This article is part of our DraftKings EuroLeague DFS Picks series.
Slate Overview
This is another slate where we have some appealing value plays but a lack of elite players we usually like to slot in, so lineup building will be interesting. Nemanja Nedovic is the top player to track, as another absence would open up all kinds of options. Fenerbahce is the team to pay most attention to, as they will have at most one forward available for Round 23. The Real Madrid/Olympiacos game will be particularly interesting, as both teams are shorthanded at the center position. The pace of that contest figures to be slow, but there are a couple appealing frontcourt options on both sides. Good luck, everyone!
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Paris Lee, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne ($11,100)
Lee is priced to the max, but he continues returning value due to his sky-high usage rate, and with a lack of top-tier options at the guard spots I think he's in play as a floor raiser. There are so many affordable guards to consider that it's easy to fit Lee in.
Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($9,700)
Wade Baldwin IV, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($10,200)
Whoever avoids being defended by Jerian Grant will have a very favorable matchup, and I'm thinking it will be Brown, who is fresh off a back injury. Baldwin is averaging 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 threes while playing 28 minutes per night through five appearances in January.
Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($9,900)
No Kostas Sloukas means Nunn will have the carry the scoring load in the backcourt, as Grant is more of a defender and ancillary contributor. Both players have an elite matchup, though.
Scottie Wilbekin, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($9,400)
His role since Sarunas Jasikevicius took over has been a big one, and he's had the ultimate green light lately. He is squarely in play against Virtus, particularly with Fenerbahce down all kinds of key players.
Sterling Brown, ALBA Berlin ($9,000)
Brown is a high-usage player and gets a pretty solid matchup Thursday. He gives you some savings if you pivot off Wilbekin and has had some usable floor games despite some shooting woes.
Yago Dos Santos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade ($8,700)
He got into some foul trouble in Round 22, which was the only thing preventing him from pushing the envelope even further. Milos Teodosic has already been ruled out, and if Nedovic sits again, Dos Santos will be asked to carry the load in an uptempo game with a great matchup.
Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus ($8,200)
If Nigel Williams-Goss is unable to go Walkup will see a big boost in minutes, and he could even spend 30 minutes on the court. He is much cheaper than he was at one point, which makes him a very interesting option in tournaments.
Valuable Values
Javonte Smart, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade ($4,200)
Despite spending only a few days with Red Star, Smart was pressed into duty in Round 22 with several players out and Dos Santos getting into foul trouble, and he looked good out there. If Nedovic plays Smart's usage could be volatile, but at this price he is still worth a dart with a couple key players sidelined. He's a very strong play if Nedovic sits.
Tyler Dorsey, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($7,200)
He did not shoot it well his last time out, but he's still cheap and is getting a lot of shots up. It's also nice to know that a high-volume player like Dorsey will get 20-to-25 minutes with Fenerbahce shorthanded.
Carsen Edwards, FC Bayern Munich ($7,400)
I love Edwards in tournaments when he's this cheap, and he will take on an ASVEL team that gives up a lot of points as well as more three-point attempts than any other team. He will get a slight bump if backcourt mate Nick Weiler-Babb is unable to go in Round 23.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Serge Ibaka, FC Bayern Munich ($10,000)
With Bayern running away on the scoreboard and Danko Brankovic having the best game of his career, Ibaka saw fewer minutes than he usually does in Round 22. He typically gets minutes in the high 20s or low 30s when they need him, and those are the nights when 40.0 DraftKings points are in play.
Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($9,800)
Konstantinos Mitoglou, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($9,700)
Both players -- Lessort at the center spot and Mitoglou alongside him in the frontcourt -- will take on a Maccabi team that gives up a lot of points. In order to have a ceiling game, Lessort will need to stay out of foul trouble and remain aggressive, and Mitoglou will need to knock down some threes early.
Bonzie Colson, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($8,900)
How many times this season have I noted a guy checks in at his lowest price in a long time and then goes out and lights it up? A lot, it feels like, and we could see that scenario again with Colson. There is a soft spot in the Panathinaikos defense against wings and stretch bigs, which is where Colson roams. He simply has to knock down some shots, because Maccabi is very limited when he isn't.
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus ($9,600)
His minutes are confusing, but Filip Petrusev and Luke Sikma will likely cover the center spot Thursday, and that leaves Peters without a backup. Peters should see minutes in the high 20s or low 30s, and that puts him in position to return value even in a tough matchup.
Valuable Values
Vincent Poirier, Real Madrid ($7,600)
It didn't work out too great in Round 22, but that's just how the EuroLeague is sometimes. I have no issue going right back to Poirier, who is further removed from an injury and figures to remain the starting cetner with Walter Tavares still unavailable.
Luke Sikma, Olympiacos Piraeus ($3,500)
Filip Petrusev, Olympiacos Piraeus ($6,000)
One of these guys will have to start at center with Nikola Milutinov and Moustapha Fall both out. Both typically fill the power forward spot, but they also played center previously with other EuroLeague clubs.
Jordan Mickey, Virtus Segafredo Bologna ($7,800)
Mickey figures to start again with Tornike Shengelia still out, and his minutes could range anywhere from 22 to 30 depending on fouls and how he fares when he's out there.
Gabriel Deck, Real Madrid ($6,400)
Guerschon Yabusele, Real Madrid ($5,900)
These guys are very volatile, but I watched Real Madrid go small in Round 22 when Poirier was out of the game, and these two helped fill in. Plus, Olympiacos will be forced to play small without their top two centers available. Yabusele is uncertain for Round 23, and if he sits that would benefit Deck and the last player on this list.
Deshaun Thomas, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne ($4,300)
He returned to EuroLeague action in Round 22 and immediately got 24 minutes -- as well as a higher shot rate than expected. You only need around 15.0 DraftKings points for guys in this price range to be effective.
Rudy Fernandez, Real Madrid ($4,800)
When Deck and Yabusele slot into the center spot it naturally forces Fernandez into more minutes at the power forward position. Fernandez can get hot beyond the arc, which he did in Round 22.
