-In Showdown or Playoffs, and the Fantasy Challenge will continue through the postseason.
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.
Now, let's get to the players!
Guard
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (18.5 credits)
Efes needs to win this game to secure a Play-In spot. Larkin and Clyburn, the team leaders, will be eager to perform. Even though Larkin has given Clyburn the team leader's bat, he still has a solid statline: 14.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists over the last three games.
Mike James, AS Monaco (17.8 credits)
James still has a solid stat-line (15.4p/4.4r/3.4a over the last 5 games). He contributes in rebounds, assists, steals, fouls drawn, scoring. However, his shooting percentages are down (33/22/74% over the last 5 games). The last time he recorded 20+ PIR was 7 rounds ago, this is raising doubts. All in all, Mike James is still a great addition due to his huge playtime and contribution.
Kevin Punter, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (13.6 credits)
A risky pick! Anadolu Efes is playing against Red Star on Thursday; if Efes wins, Partizan has no chance to secure a spot in a play-in tournament, that may change the game completely: Punter may play less than his usual minutes, he may be less aggressive to prevent unnecessary injury, on the other hand, he may have a proper EuroLeague season finish blast. Another slight red flag: he has shot badly from behind the arc recently (0.8/4.0 20% 3FG over the last 5 games). Apart from this, he is rebounding, assisting, drawing fouls, and definitely scoring - contributing in various ways which is great.
Markus Howard, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (10.8 credits)
Vanja Marinkovic did not play in Sunday's domestic contest due to a sore leg. However, based on that diagnosis it seems likely he will suit up for the last EuroLeague regular season game. If we get confirmation that Marinkovic will miss the game, then 10+ three-point attempts and more minutes for Howard should be locked in, and when you have a lot of shot attempts, you have a chance to deliver a huge game. Also worth to mention, that will be a game for eighth place for both Baskonia and Virtus, which is a very big deal when it comes to the Play-In format.
Adam Hanga, Crvena Zvezda, Meridianbet Belgrade (7.9 credits)
Yago Dos Santos missed a few EuroLeague games, Hanga did use this opportunity to step up. Nevertheless, in the last domestic game, Santos played 22 minutes, which is concerning because if he plays those minutes in the EuroLeague, we might no longer see Hanga having 25+ mins. The best argument to keep him in is relatively low price of 7.9 credits.
Martin Hermannsson, ALBA Berlin (6.4 credits)
Matteo Spagnolo and Gabriele Procida might still not be available for the last EuroLeague game this season. On top of that, Jonas Mattisseck missed last domestic league game due to illness. Mattisseck might be back though, but if not, then ALBA will be really short on backcourts, which opens all kinds of doors for Hermannsson to have a nice game. Their next opponent is Panathinaikos, though, one of the toughest defenses in the league.
Stefano Tonut, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (5.6 credits)
Tonut spiked in minutes over the last four games, along with other categories like shot attempts, rebounds, and fouls drawn. He has recorded 14, 6, 10, and 17 PIR in the last 4 EuroLeague games, which is impressive for a 5.6-credit player.
Edwin Jackson, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (5.4 credits)
Jackson is having a solid run recently, averaging 18+ minutes and 10.0 PIR over the last 3 EuroLeague games. Also worth mentioning is his last domestic league game: 22 PTS, 8/14 FG, 3 REB, 5 AST, and 2 STL. Red flags: next opponent Barca is a scary defensive challenge; also, Edwin's shooting percentage is sky high (85/67/67% over the last 3 games; free throws are not so high though), which will go down sooner or later. Jackson is a risky but considerable pick in a low price range.
Forward
Nikola Mirotic, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (16.0 credits)
Milan still has a chance to secure a place in the Play-In tournament, so there are no talks at all about the possibility of resting players, etc. The game Milan is dependent on for the Play-In spot will start 35 minutes earlier; they will not know the outcome yet (reminder: if Efes wins against Red Star, they secure the final Play-In spot). Speaking about the Mirotic stat line, it's great: 16.7p/8.3r/1a, 5.0 fouls drawn in 26+ MPG over the last 3 games. They will play against Maccabi in Belgrade.
Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (14.7 credits)
Virtus team will have a battle with Baskonia for eighth place, which gives team the possibility of losing its first play-in game, so it's a vital regular-season finisher for Virtus. Shengelia has been great recently, recording 21.7p/3r/3a and 20.0 PIR in 27+ minutes over the last 3 games. The next opponent, Baskonia, is not the best defensive team this season.
Will Clyburn, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (14.7 credits)
A must-win game for Efes. Clyburn has had the best stat-line in a team over the last 3 games: 28+ minutes, 18p/4r/2a/1s, 6.3 fouls drawn, and a 21.7 PIR.
Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid (13.4 credits)
Hezonja has played more minutes recently, and his stat line has climbed to 21p/6r/3a, 12.7 shot attempts, and 23.7 PIR over the last 3 games. He will face Zalgiris without Arnas Butkevicius -- a great defender -- which in theory means more favorable defensive matchup. Couple of red flags: this game means just a little to Real Madrid as they secured number 1 place quite a while ago; also, Hezonja had a bad game in the domestic league against Barca (missed six three-pointers and six two-pointers) which may set a bad tone.
Deshaun Thomas, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (9.2 credits)
Mike Scott and Mbaye Ndiaye are both questionable. If that will remain unchanged, then Thomas is a pick to consider adding to your fantasy team. Red flag: tough defensive matchup against Barcelona.
Jaron Blossomgame, AS Monaco (7.1 credits)
Blossomgame continues his great recent run, he is one of the best bargains at 7.1 credits. He averaged 22+ minutes, 12.6p/4r, 7.8 shot attempts, and 13.2 PIR over the last 5 EuroLeague games.
Ercan Osmani, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (5.2 credits)
Osmani used to have huge fluctuations in minutes per game, but recently that has stabilized, and over the last 8 rounds, he has gotten 15+ minutes (with the exception of a single game in that span when he played 11 minutes only). He is a decent rebounder, shoots from behind the arc, and has a 7.0 PIR over the last 5 games. Likely, he will not have a fancy game with a high PIR, but we could expect him to exceed his price value against Red Star at home.
Center
Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (18.0 credits)
It is a vital game for PAO; if they win, they will secure 2nd place in the regular season; hence Lessort may play a lot. On the other hand, their next opponent, ALBA, is reportedly having a long list of injured players, which may end up being quite an advantage for Panathinaikos, they could have an early lead and rest their main players including Lessort.
Serge Ibaka, FC Bayern Munich (15.0 credits)
Bayern may miss their big Devin Booker again; once he is out, Ibaka usually has higher numbers. On top of that, over the last 3 games, Ibaka has recorded 15p/9r/1.7b and 19.7 PIR. Interesting fact: this player is shooting 48% (24/50) from behind the arc this season!
Joel Bolomboy, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (12.8 credits)
Except for a single slow game against Real Madrid in Spain, Bolomboy had a really great period in the last 7 EuroLeague games where he got 18 PIR, 21, 15, 21, 22, 0 PIR (vs. Real), and 32 PIR—that is quite impressive. Crvena Zvezda will play against the Anadolu Efes team, which struggles to defend centers this season. On the other hand, that will be a crucial game for the Turkish team, as if they win, they secure a spot in the Play-In tournament - which might give additional motivation to play extra well.
Head Coach
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (11.1 credits)
One of the most expensive coaches in a game, however, PAO has really something to fight for: if they win, they will secure 2nd place in the regular season. They will play at home against the worst-record team, ALBA (5 W, 28 L).
Tomislav Mijatovic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (6.5 credits)
Efes is playing against Red Star at home. That is a must-win game for the Turkish team. On top of that, they are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, which have won four games in a row.
Drop Candidates
Darius Thompson, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (9.9 credits)
Over the last three rounds, Thompson's price dropped by 0.6 credits (from 10.5 to 9.9). He lost his playtime (season average of 26+ to 18 minutes per game in the last 3 rounds).
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus (12.4 credits)
Peters' price went down from 13.2 to 12.4 credits over the last 3 rounds. He is playing less time (21 minutes in his last 3 games in comparison to the season average of 26+). He had that incident with Coach Bartzokas. All in all, Peters raised concerns and is probably not worth the risk of adding to your fantasy team.
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