This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- UNICS' Andrey Vorontsevich remains out for Round 12.
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THE SLATE
UNICS Kazan at 
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
Status Check: Andrey Vorontsevich (UNK), Aaron White (CZV)
Best Bets for Success: The first game of the day is expected to be a grind-it-out affair, as it features what is notably the lowest over/under on the board. The visitors are on a roll, and they have been getting steady production from a number of players. The one most likely to produce Friday seems to be Mario Hezonja, as Red Star is allowing by far the fewest points to opposing guards. Hezonja was quiet in Rounds 9 and 10, but he also sandwiched a couple 40-point DraftKings days around that. While Lorenzo Brown's matchup won't be the easiest, he still lands a spot here thanks to his averages of 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 threes over the past five Rounds. The former Red Star guard doesn't need to score to get the job done in fantasy contests. The home team is back at full strength after missing several key players last week, which makes it a tough task identifying their top options. The Russian team has been tougher on forwards than any other team, so it's likely a guard will lead the way for Red Star in Round 12. Nate Wolters -- who played for UNICS last season -- gets the slight edge over Nikola Ivanovic, as the former has been a bit more consistent.
DFS Darlings: While this game figures to be low-scoring, there will be some value to be had on the Red Star side, as the recent absences have led to some drops in price. UNICS is allowing guards to score quite a bit and allowing centers to get pretty involved, so Ivanovic and Ognjen Kuzmic can be considered. Nikola Kalinic is down to an affordable $8,600 on DraftKings, which gives him some appeal even with the tough matchup. Last but not least, is Luka Mitrovic, who could be the best option of the bunch. Despite being listed as a forward he plays plenty of center, and he is returning some of the most value on the board at just $7,300. UNICS has been pretty top-heavy of late, so there won't be much to consider beyond their top producers. However, one player to certainly look at is John Brown, as Red Star is allowing frontcourt players to rack up a lot of blocks and steals -- Brown's specialty -- and is also allowing players at those positions to get up the most shots.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at 
AS Monaco
Status Check: David Lighty (ASV), Raymar Morgan (ASV), Antoine Diot (ASV), Victor Wembanyama (ASV), Dylan Osetkowski (ASV), Marcos Knight (ASV), Paul Lacombe (ASV), Leo Westermann (ASM)
Best Bets for Success: The first EuroLeague matchup of the season between the two French teams figures to be an exciting one, as it features the highest over/under on the board. ASVEL continues to be pushed along by its talented backcourt duo of Elie Okobo and Chris Jones, and with them down all kinds of players Friday, that figures to be the case again. Monaco is doing a good job limiting the points opposing guards are putting on the board, but they are also allowing some of the most rebounds and assists to players at those positions, and Okobo and Jones should get as many shots as they can handle for their short-handed club. You could probably get away with including both players in the same lineup, as they are both returning some of the most average value on DraftKings at their going rates. Mike James has been our top pick for the home team every time out, but given how things went down at the end of their last game and the fact ASVEL is doing a good job containing guards, he carries plenty of risk into this one. If you choose to take James off the board, Donta Hall or Dwayne Bacon will be the next man up for Monaco. Hall has topped the 20-point mark on DraftKings eight times this season and Bacon did so in each of the last three Rounds. The latter -- just $8,100 on that website -- has a bit better matchup, with ASVEL doing a good job against centers but allowing forwards to get really involved.
DFS Darlings: With plenty of points expected to be put on the board and and ASVEL running out a short rotation, the opportunities for value plays are ripe. Knowing the visitors have been friendly to opposing forwards, Will Thomas and Alpha Diallo deserve a look. If Westermann remains out, Paris Lee can also be considered, particularly with James' role uncertain. Monaco is allowing the most points and rebounds to frontcourt players, so it could be a nice night for William Howard. Though their playing time does not seem as certain as Howard's, Kostas Antetokounmpo and Youssoupha Fall will also be in position to produce, and they both bring the potential to return 4x value on DraftKings, with neither checking in at more than $7,000.
Olympiacos Piraeus at 
AX Armani Exchange Milan
Status Check: Konstantinos Mitoglou (AXM), Riccardo Moraschini (AXM), Paul Biligha (AXM)
Best Bets for Success: This contest features two hard-nosed teams, and they both figure to have an extra edge Friday after some tough losses in recent weeks. The visitors have been carried by four players of late, and the one most likely to get the job done in Round 12 is Sasha Vezenkov. He hit the 30-point mark on DraftKings three times in the last four Rounds and has the most favorable matchup among his teammates, as Milan ranks top-5 against guards in most counting stats as well as field goal percentage. The Italian team slumped a bit last week with Mitoglou and Malcolm Delaney sidelined, but they will get Delaney back in Round 12. He can be considered in this section when at full speed, but with him not likely there yet, Milan figures to continue leaning on Shavon Shields. He has reached double digits in the scoring column in five straight Rounds and in all but two of Milan's first 11 EuroLeague games.
DFS Darlings: With Delaney's return throwing things off a bit in Milan's backcourt and Olympiacos allowing easily the lowest field goal percentage to frontcourt players, there isn't a whole lot to like on the Milan side. Kyle Hines will certainly be worth considering, though, as he does not do much scoring to begin with and should spend a lot of time on the court in what figures to be a competitive matchup. He checks in at an affordable $7,800 on DraftKings for Round 12. Besides Vezenkov, Tyler Dorsey, Kostas Sloukas and Moustapha Fall have been coming through regularly for the Greek squad, and they all deserve consideration on DraftKings to some degree beneath the $9,000 mark. Given Milan's success against guards and their lack of size, though, Fall seems to be the best of the bunch in this one.
Zalgiris Kaunas at 
FC Barcelona
Status Check: Joffrey Lauvergne (ZAL), Niels Giffey (ZAL), Paulius Jankunas (ZAL), Nick Calathes (BAR), Cory Higgins (BAR), Alex Abrines (BAR)
Best Bets for Success: The final game of the day features teams on opposite ends in the standings, and it should come as little surprise that the home team is favored by double digits -- even with their top two guards sidelined. Nikola Mirotic remains the man for Barcelona, and he comes in averaging a tidy 17.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 threes while shooting a sizzling 63.0 percent over his last five appearances. Despite that, playing time will be a concern again, as Mirotic has not played 20 minutes in any of the four games Barcelona has won this season by more than 10 points. With Josh Nebo playing two games after sitting out Round 9, he is back in the top spot for Zalgiris in Round 12. However, if you'd like to see him put up big numbers before considering him again, you could turn to Tyler Cavanaugh, who has done a decent Mirotic impression lately, averaging 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 threes over the past four Rounds.
DFS Darlings: With Calathes and Higgins remaining out for Round 12, it could be another big night for their top two replacements, Nicolas Laprovittola and Rokas Jokubaitis. The former brings quite a bit more upside to the table, but the latter should have plenty of juice facing his former team, and both will be in position to produce against a Zalgiris squad that ranks bottom-4 against opposing guards in every counting stat. This also seems like a good spot for Sertac Sanli, who runs a meager $6,300 on DraftKings. It's tough to peg how things will shake out in the Lithuanian team's backcourt, and it might be worth avoiding it altogether, as Barcelona is allowing the fewest assists and the lowest field goal percentage against opposing guards. Edgaras Ulanovas earned a mention based on how he played last week, but he's also pretty questionable on DratKings at a season-high $7,800.
