This article is part of our DraftKings EuroLeague DFS Picks series.
Slate Overview
The first half of the EuroLeague season comes to a close this week, and DraftKings contests resume with an absolute animal of a slate -- one that includes seven games for the first time in a while. There are several injury situations to note, as Real Madrid will be down four forwards, Valencia will be without a handful of players, Maccabi may or may not be down Wade Baldwin IV and Alen Smailagic is sidelined for Partizan. To top it off, several key players have switched teams of late, and they will not be eligible to play until Round 18. If Baldwin sits -- it seems more likely he will than not -- there will be plenty of usage to go around for Maccabi. Shabazz Napier will not be eligible to play for Milan just yet, but Justin Anderson -- although not in the player pool -- will for Valencia. Be sure to keep tabs on things leading up to tip-off, and good luck!
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($11,100)
It's likely Baldwin will be out, and if he is Brown will find himself in the situation he opened the season in. Brown could wind up having the highest usage on the entire slate, and he could get you 3x value based off volume alone.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($11,600)
Although Efes is getting healthier, Larkin still played 33 minutes, attempted 11 three-pointers and put up 37.8 DraftKings points in Round 16. Thursday's matchup with Fenerbahce should be competitive, so he should be busy again.
Keenan Evans, Zalgiris Kaunas ($10,400)
The minutes have been awesome lately, with Evans getting at least 26 of them in six straight contests and playing at least 32 in both Rounds 14 and 15. Now he gets a plus matchup against Maccabi -- perhaps the best one you can hope for.
Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid ($10,100)
At this point it feels like Campazzo is just a GPP play with how well Sergio Rodriguez has been playing and how handily Real Madrid has been racking up wins.
Scottie Wilbekin, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($9,100)
Wilbekin has an ideal matchup in Round 17 against Efes. The threes need to be falling with him checking in at this price, but luckily he has been both getting up and making a lot of them lately.
Valuable Values
Tamir Blatt, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($7,800)
Antonius Cleveland, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($5,100)
John DiBartolomeo, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($3,800)
All three of these guards are going to benefit if Baldwin sits, and they will be asked to step up in various ways. Blatt is the safest and best of the bunch, but the other two provide nice salary relief and bring some upside to the table.
Sergio Rodriguez, Real Madrid ($6,200)
He's playing so well and this is another potential lopsided matchup that could lead to him seeing ample action if the game gets out of hand.
Nick Calathes, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($7,600)
Tyler Dorsey, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($6,900)
I'm listing them together because they rarely if ever share the floor together. If one is playing poorly or one gets hot it's going to lead to fewer minutes for the other. Calathes has been awesome since Sarunas Jasikevicius took over, and he will presumably continue to start. That will work for someone below the $8,000 mark.
Rodrigue Beaubois, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($7,600)
Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($7,300)
Both players have had a couple games to shake off the rust and should be fully back in the rotation Thursday. I wish DraftKings had not bumped their prices up so quickly, but both still have upside at their going rates if they knock down shots and make a mark on the defensive end -- things they are both plenty capable of.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna ($11,400)
I'm not too comfortable with the pricey forwards, so I'll start with Shengelia, who gets to face a Partizan team that is plenty friendly to opposing frontcourt players.
Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($9,900)
He is coming off a couple poor outings and is still priced way up, but the minutes remain so key. Hayes-Davis will also have the benefit of a great matchup in Round 17.
Shavon Shields, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan ($11,000)
The percentages dipped a bit in the last few Rounds, but Shields is still shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 45.5 percent beyond the arc. He feels more like a safe play in cash contests, but with how overpriced the top forwards are I think that's just fine.
Konstantinos Mitoglou, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($10,300)
Mitoglou is priced down a tad for Round 17. He hasn't been getting the elite minutes he did last month, but Red Star plays a bigger lineup and if Mitoglou shoots it well I think he could get at least 30 minutes Thursday.
Valuable Values
Daniel Oturu, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($7,900)
Oturu has been absolutely electric since joining Efes and even got the start over Tyrique Jones in Round 16. It should be noted, though, that with the Efes guys now priced appropriately it's time to proceed with caution instead of just locking them in like before. Many of them have elite upside, but th eplaying time could be random and more dependent on in-game form and matchups.
Dyshawn Pierre, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($7,500)
He hasn't lit the world on fire by any means, but like Hayes-Davis the minutes are extremely encouraging in a quality matchup.
Bruno Caboclo, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($8,000)
Frank Kaminsky, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($6,800)
With Smailagic out, these two guys get a boost, and they will face a Virtus team that is beatable down low. Kaminsky played just one minute in Round 16 but will likely be needed for more Thursday. Caboclo will presumably start, and I don't think we have seen his ceiling just yet.
Adam Hanga, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade ($6,600)
Hanga is filling a playmaking point forward role and has stepped right into the usage vacated by Napier's departure.
Juancho Hernangomez, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($5,200)
It has been a tough season for Hernangomez, but he showed some signs of life his last time out, and the hope he is he can build off that. He will likely remain in a reserve role, and his minutes will likely depend on how effective he is. He may not see many unless he is making an impact.
James Webb III, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($6,500)
He plays a completely different position than Baldwin, but as a stretch big he could pick up some usage and shots. If Baldwin sits a lot of both will be available.
Georgios Papagiannis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($5,900)
Fenerbahce is in an awkward spot now tith all of Papagiannis, Johnathan Motley and Sertac Sanli healthy. Motley started last game and Sanli was the next man up. After both got into foul trouble, Papagiannis came in and played great. I personally think he did enough to be the first center off the bench and he is quite talented, but this is still a very risky play with the minutes up in the air.
Eli Ndiaye, Real Madrid ($5,500)
Alberto Abalde, Real Madrid ($3,900)
Fabien Causeur, Real Madrid ($5,000)
All these guys should benefit from the absences of Gabriel Deck, Guerschon Yabusele, Mario Hezonja and Rudy Fernandez. Ndiaye and Causeur figure to start, with Abalde seeing action off the bench. I would only include one of them per lineup, though.
