EuroLeague Primer: Round 25 - Thursday

EuroLeague Primer: Round 25 - Thursday

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

PREGAME UPDATES

STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

AS Monaco at Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

Status Check: Leo Westermann (ASM), Marko Simonovic (CZV)

Best Bets for Success: The first matchup of the day will feature quite the contrasts in styles, as fast-paced Monaco squares off against a Red Star team that frequently finds itself in grind-it-out games. It was also feature a red-hot Mike James take on the squad ceding the fewest points and field goal attempts to opposing guards. The matchup will be tough, but that might not matter if James is efficient like he was his last time out, when he put up at least 39.0 fantasy points for the third time in five appearances. If you're debating whether or not to spend up for James, take note of the fact that although he is the priciest option on the DraftKings board, he is also returning the most average value. It's probably time to start Dwayne Bacon here, as Monaco's midseason addition averaged a healthy 17.0 ppg over his last five appearances. He could have a tough time reaching 3x value if the game is slow, but his scoring binge gives him a pretty nice floor. Nikola Kalinic has been quite the force over the last 10 games, both on the court and in fantasy contests, averaging 14.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 threes per contest. Monaco ranks bottom-5 against forwards in the first three categories, so Kalinic will be in position to stuff the stat sheet again Wednesday.

DFS Darlings: Luka Mitrovic is another Red Star forward contributing in several categories, and he will make a nice fit in lineups at $7,800. For as much as Monaco has struggled with forwards, they have been worse with centers, and that brings Ognjen Kuzmic into play. Among the rest of the players on the Red Star side, Nate Wolters has some upside if the game is played more at Monaco's pace, as does Austin Hollins at $5,600. Alpha Diallo has been putting up some big numbers, and he recorded his second-highest fantasy point total of the season when these teams met in Round 6. He remains pretty affordable on DraftKings at $8,600. Lastly, while the matchup won't be easy, a $5,900 Danilo Andjusic earns a mention, as he will be playing in his hometown against the team he went head-to-head with several times while playing for rival Partizan.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at AX Armani Exchange Milan

Status Check: Jan Vesely (FBB), Nando de Colo (FBB), Marko Guduric (FBB), Danilo Barthel (FBB), Marial Shayok (FBB), Markel Starks (FBB), Shavon Shields (AXM), Konstantinos Mitoglou (AXM), Jerian Grant (AXM), Trey Kell (AXM), Riccardo Moraschini (AXM)

Best Bets for Success: Points figure to be at a premium in this contest, particularly when you consider that the Turkish team, despite being at full strength, scored just 43 of them when these teams met in Round 9. Unsurprisingly, the over/under on this game is about five points below the other three on the slate. It's pretty tough to find a slam-dunk option on the Milan roster, but with Sergio Rodriguez's output slipping and Fenerbahce now ranking first against centers in all of the points, rebounds, assists, blocks and FGA categories, Nicolo Melli at least looks like the best bet to deliver. Fenerbahce ranks bottom-5 against forwards in all six counting stats and FGA, and Melli capitalized in the last matchup, tying his season high with 27.5 fantasy points. His case is helped by the fact he checks in at a season-low $8,100 on DraftKings. It's not easy to identify the top picks for Fenerbahce either, as the Italian team has been nearly as stingy against centers and also ranks top-2 against guards in the points, assists, steals and field goal percentage categories. We're going to go with Pierria Henry, who checks in at $9,200 and could be even more involved with Guduric banged up, and Dyshawn Pierre, who is listed as a forward and both played 30 minutes and hit the 30-point mark on DraftKings three times over his last four appearances. 

DFS Darlings: Given the lot of tough matchups and the expected total, there won't be a lot to like in this section. Malcolm Delaney snapped out of his slump his last time out and was only bumped up a few bucks, making him worthy of consideration, particularly if Grant and Kell remain out. Luigi Datome and Ben Bentil -- neither more than $6,600 on DraftKings -- also make the cut in the only plus matchup in this contest. Fenerbahce is generally pretty top-heavy, but a $5,700 Sehmus Hazer could come through if Guduric is sidelined.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at FC Bayern Munich

Status Check: Jake Cohen (MTA), Darrun Hilliard (BAY), Paul Zipser (BAY), Nihad Djedovic (BAY)

Best Bets for Success: These teams met all the way back in Round 1, and the contest was a close one, with Maccabi emerging victorious by a sole point. Their best player in that game was Scottie Wilbekin, and he will also be their best option in Round 23 after hitting the 30-point mark on DraftKings for the sixth time in 12 games his last time out. He carries a lofty price tag but is returning some of the most average value on the board. Ante Zizic and Keenan Evans have been producing consistently as well, with each averaging well over 25 points on DraftKings over their last four games. The only major strike against them is the fact their DraftKings prices are as high as they have been all season. The top option for the German team remains Vladimir Lucic, even with him hitting the 25-point mark just once over his last six appearances. His track record is just too good to overlook, and he has a knack for being clutch when needed. Both teams are in need of a win to maintain pace in the playoff race, so the players listed here figure to get as many minutes as they can handle.

DFS Darlings: With rotations presumably being a little short there won't be many bargains to consider, but there could be some value near the upper end in James Nunnally and Augustine Rubit. Both players could make a case to be included in the section above, and Nunnally stands out among the players returning the most average value on the slate, but he will have a tough matchup to overcome, as Bayern ranks top-5 against forwards in five of the six matchups as well as FGA. Jalen Reynolds and Othello Hunter could both be interesting against their former teams, and Corey Walden is worth a look with his price slipping to just $7,600.

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens at FC Barcelona

Status Check: Nemanja Nedovic (PAO), Ioannis Papapetrou (PAO), Cory Higgins (BAR), Alex Abrines (BAR), Pierre Oriola (BAR)

Best Bets for Success: These two squads met a month and a half ago, and Panathinaikos gave Barcelona a serious run for its money, falling by just three points. Their top two scorers in that game were Nedovic and Papapetrou, but neither will be available Thursday, which is likely part of the reason the home team is favored by a whopping 14.5 points. Those absences would usually make Georgios Papagiannis and Daryl Macon near-locks, but there are some pretty big question marks on both, as they are both working back from injuries and Macon had his worst game of the season last time he faced Barcelona. We're going to go with Papagiannis as option No. 1 given his work over the course of the season and the fact he is as cheap as he has been on DraftKings since Round 2. Nikola Mirotic has not tossed up a 30-pointer on DraftKings in a while, but he has still ripped off at least 21.5 fantasy points in 10 straight appearances. His minutes could be limited if the score gets out of hand, but as has been noted in this piece before, he has still put up some big numbers in blowouts. Plus, he dropped 39.8 points on DraftKings last time these squads saw each other.

DFS Darlings: If you prefer to pass on both Panathinaikos players above, you'll still have some appealing options to choose from in Howard Sant-Roos, Okaro White and Jeremy Evans. Barcelona has been pretty tough on guards, but they are allowing them to get up a lot of shots both from the field and the charity stripe. The matchup isn't quite as tough for the other two players, though the Spanish squad is ceding some of the fewest shots to opposing frontcourt players. The rest of the players on the Barcelona roster are not as scoreboard-proof as Mirotic, but it's going to be tough to ignore their backcourt with them facing a Panathinaikos team that ranks bottom-2 against guards in all of the points, assists, threes and FGA departments. Nick Calathes remains one of the best values on the board, but if you believe the oddsmakers, Rokas Jokubaitis and Dante Exum -- $7,100 and $5,300, respectively -- could be better plays. Kyle Kuric is intriguing again with Higgins back on the sidelines, and we'll toss out James Nnaji as a possibility to hit 3x value on DraftKings at a near-minimum price.

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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