This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Krunoslav Simon will not play Tuesday against ASVEL and could miss at least one more game. His teammate, Tibor Pleiss, will return from a two-game absence.
- ASVEL's Ismael Bako will not be in uniform Tuesday.
- Sergio Rodriguez and Jeff Brooks will be unavailable for Milan.
- Khimki's Dairis Bertans and Evgeny Voronov remain unavailable.
THE SLATE
AX Armani Exchange Milan at Khimki Moscow Region
Key Injuries: Sergio Rodriguez (MIL)
Best Bets for Success: This game isn't included in Tuesday's contests on either FanDuel or DraftKings, but we'll give it a quick rundown in case you use this article for the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge or other purposes. Khimki's Alexey Shved, who is easily averaging the most fantasy points per game since his Round 5 debut, is the headliner in this one. He will be in position to have another big game Tuesday, as Milan has had a lot of trouble slowing opposing guards. Like Shved, Milan's Kevin Punter got off to a late start, but he has made up for lost time, leading Milan in scoring in each of the last four contests.
DFS Darlings: Both teams will be at full speed if Rodriguez plays, which doesn't leave much room for value. A couple names to consider for Milan, though, are Kaleb Tarczewski and Jeff Brooks. They aren't high on Milan's list of regular producers, but they both started the last two games, which helps their chances of making an impact. Khimki's Stefan Jovic, made his debut in Round 12, so he remains affordable in fantasy contests. He will hold down a spot in Khimki's rotation -- and possibly its starting lineup -- once he is at full speed, so don't be surprised if he plays more minutes Tuesday.
LDLC ASVEL at Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Key Injuries: Tibor Pleiss (IST)
Best Bets for Success: Efes will be nearly at full strength Tuesday, as every player besides Pleiss played his regular role in the club's last domestic league game. While ASVEL has been tough on guards lately, the Turkish team's top option Tuesday remains Shane Larkin. He isn't scoring like he did last season, but he remains Efes' leading scorer and is bound to break out soon. Norris Cole scored in double figures for sixth time in six games his last time out, and he has been the French club's top producer when on the court. He will be one of the top values in Tuesday's contests on DraftKings, and he will be worth considering on FanDuel as well.
DFS Darlings: Vasilije Micic is returning the most average value on DraftKings on Tuesday's slate, and he's one of the top values on FanDuel as well. He and Larkin are plenty capable of producing in the same game, so you could choose to utilize both in the same lineup. His teammate, Bryant Dunston, will also have some appeal, as he remains affordable following a month-long absence. Efes has prevented opposing forwards from scoring better than anyone, which puts a damper on some of ASVEL's options. While Moustapha Fall has really hit a wall, he's worth considering on DraftKings. His early output gives him some of the most value on the slate, and Efes rates bottom-3 against opposing centers in points, rebounds and blocks. His teammate, Allerik Freeman, deserves a mention as well, as he provides some of the best value on the slate and averaged just a shade under 10.0 ppg over his last six games.
Olympiacos Piraeus at FC Barcelona
Key Injuries: Victor Claver (BAR)
Best Bets for Success: Nikola Mirotic underperformed last week, but he remains both the most productive and the most consistent player on his team. It won't be easy for him to bounce back, as Olympiacos is allowing the second-fewest points and the fewest rebounds to opposing forwards. Working in his favor, though, is the 21-point, 15-rebound double-double he posted against the Greek team last season, and the fact he is nearly $1,000 cheaper on DraftKings than he was in Round 12. Hassan Martin looks like Olympiacos' top option, as Barcelona has been stout against opposing guards. Since joining the starting lineup in Round 7 Martin has averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
DFS Darlings: Barcelona has a number of intriguing options at the forward spots, but given Olympiacos' success against such players, there isn't a lot of reason for optimism. The return of Aaron Harrison -- who is minimum-priced on FanDuel -- makes Olympiacos' rotation even more cluttered than it has been, and Barcelona is giving up the fewest points in the league, so the options are really limited for the Greek team. You can at least consider Livio Jean-Charles, who has played regularly of late and is affordable enough to consider on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Zenit Saint Petersburg at Valencia Basket
Key Injuries: Louis Labeyrie (PAM), Vanja Marinkovic (PAM), Joan Sastre (PAM)
Best Bets for Success: Zenit has fared pretty well against players at every position, but no one in the league has been better against opposing guards. Almost by default, Bojan Dubljevic is Valencia's best option in this one. The big man is Valencia's top producer on a per-game basis, and although he's not scoring he is plenty capable of doing so. While Kevin Pangos has been Zenit's best player, he won't be their top fantasy option Tuesday. A trio of players will fill that spot in his place, as Zenit faces a Valencia team that has easily been the worst against opposing forwards. That gives all of Will Thomas, Mateusz Ponitka and Alex Poythress a lot of appeal. Thomas and Ponitka have started regularly of late, which has helped them consistently put up 20-point fantasy days since mid-November.
DFS Darlings: Poythress isn't as safe an option as the other two, and he's still a bit pricey on FanDuel. However, he is a nice bargain on DraftKings in this enticing matchup. Poythress hasn't been as productive as he was early on, but he did hit double figures in back-to-back games before sputtering in Round 12. While he will be a bit of a dart throw, you can at least take a look at the only other Zenit forward playing regularly, Andrey Zubkov. Also in the darts category is Valencia's Jaime Pradilla, who has done just enough of late to consider at the minimum price on FanDuel and just $5,100 on DraftKings.