This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Barcelona's Nikola Mirotic will not being allowed to play in Round 5 due to the league's COVID-19 protocol.
- Greg Monroe is listed on Khimki's Round 5 roster. Sergei Monia and Sergey Karasev are not.
THE SLATE
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at 
Khimki Moscow Region
Key Injuries: Omri Casspi (TEL), Yovel Zoosman (TEL), John DiBartolomeo (TEL), Greg Monroe (KHI), Stefan Jovic (KHI)
Best Bets for Success: It's easy to guess that Scottie Wilbekin will be Maccabi's top producer, as he is scoring nearly twice as many points as anyone on the team not named Ante Zizic. What won't be so easy is determining which Khimki players will lead the way for their squad in Round 5. Jonas Jerebko, Devin Booker, and Vyacheslav Zaytsev were free to do as they pleased the last couple weeks with Khimki's roster severely depleted. However, several rotation pieces will be back for the Russian club in Round 5, including Alexey Shved, who finished second in the league in scoring last season. Shved recorded a double-double in Khimki's last domestic league game, and given his track record he's the most likely to fill up the box score Friday. However, his price on DraftKings is astronomical, so the best bet for success on that website is Devin Booker, who recorded a double-double the last two times he stepped on the court, will cost you less than $10,000 and will be facing a Maccabi team that has struggled to slow down opposing frontcourt players. This game by far the highest over-under on Friday's schedule, so despite some uncertainty it can't hurt to load up on players in this game.
DFS Darlings: Zaytsev has been a staple here, but he will have a tough time returning value on DraftKings with his price above $9,000 and Shved taking over the primary playmaking duties. We'll turn to Jordan Mickey, who has a shot to return 5x value at just $7,100 and also has the matchup in his favor like Booker. Zizic was quiet in Round 4, but that helped lower his price, and he should be able to take advantage of a Khimki squad that, like Maccabi, has had issues containing opposing big men. If you're expecting this game to go as the oddsmakers expect, take a look at Maccabi's Chris Jones, who scored 25 DraftKings points in two of the first four Rounds, and Khimki's Errick McCollum, whose role is uncertain but has proven he can score in Europe.
Olympiacos Piraeus at 
FC Bayern Munich
Key Injuries: None
Best Bets for Success: You can't go wrong with Vladimir Lucic, who is averaging a healthy 17.5 points and 4.8 rebounds and has hit at least two threes in each game. Plus, he only costs $9,100 on DraftKings. Jalen Reynolds is also pretty appealing for the German squad, as he has not scored fewer than 12 points in a game and is averaging seven boards per contest. Olympiacos has gotten steady production from a number of players, but their best option in fantasy contests remains Kostas Sloukas, who is a double-double threat every time out.
DFS Darlings: A price decrease lands Bayern's Wade Baldwin in this section this week, and he will have a little extra motivation Friday facing the team he played for last season. Fellow guard Nihad Dedovic, who is just $6,400 on DraftKings, should also garner consideration if he holds onto his starting spot. The well-balanced Greek team has a number of appealing options beneath the $7,000 mark in Aaron Harrison, Hassan Martin and Sasha Vezenkov, who all played at least 20 minutes and scored in double figures in Round 4.
Key Injuries: Alberto Abalde (MAD), Jaycee Carroll (MAD), Nikola Mirotic (BAR), Alex Abrines (BAR), Victor Claver (BAR)
Best Bets for Success: With Nikola Mirotic (illness) still not a lock to play Friday, it seems a bit risky to include him in DraftKings lineups Friday given his steep price tag. Three of the league's best players -- Nick Calathes, Facundo Campazzo and Walter Tavares -- have seen noticeable drops in their prices on DraftKings, and that actually makes them more appealing in Friday's contests because they're too good to be held down for long, and each team will fight to the end in the latest edition of El Clásico.
DFS Darlings: Most of the value in this game is in the upper tier, but if you're looking to hone in on some affordable options, check out Madrid's Trey Thompkins and Barcelona's Kyle Kuric. Thompkins' price on DraftKings has not caught up with his production, as he remains just $7,400 despite leading his team in scoring. Kuric is averaging just 7.0 points per game, but that's due to him playing five scoreless minutes in his season debut. He played 24 minutes last week, and even if Abrines returns from his injury, he should remain in Barcelona's rotation with Claver out again.
