EuroLeague Primer: Round 2 - Thursday

EuroLeague Primer: Round 2 - Thursday

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

The EuroLeague season continues Thursday with three games on the schedule. We'll break down each below.

For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter: @RotoWireEuro.

Thursday

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at CSKA Moscow

Key Injuries: Nikola Milutinov (CSK), Janis Strelnieks (CSK), Omri Casspi (TEL), Yovel Zoosman (TEL), John DiBartolomeo (TEL)

Best Bets for Success: Mike James averaged 27.5 points in the two games immediately following his two lowest-scoring games last season, so chances are he will come out firing in Round 2 after scoring just 13 points in CSKA's season opener. Tornike Shengelia and Milutinov will essentially split the big-man work for the Russian team when both are healthy, but with Milutinov still sidelined Shengelia again gets those duties all to himself. Like James, Scottie Wilbekin struggled to score the ball in Round 1 and finished with just eight points. He did not go two Rounds without hitting double figures at any point last season, so he figures to bounce back in Round 2.

DFS Darlings: Chris Jones played just a shade under 27 minutes last week and got plenty of chances to make plays. Maccabi hasn't gotten any healthier, so Jones should be busy again, making him a quality option on DraftKings at just $5,000. Big men Ante Zizic and Joel Bolomboy won't cost you much more and are plenty intriguing in their own right. Zizic likely just needed to get a EuroLeague game under his belt and Bolomboy should be good for another 20 minutes without Milutinov.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Key Injuries: Shane Larkin (IST), Danilo Barthel (ULK), Leo Westermann (ULK)

Best Bets for Success: It looks like fantasy players will have to continue waiting to use Larkin, as he is not expected to go Thursday. There are still three top-tier guards in this game, though, and all of Vasilije Micic, Nando de Colo and Lorenzo Brown -- who each scored at least 23 points last week on DraftKings -- will fit in nicely in any lineup. de Colo did not shoot the ball nearly as well in Round 1 as he did last season, so it would not be to difficult for him to top last week's output. He's plenty fine as a headliner on DraftKings if you are looking to avoid including anyone that costs five digits.

DFS Darlings: Barthel will be a game-time decision Thursday, and should he sit out around 20 minutes would open up for his teammates. That would be good news for Dyshawn Pierre, who checks in under $4,000 on DraftKings and started in Barthel's place in Fenerbahce's last domestic-league game. Adrien Moerman also could return some nice value, as he appears to be rounding into form after missing the first half of last season.

Valencia Basket at Real Madrid

Key Injuries: Jeffery Taylor (MAD), Joan Sastre (PAM)

Best Bets for Success: Madrid had a rough go of it in Round 1, which means they will likely be looking to make a statement this week. That could mean more minutes for their top players, and even if it doesn't Facundo Campazzo and Walter Tavares don't need to spend much time on the court to make a big impact. Derrick Williams racked up the most DraftKings points of any Valencia player in Round 1, and with Bojan Dubljevic having to deal with the imposing Tavares in Round 2, don't be surprised if that happens again.

DFS Darlings: Klemen Prepelic had a nice showing in Round 1 despite making just three of his 12 shots from the field. He led the Spanish league in scoring last season, and he would be a nice bargain on DraftKings at $4,100 if he can get a few more shots to drop. Vanja Marinkovic was sidelined the last few weeks with an injury, so it's not clear how much he will play Thursday. However, he is talented enough to have been selected with the final pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, and he was effective last season when playing extended minutes. If you are looking for low-owned players capable of scoring 20 points, toss his name in the hat.

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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