This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Khimki's Jonas Jerebko will return to action in Round 10, but his teammate, Devin Booker, will not.
- Bayern's Nihad Dedovic will not play in Thursday's contest.
THE SLATE
Anadolu Efes Istanbul at Khimki Moscow Region
Key Injuries: Bryant Dunston (IST), Rodrigue Beaubois (IST), Devin Booker (KHI), Jonas Jerebko (KHI), Stefan Jovic (KHI)
Best Bets for Success: The over/under on this game is noticeably higher than the other two on Thursday's schedule, which is good news for players at all price points in fantasy contests. Khimki's Alexey Shved is averaging nine more points on DraftKings than anyone else on Wednesday's slate, so it should come as no surprise that he is the most expensive option on both that website and FanDuel. Shved will need to put up a big number Thursday to return significant value, but he will have a prime opportunity to do so against an Efes team that is allowing the most points and the second-most assists to opposing guards. Efes' top option appears to be Tibor Pleiss, who has thrived since fellow big man Bryant Dunston went down with an eye injury. Pleiss averaged 11.7 shots over the last three Rounds, and he should find himself in the pick-and-roll plenty Thursday, particularly if Booker and Jerebko sit. Efes' starting guards -- Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic -- also carry plenty appeal, as both should spend a lot of time on the court and will have ample opportunities to pile up fantasy points. They're a tough duo to deal with when they're both at full speed, and Larkin appeared to be back at, or at least close two, 100 percent on Tuesday.
DFS Darlings: Knowing that Efes has had trouble to opposing guards, Khimki's Errick McCollum will be a player to target in Thursday's contests. He was shut out in one of the three games he has appeared in this season but averaged 21.0 ppg in the other two contests, and he's a plenty affordable at $6,600 on DraftKings and $10 on FanDuel. Efes' Adrien Moerman will be on the radar, too, provided he starts Thursday. Moerman is averaging 11.0 points, 6.0 points and 1.7 three-pointers across 29 minutes per game in his three starts this season, and Khimki has been one of the most friendly to opposing forwards.
CSKA Moscow at FC Bayern Munich
Key Injuries: Johannes Voigtmann (CSK), Janis Strelnieks (CSK)
Best Bets for Success: Both these teams are pretty top-heavy, with seven players in this game averaging at least 20 DraftKings points and only three others topping more than 14.3 points per contest on that website. Among the upper echelon of players, the most appealing options appear to be Bayern's Wade Baldwin and his teammate, Jalen Reynolds. CSKA has had trouble slowing opposing guards, and Reynolds -- despite not starting a game this season -- has put up no fewer than 18.75 points on DraftKings. Mike James has been quite streaky this season, but the CSKA guard is still the best bet in this game to score 20 points, and he should still have an extra edge after reportedly getting into it with head coach Dimitrios Itoudis last week.
DFS Darlings: With the Russian team still down a couple rotation players, both Nikola Milutinov and Darrun Hilliard will be in play for fantasy players. Neither of them will cost you more than $7,000 on DraftKings nor $9 on FanDuel. Bayern's Paul Zipser is on the rise, playing more minutes than the Round before in five straight games and averaging 16.0 points and 5.5 rebounds over the last two.
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens at TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Key Injuries: None
Best Bets for Success: This could be a game for the guards, as both teams have struggled to slow down opposing backcourt players. That's good news for Pierria Henry, who has found ways to produce when not scoring the ball and has been among the top producers when he does. He will be an enticing option on both FanDuel and DraftKings, as he is only the ninth-most costly option on both websites. Shelvin Mack has only appeared in two games with Panathinaikos and did not start either, but that did not stop him from scoring in double figures in both. Among players worthy of consideration in Thursday's slate, he is easily providing the most average value at his current price point. While not a guard,
DFS Darlings: Sticking with the guard theme, Baskonia's Luca Vildoza gets top billing in this section. He has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and recorded at least 21.3 points on DraftKings in all but one of his six games. His teammate, Rokas Giedraitis, also not a guard, but he is Baskonia's leading scorer. He's overpriced on FanDuel as the second-most expensive player on the slate, but that helps highlight his value on DraftKings, where he will cost you barely more than $8,000.