This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Luigi Datome remains out for Milan, but Trey Kell is ready to return.
- CSKA's Allerik Freeman will not play in Round 26.
- Shabazz Napier, Arturas Gudaitis, Mateusz Ponitka, Conner Frankamp and Denis Zakharov all remain sidelined for Zenit.
- Ben Lammers will play Thursday for Efes, but Louis Olinde will not.
- Efes' James Anderson remains out for Round 26.
- Monaco's Leo Westermann remains sidelined.
- Zalgiris' Regimantas Miniotas will not play Thursday.
- Olympiacos' Thomas Walkup will not play Thursday, but Quincy Acy will be available.
STATS AND INFO.
- Betting Odds
- Starting Lineups
- Injury Report
- Team Stats
- Opponent Averages
- Team Trends
- Twitter - @RotoWireEuro
THE SLATE
Zenit Saint Petersburg at 
ALBA Berlin
Status Check: Shabazz Napier (ZEN), Arturas Gudaitis (ZEN), Mateusz Ponitka (ZEN), Conner Frankamp (ZEN), Denis Zakharov (ZEN), Marcus Eriksson (BER), Ben Lammers (BER)
Best Bets for Success: The final Round of play before the EuroLeague's mid-February break gets underway Thursday, and all five games on the schedule will tip off within 30 minutes of each other. We will start the breakdown with this contest, and Zenit specifically. It's unclear if any of the players listed above will be available Thursday, but assuming they don't, both Jordan Loyd and Jordan Mickey will again be plenty appealing. Loyd put up an even 50.0 fantasy points when these teams met in Round 10, and another big night could be in store, as the German team ranks bottom-2 against guards in the assists, steals and field goal percentage categories. Mickey is averaging 31 minutes and 25.6 DraftKings points since the calendar flipped to 2022 and nearly dropped a double-double in the previous matchup. A couple ALBA players qualify here as well, as both Luke Sikma and Maodo Lo have now put up at least 20.8 DraftKings points in eight straight appearances. Neither player will have an inviting matchup, but Sikma's will be particularly tough, as Zenit ranks top-3 against players at the forward spots in points, rebounds and field goal attempts per game.
DFS Darlings: Alex Poythress has a case to be mentioned in the section above, having averaged 24.1 fantasy points over his last six appearances. We will keep him here with him listed at a season-high $8,500 on DraftKings, but if Gudaitis and Ponitka remain sidelined, he will again be in prime position to produce. Billy Baron and Dmitry Kulagin can be considered if neither Napier nor Frankamp play. Baron put up at least 25.5 DraftKings points in four of his last seven appearances, and as at his current rate, Kulagin returned just shy of 3x value over the last four Rounds. With no one producing regularly outside their top two players and Zenit presenting a tough test for players at all positions, the value plays look a bit light on the ALBA side. You could take a look at Jaleen Smith, though, with him hitting the 20-point mark on DraftKings two times in the four games Eriksson has missed.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul at 
Olympiacos Piraeus
Status Check: James Anderson (EFS), Dogus Balbay (EFS), Quincy Acy (OLY)
Best Bets for Success: The next game up will be a pivotal one for both squads, as Olympiacos resides in the sixth spot in the standings and Efes checks in ninth. As usual, both Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic will be mentioned here for the Turkish team, as the latter is averaging 31.1 DraftKings points in the new year and Larkin is looking like the player that would have taken home the MVP award a couple years back if not for the pandemic. Both players will have their work cut out for them with Olympiacos ranking top-3 against guards in points and steals per game as well as FG%, but it should be noted that Efes' backcourt put 66 points on the board when they took it to the Greek team in Round 10. Sasha Vezenkov was Olympiacos' best player in that game, and he figures to be again, as no team is allowing forwards to rack up more points, rebounds and assists than Efes. Vezenkov carries a five-figure price tag on DraftKings for the first time since mid-September, but he has put up at least 25.5 points on that website in three straight, and it's tough to find a better matchup.
DFS Darlings: Both teams will essentially be at full strength, but the over/under on this game barely trails the total on one of the games below for the highest on the board, so there should be some value to be found. We will start with Tyler Dorsey, who remains below the $9,000 mark on DraftKings and will face an Efes team ceding the most three-pointers to opposing guards. Kostas Papanikolaou, at $7,400, will also be worth a look thanks to his matchup. Olympiacos has been fairly friendly to opposing centers, which gives Tibor Pleiss some appeal at the same price. Krunoslav Simon also looks pretty good at $7,800 after putting up at least 23.3 DraftKings points in three of his last four appearances.
Status Check: Janis Strelnieks (ZAL), Mantas Kalnietis (ZAL), Leo Westermann (ASM)
Best Bets for Success: It's somewhat surprising that a game involving Monaco is not expected to be the highest-scoring on the board, but that may in part be due to he fact the French team is also the biggest favorite on the slate. The over/under on this game is still just a few points below the biggest number on the board, though, so it's not like it will be a grinder. The spread is somewhat concerning for Mike James' prospects, but that is about the only negative, as James hit the 30-point mark on DraftKings eight times in his last 12 appearances and faces a Zalgiris team that ranks bottom-4 against guards in the points, assists, threes and FG% categories. James has a history of success in this matchup, as per Jonas Leksas of BasketNews, he averaged 21.4 points and a 26.0 index rating over his last five contests against the Lithuanian team. James is clearly Monaco's top pick, but Dwayne Bacon and Donatas Motiejunas earn a mention here as well. Bacon has been one of the best scorers in the league in recent weeks, and Motiejuanas -- who is also on a roll -- will take on the team he began his career with. There are a few options to consider here for Zalgiris, as they will be shorthanded in the backcourt and take ranks last against frontcourt players in all of the points, rebounds and and FG% departments. We will go with both Lukas Lekavicius and Tyler Cavanaugh, as the former is averaging 27.6 DraftKings points when he plays 25 minutes and the latter averaging an even 25.0 DraftKings points over his last five appearances. Neither player will run you more than $8,000 on that website.
DFS Darlings: In addition to the three Monaco players above, Alpha Diallo is also doing a lot of damage, and he will slot in here even with him checking in above the $9,000 mark for the first time all season. It will be tough to find a lot more to like on Monaco's roster with those four players dominating the box score, but if you believe the French team will win comfortably, you could consider Danilo Andjusic and Paris Lee, who check in beneath the $6,000 mark. Thanks to the appealing matchup, both Joffrey Lauvergne and Edgaras Ulanovas are worth a look on the Lithuanian team's roster. Karolis Lukosiunas could be tough to pass up, as though he lacks much of a track record, his price has fallen to minuscule $3,300 despite him playing at least 19 minutes in five straight games.
CSKA Moscow at 
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
Status Check: Will Clyburn (CSK), Tornike Shengelia (CSK), Johannes Voigtmann (CSK), James Nunnally (MTA), Yiftach Ziv (MTA)
Best Bets for Success: CSKA traveled to Tel Aviv without the three players listed above, which makes it a bit easier to peg their top options than it usually is. We can't look past either Alexey Shved or Nikola Milutinov, who both hit the 40-point mark on DraftKings their last time out. That will be a tough number to match, but both players figure to pick up some minutes and some scoring opportunities with their teammates sidelined. The matchups are pretty neutral for both, but Milutinov seems a bit safer, as CSKA should be at full strength in the backcourt. Few players can claim to be as productive as Scottie Wilbekin of late, with the Maccabi guard hitting the 30-point mark on DraftKings in three straight Rounds and seven times over his last 13 appearances. The Russian team put the clamps on Wilbekin when these teams squared off in Round 9, but they rank bottom-3 against guards in all of the points, threes, FGA and FG% categories, so there is reason to believe he will fare better this time around.
DFS Darlings: With notable absences on both sides and this game featuring the highest over/under on the board, the conditions are ripe for value plays. On the CSKA side, we will start with Marius Grigonis, who will have another chance to play a role closer to the one he filled last season when he was the top producer for Zalgiris. Grigonis recorded at least 26.3 DraftKings points over his last five appearances and checks in at a reasonable $8,200. We are also going to list Iffe Lundberg, Joel Bolomboy and Semen Antonov, as the first two players led CSKA in index rating last time they faced Maccabi and Antonov will not have to do much to return value at $4,200. The Russian squad fares pretty well against forwards, but you will still want to look at Derrick Williams, who scored 20 points in the last matchup, is among the leaders on Thursday's slate in average value, and should see extra opportunities with Nunnally out. Jalen Reynolds will also be in play at just $7,300.
Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at 
AX Armani Exchange Milan
Status Check: Lamar Peters (BKN), Shavon Shields (AXM), Konstantinos Mitoglou (AXM), Luigi Datome (AXM), Trey Kell (AXM), Riccardo Moraschini (AXM)
Best Bets for Success: The last game of the day is the least appealing for fantasy purposes, as Milan is a comfortable favorite and far fewer points are expected in this contest than the previous four. Wade Baldwin remains the most likely player to toss up a big DraftKings number on the Baskonia side, but he is not a particularly appealing fantasy option, as he shot just 5-of-18 when these teams met in Round 2 and faces a team that ranks top-4 against guards in five of the six counting stats and also FGA and FG%. Things remain spread out pretty evenly on the Milan side, but Malcolm Delaney looks like the best bet at the moment, having ripped off three straight games with 25.3 DraftKings points or more. He remains an affordable $8,000 on that website.
DFS Darlings: There are several more good options in the $8,000 range in this one, as all of Nicolo Melli, Steven Enoch and Rokas Giedraitis are all worth a look. Baskonia has had a lot of issues with opposing forwards, and both Baskonia players have found themselves in the section above at certain points. Alec Peters is pretty appealing at $7,700, as his 18-point, seven-rebound showing in Round 25 left no doubt he is back at full speed.
