EuroLeague Primer: Round 13 - Friday

EuroLeague Primer: Round 13 - Friday

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

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STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

Olympiacos Piraeus at UNICS Kazan

Status Check: Andrey Vorontsevich (UNK)

Best Bets for Success: The first game of the day should be a good one, as an Olympiacos team that went 5-2 over the last seven Rounds faces off against a UNICS squad that won six games in the same span. The visitors, outside of last week's game in which 11 players put up double-digit points on DraftKings, have four players rolling into this one. Their most-productive player has been Sasha Vezenkov, but with UNICS shutting down forwards as well as anyone, Tyler Dorsey and Moustapha Fall look like better options in this one. UNICS is allowing guards to get up more shots than any other team and ranks bottom-4 in both points and threes ceded to backcourt players, and they're also allowing the most rebounds and some of the most blocks to opposing centers. The home team also has four players who come in on a roll, and while the matchups on the Olympiacos side aren't as distinct as they are for the Russian team, it should be noted the Greek team is limiting opposing frontcourt players to a lowest field goal percentage than any other squad. As such, we'll consider Lorenzo Brown the top pick for UNICS in Round 13, with Mario Hezonja the next man up after hitting the 40-point mark on DraftKings twice over the past five Rounds.

DFS Darlings: With both teams pretty healthy and getting the bulk of their production from the top of their roster, the opportunities for value plays will be minimal. Kostas Sloukas -- who just missed the cut in the section above -- and Thomas Walkup deserve consideration with the way UNICS has fared against guards, but it should be noted the Russian team is not allowing backcourt players to rack up many assists. Isaiah Canaan also nearly landed a 'Best Bet' spot, and like Sloukas, he is affordable enough to qualify here as well.

FC Barcelona at Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Status Check: Nick Calathes (BAR), Cory Higgins (BAR), Alex Abrines (BAR), Chris Singleton (EFS), James Anderson (EFS), Dogus Balbay (EFS)

Best Bets for Success: The next game up may outshine the first, as it will be the first time these two teams have met since squaring off in the Final a little over six months ago. Both teams look relatively the same as they did in that contest, but the defending champions are in better shape health-wise, as the visitors will be without both components of their starting backcourt. Barcelona has been tough on opposing guards, but they are also allowing them to get up a lot of shots, and without Calathes and Higgins, Efes' dynamic backcourt duo of Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic should be able to take advantage. Larkin has been the better of the two of late, but if you only take one of the two on DraftKings and go with Micic, you will be able to save $600. With Barcelona down two key players and heading on the road, Nikola Mirotic should handle a heavy workload. The Spanish squad's star has surprisingly done more scoring in blowouts than competitive contests, but it seems likely he will get up double-digit shots Friday and playing time should not be a concern. An added benefit -- Mirotic checks in at a season-low $9,700 on DraftKings after taking it easy the past couple Rounds.

DFS Darlings: Efes has been fairly friendly to opposing guards, which bodes well for Barcelona's replacement backcourt of Nicolas Laprovittola and Rokas Jokubaitis, who both averaged right around the 20-point mark on DraftKings over the past four Rounds. Brandon Davies will also carry plenty of appeal, as after sitting out Round 12 to play for his national team, he is down to just $8,000 on DraftKings. There doesn't appear to be much for value on the Efes side, but with Singleton sidelined for the first time in a long time and Efes short on forwards, some opportunities could open up for the likes of Krunoslav Simon and Elijah Bryant.

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Zenit Saint Petersburg

Status Check: Aaron White (CZV), Marko Simonovic (CZV), Shabazz Napier (ZEN)

Best Bets for Success: While this game may lack the sizzle of the first two, it will be an entertaining one for those who prefer to focus on the defensive end of the court, as it features two of the five teams allowing the fewest points in the league. It will also feature Zenit's Jordan Loyd, who will square off against the squad he played for last season for the first time. Loyd has a pretty high floor in fantasy contests, having put up at least 15.0 DraftKings points in every game and at least 20.0 points on the same website in eight of his 12 appearances. However, Red Star will not make things easy on him, as they are limiting opposing guards to the fewest points and rebounds per game and are also allowing players at those positions to get up the fewest shots. Due to a string of injuries and lopsided losses things aren't too settled on the Red Star side, but Zenit ranks top-3 against opposing frontcourt players in a number of categories, so it's likely the Serbian squad's top producer will be a guard. Nate Wolters has been his team's best option in the backcourt, having hit the 25-point mark on DraftKings in six of his 10 appearances. He figures to play a few more minutes than he did his last time out in his return from a two-game absence.

DFS Darlings: The conditions certainly aren't ripe for sleepers in this one, as the over/under is notably the lowest on the board and both teams are defensive-minded and at least fairly healthy. While Red Star is limiting guards to the fewest shots, they are allowing opposing frontcourt players to get up more attempts than any other team, which bodes well for Jordan Mickey and gives Mindaugas Kuzminskas some dart potential at $6,700. Nikola Kalinic and Luka Mitrovic deserve a look based on value alone, as both have returned 4x value a couple times this season at their current rates. Austin Hollins will also be facing his former team, and he has done enough lately to at least warrant a mention.

AX Armani Exchange Milan at ALBA Berlin

Status Check: Konstantinos Mitoglou (AXM), Kaleb Tarczewski (AXM), Riccardo Moraschini (AXM), Paul Biligha (AXM)

Best Bets for Success: There aren't many storylines to follow in this one, so we'll get right to it. Shavon Shields has established himself as the clear-cut top option for the visiting squad, as he is the only player on his roster to top the 25-point mark on DraftKings more than once over the previous five Rounds. He will have his work cut out for him Friday, though, as ALBA ranks top-4 against opposing forwards in all of points, rebounds and assists. The safest option for the German squad remains Luke Sikma, who finished with fewer than the 19.3 DraftKings points he put up in Round 12 just once prior to that. Milan is faring pretty well against opposing frontcourt players in most counting stats, but Sikma does bring a lot to the table in the value department, as he is returning an average of 3x value at his season-low price point of $9,000.

DFS Darlings: With Mitoglou and Tarczewski sidelined Milan will not have much size available Friday, so ALBA's towering big man Christ Koumadje could rule the roost down low if he is afforded the same opportunities he got the last couple Rounds. He has as good a chance to return 3x value as anyone at the measly DraftKings price of $5,900. With a game under his belt, Milan's Malcolm Delaney is a pretty appealing option at $7,800. It will be tough to find much more beyond that on the Milan side, as the arrival of Ben Bentil throws things off a bit in the Italian team's frontcourt.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin O'Brien plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kevob100, DraftKings: kevob100.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin O'Brien
Kevin mans the Packers and Brewers beats and moonlights as RotoWire's Director of Operations.
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