This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Panathinaikos' Shelvin Mack and Zach Auguste will not play Thursday.
- ALBA's Marcus Eriksson will remain sidelined. His teammate, Simone Fontecchio, will return after missing the last four Rounds.
THE SLATE
AX Armani Exchange Milan at Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Key Injuries: None
Best Bets for Success: While he's coming off his worst game in quite some time, we're going to stick with Shane Larkin as Efes' top option. He finished no lower than second on his team in fantasy points in the previous six Rounds, and it's tough to ignore his track record. He did average 20.0 points in his two matchups with the Italian club last season, and he's still averaging nearly three more points on DraftKings than annyone else on the slate. Efes has been pretty tough on both guards and forwards of late, making Zach LeDay Milan's best option in this one. LeDay has been a bit boom-or-bust, but he did post at least 29.3 points on DraftKings three times over the last seven Rounds.
DFS Darlings: Both teams are at full strength, so the value options are pretty limited. Efes' Vasilije Micic remains underpriced on DraftKings, and teammate Bryant Dunston as well as Milan's Kevin Punter are both relatively affordable options with 30-point upside on the same website.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at Zalgiris Kaunas
Key Injuries: Jan Vesely (ULK), Alex Perez (ULK), Patricio Garino (ZAL), Steve Vasturia (ZAL)
Best Bets for Success: Both teams will have the same roster they used in Round 14, so Nando de Colo and Marius Grigonis will remain the top options for their respective teams. Both players should receive a few more minutes than they did earlier in the week, and as their team's primary playmakers they figure to handle and shoot the ball plenty.
DFS Darlings: It's been a rough go of it for Lorenzo Brown of late, but he's an enticing option on DraftKings, as he's returning the most average value at his current price. Zalgiris hasn't been too tough on opposing guards, and if Brown can just hit his averages for the season he will be in position to return 4x value. With Vesely still out, Danilo Barthel is also worth including in lineups at $7,800. Thomas Walkup and Joffrey Lauvergne -- neither more than $7,600 on DraftKings -- will both be in play for the Lithuanian squad, as Fenerbahce is allowing all kinds of rebounds and assists.
ALBA Berlin at Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
Key Injuries: Ben Lammers (BER), Marcus Eriksson (BER), Simone Fontecchio (BER), Shelvin Mack (PAN), Zach Auguste (PAN)
Best Bets for Success: Panathinaikos is bottom-four against opposing frontcourt players in all of points, rebounds, and assists, which is good news for ALBA's Luke Sikma. He has been a regular producer in all three categories of late, and he came three assists shy of posting a triple-double last time he faced the Greek team. Three players on the Greek team have put up big numbers on a consistent basis of late, and none of them are all that expensive on DraftKings. The matchups make Ioannis Papapetrou Panathinaikos' top matchup in this one, as ALBA has been respectable in the categories Georgios Papagiannis and Nemanja Nedovic thrive in. Papapetrou always has a pretty high floor, and that won't be any different Thursday.
DFS Darlings: ALBA will remain short-handed in this one, and given Panathinaikos' issues with frontcourt players, Johannes Thiemann and Louis Olinde can be considered on DraftKings. The Greek team is also giving up plenty of points and threes to opposing guards, which puts Maodo Lo in play as well. Howard Sant-Roos has been a bit quiet of late, but he should see extra minutes if Mack sits, and his well-rounded game gives him nice upside against ALBA's friendly defense.