This article is part of our DraftKings EuroLeague DFS Picks series.
Slate Overview
We're thankful that a $1,000 top prize is once again available for Friday's EuroLeague contests on DraftKing. Let's not take this for granted and get the thing filled!
We have another one of those slates where the top-tier options are few and far between or don't have the matchup in their advantage. There isn't much for slate-altering injury news to track, but there are a few situations that have been affected. Partizan will be a bit thin in the backcourt, and I think we see them employ a very big lineup with Mateusz Ponitka seeing ample minutes at the small forward spot. The lack of guards for Zalgiris makes them a candidate to do the same. So, before you run out and grab all the replacement guards just know EuroLeague teams have no issue running three bigs at the same time.
The primary situation to note is that or Jordan Loyd. If he is unable to go, a couple players below -- as well as Alpha Diallo -- will get a bump in value.
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Mike James, AS Monaco ($10,500)
The best guards are not an easy click today unless James -- at a decreased price -- is part of a game-day roster that lacks Loyd. Both the ceiling and floor have decreased for James with his team at full strength, but he could provide an early-season performance Friday if Loyd sits. With all that being said, the upper tier is so thin that even if Loyd plays I will probably roll with James, who is most likely to outscore any guard in this range.
Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus ($8,900)
He hasn't been lighting the world on fire but I'm not sure why he is back below $9,000. He's still the backbone of this team, and although Shaquielle McKissic is set to return, Walkup can easily return 3x value and has some upside.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($10,300)
Darius Thompson, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($9,100)
So Larkin goes from what his coach said is a "serious injury" to being able to play Friday. He will likely require surgery for his thumb issue at some point, but it looks like he is good to go for Round 10. The bum thumb causes me to lose some interest in Larkin and brings Thompson into play. The latter has been turning it up lately and just needs to avoid being too aggressive on defense and getting into foul trouble.
Nemanja Nedovic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade ($8,600)
A max-priced Nedovic has not been good to us in the past, but it's hard to ignore the 20 shot attempts he accumulated in Round 9. He should be fine, but be aware there is some volatility in Red Star's backcourt.
Valuable Values
P.J. Dozier, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($6,800)
Ognjen Jaramaz, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($6,300)
This team is really hurting at the guard spots with the continued absence of Kevin Punter and Aleksa Avramovic joining him on the sidelines. Jaramaz is the more natural point guard, but Dozier is clearly the more talented player. I don't have an issue with either player.
Chris Chiozza, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($5,200)
The remaining discount guards are very volatile and I can't guarantee safe minutes, but things are thin so I will list a few guys to take a stab at. Chiozza closed the last game for Baskonia and despite not shooting great he did some good things. Maybe he is asked to do a little more Friday with Markus Howard nursing a sore back -- something he probably picked up after carrying the scoring load of late.
Lukas Lekavicius, Zalgiris Kaunas ($4,700)
Tomas Dimsa, Zalgiris Kaunas ($6,900)
Zalgiris has now lost two guards to Olympiacos, with Naz Mitrou-Long joining Ignas Brazdeikis among the departures. Zalgiris runs many differing rotations but these two will probably be asked to give them at least 22 minutes a piece and it seems one of them have a hot hand each game.
Kemba Walker, AS Monaco ($4,900)
He has made only a minimal impact, but his minutes picked up his last time out. We're only interested if we can confirm Loyd is out.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Chima Moneke, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($10,900)
Moneke is the MVP frontrunner in my eyes despite working mainly in a reserve role. This is a tough matchup but I'm throwing that out the window because Moneke seems like a guy who takes things personally, and this is a revenge game against a team that didn't want to give him extended run last season.
Nikola Mirotic, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan ($10,700)
The double-game week didn't go so great for Mirotic, but we got a little price decrease and he has a solid matchup on the road in Round 10.
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus ($10,000)
He almost hit 30.0 DraftKings points in a game he fouled out of last week and otherwise has returned at least 3x value in three of four appearances. He is filling Sasha Vezenkov's shoes perfectly
Will Clyburn, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($9,400)
The floor is abysmal, but a banged-up Larkin and another Elijah Bryant absence provide some ceiling for Clyburn. I prefer him at home in a soft matchup like this.
Tadas Sedekerskis, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($9,800)
The floor is just so good. He's a walking double-double and you just know he's going to fight and claw to that 3x number for you .
Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus ($9,500)
This is all depending on the health of Nikola Milutinov. If he's out Fall will be forced into big minutes yet again. If he's not, the two will likely split the work in the post.
Valuable Values
Vanja Marinkovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($6,600)
This is very conservative play but I just love the things he can do if he sees a couple shots fall. Some guys just have their usage skyrocket once they see one go in the basket and he's one of them. He's also a guy who could be asked to score more if Howard's back flares up.
Bruno Caboclo, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($6,000)
This is a tricky situation here as Partizan is very thin at guard but all of a sudden has a logjam at the two big-man spots. My expectation is that they will run a very big lineup with Caboclo/Zach LeDay at the four and Frank Kaminsky/Alen Smailagic at the center spot, leaving Ponitka to play the three. Caboclo is so cheap and talented I'll take the stab again, but I'm fully aware the minutes are not guaranteed because I of course do not know Zeljko Obradovic's game plan.
Laurynas Birutis, Zalgiris Kaunas ($5,500)
The one seven-footer Zalgiris has could be asked to take extra minutes to help contain the Olympiacos big men. Birutis is aggressive when out there, posting up every opportunity he gets.
Dani Diez, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($4,800)
Diez got big minutes the last two games with Baskonia shorthanded. The carpet could be pulled here, but if he starts again he's so cheap I wouldn't disagree with this pick.
Nicolo Melli, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan ($7,200)
This price could be bait, as he put up meaningful DraftKings points in both games last week. I'm always a little hesitant to play Melli because he's a better real-life basketball player than a fantasy option, but I can't ignore what he's done lately .
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