This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
THE SLATE
Status Check: Will Thomas (ASM), Ibrahima Faye (ASM), O.J. Mayo (UNK)
Best Bets for Success: The two newest teams in the EuroLeague square off Friday in what will be a rematch of last year's EuroCup Finals. Neither Monaco's Mike James nor UNICS' Mario Hezonja played in that series, but they are now the top players for their teams. James had a pedestrian scoring day in Round 1 and still put up 29.0 points on DraftKings, and Hezonja still had a productive opener despite cooling off after a hot start.
DFS Darlings: Three players that did play in last year's Finals are Rob Gray, Isaiah Canaan and John Brown, and all are reasonably priced on DraftKings. Gray will be making his season debut, and although the UNICS roster is quite a bit different than last year's, he did average 24.0 ppg against them in the Finals. It took Canaan a while to get going in Round 1, but he did lead his team in scoring, and he's an intriguing option at an even $7,000, particularly if Mayo does not make his debut. Brown's is a bit more pricey than he was in Round 1, but 4x value remains in reach. With Thomas and Faye out, Alpha Diallo is worth considering for the French team at $4,500, as is Donta Hall, at least for extra reason to monitor his highlight-reel dunks.
CSKA Moscow at 
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Status Check: Nikola Milutinov (CSK), Marius Grigonis (CSK), Krunoslav Simon (EFS)
Best Bets for Success: Two Final Four teams from last season, including the defending champions, will square off in the second game on Friday' schedule. As is almost always the case for Efes, their top two options are Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic. Larkin outperformed Micic by a wide margin in Round 1 and looks to be back in top form, but don't be surprised if Micic takes the top spot this week, as he averaged 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.0 rebounds in his last two matchups with the Russian team. CSKA's loaded roster won't be as deep Friday with two key players out of action, and that will give the rest of team's top players a chance to pounce -- particularly Alexey Shved, who seems due for a breakout game after a quiet Round 1.
DFS Darlings: Johannes Voigtmann and Daniel Hackett aren't particularly cheap, but both figure to benefit plenty from CSKA's absences and have the ability to return 3x value. Filip Petrusev isn't nearly the bargain he was in Round 1, but he's still pretty affordable on DraftKings at $5,900 and could be counted on to continue scoring if Simon is limited or out. Rodrigue Beaubois could do the same, and he doesn't run much more at $7,100. This game fairly easily has the highest over/under on the slate, so don't be afraid to load up on the players participating in it.
Status Check: David Lighty (ASV), Raymar Morgan (ASV), Antoine Diot (ASV), James Gist (ASV), Victor Wembanyama (ASV), Marcus Eriksson (BER), Johannes Thiemann (BER), Christ Koumadje (BER), Kresimir Nikic (BER)
Best Bets for Success: ASVEL's roster will look a bit different than it did in Round 1, but with Lighty still away from the team and Diot joining him on the inactive list, Elie Okobo and Chris Jones will be the top options for the visitors. Both should get 30 minutes and double-digit shots in this one. ALBA remains short-handed, which means Luke Sikma figures to remain plenty busy. ASVEL has quite a few options to throw at him, but he's pretty appealing as the ninth-priciest option on the DraftKings slate after posting a double-double in Round 1.
DFS Darlings: With Eriksson joining ALBA's list of walking wounded, both Jaleen Smith and Yovel Zoosman are attractive on DraftKings, as both shined in the club's last German Cup game in Eriksson's absence. Neither will run you more than $5,200. For the French team, Youssoupha Fall could take advantage of ALBA's lack of size, as could Gist, who will likely debut in Round 2.
Real Madrid at 
Olympiacos Piraeus
Status Check: Anthony Randolph (RMB), Trey Thompkins (RMB)
Best Bets for Success: Edy Tavares certainly did not waste any time putting up big numbers, tossing up a double-double and two blocks in Round 1. Moustapha Fall is the rare opponent that can match Tavares in size, but Tavares managed to get the job done in each of his matchups against the fellow seven-footer last season. Sasha Vezenkov did not have a huge Round 1, but he did carry over the momentum he finished last season with, and there's no doubt about his standing any longer, as he is the most expensive player on Friday's slate. He's Olympiacos' best bet to produce, but his $11,300 price tag on DraftKings is a bit prohibitive against a team that can throw all kinds of different defenders at him.
DFS Darlings: Neither roster looks different than it did in Round 1, which means most roles should remain steady. As such, Thomas Heurtel and Adam Hanga remain viable value plays for Madrid. That also means there aren't many Olympiacos options on DraftKings, other than maybe Tyler Dorsey at $7,400.
AX Armani Exchange Milan at 
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Status Check: Troy Daniels (AXM), Alec Peters (BKN)
Best Bets for Success: As expected, Milan's Shavon Shields was his team's best player in Round 1, and he remains the top option for his squad in this one. Baskonia's best player, Wade Baldwin, did not play in last week's opener but that was not injury-related, so don't expect him to be limited Friday in his first EuroLeague appearance with his new club. Baldwin fared well against Milan last season, averaging 14.7 points and 4.0 assists over seven matchups, so he will be in position to get off to a good start.
DFS Darlings: There isn't a lot of value in this one, as only Milan's Devon Hall stands out below even the $7,700 price slot. With Peters still out, Baskonia big men Matt Costello and Landry Nnoko both carry some appeal beneath the $8,000 mark.
