This article is part of our DraftKings EuroLeague DFS Picks series.
Slate Overview
This is a lengthy piece, folks, but a lot of players head into Round 24 injured, and that results in a lot of value plays. Unfortunately all the games start within a half hour of each other, so hopefully we get enough news in ample time to make decisions. I believe the game with the best potential for points is the Real Madrid/Maccabi matchup, but both teams are priced pretty efficiently on DraftKings. Be sure to follow @RotoWireEuro throughout the day to stay on top of all the updates, and as always, good luck!
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Scottie Wilbekin, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($10,100)
Markus Howard, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($9,600)
These guys are on different teams of course, but I'm lumping them together because they have been recreating the Spiderman meme lately, with both of them continually get up double-digit threes. Wilbekin has been ascending since Sarunas Jasikevicius arrived and gets another soft matchup, but at some point the floor will fall out. Speaking of floor, we saw Howard have a down game last week in both a decent matchup and at home. He's once again alive for GPPs but faces a tough test on the road against Bayern, who kept him in check in Round 3.
Wade Baldwin IV, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($11,100)
Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($9,700)
Everyone's favorite volatile backcourt duo! Both managed to get there last week at their prices, and they now get a huge game versus the league leaders, Real Madrid. This is a tough matchup where both of their floors are shaky, but if Maccabi keeps the contest close it's going to be on the back of one of these guys, which would translate to at least 30.0 DraftKings points.
Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid ($10,800)
The man tied with Chima Moneke and Youssoupha Fall for the league lead in double-doubles gets a soft matchup against Maccabi. The question is how much will he be asked to do and will Maccabi keep this game interesting. With Sergio Llull out, I do like what I've been seeing minutes-wise from Campazzo in close games.
Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus ($8,600)
Isaiah Canaan, Olympiacos Piraeus ($8,200)
Olympiacos will be forced to play small ball in Round 24 with yet another frontcourt injury, this time to Filip Petrusev. This is going to provide a nice minutes floor for these guys, especially if rotation fixture Nigel Williams-Goss is still unable to go.
Valuable Values
Jared Harper, Valencia Basket ($5,900)
Kevin Pangos, Valencia Basket ($4,400)
This stems from the health of Chris Jones. If he's unable to go I think I'll definitely want to have a Valencia guard in my lineup, whether it's one of these two or even Stefan Jovic. Harper is the most talented of the bunch but sometimes struggles with the jumper and doesn't do a great job starting the offense. Pangos is cheap and continues to shoot poorly from the floor, which is an issue that dates back for years. These guys are volatile, but they're so cheap that if Jones misses they could grind their way to 3x value even with a subpar performance.
Tyler Dorsey, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ($7,100)
We can't just forget about a guy because he's shooting poorly. He can't miss forever, and he's going to pop for 20.0 DraftKings points soon. This is a great matchup for any scoring-minded Fenerbahce player.
Shaquielle McKissic, Olympiacos Piraeus ($5,300)
I know they're going small so I should have interest anyway, but I still feel shaky on McKissic unless both Williams-Goss and Giannoulis Larentzakis are out. There are a lot of ifs here, but if the news falls right and both miss Round 24, McKissic is a borderline core play for me. There's a big discount on Naz Mitrou-Long as well, but I trust Mckissic more as a player and will pay the extra price.
Jordan Theodore, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($3,800)
Those who watch EuroLeague games like I do were introduced to Mr. Theodore very quickly. He entered the game and made an immediate impact, which shouldn't be too surprising for a playmaker like himself with EuroLeague experience. You don't always know how new additions will fit in, but it's nice to confirm that he will be a worthy play -- particularly at this price -- while Chris Chiozza continues to heal.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus ($9,400)
Who can benefit from Olympiacos being forced to play more small ball? Peters. Who can benefit from ALBA running a pack-the-paint style of defense and leaving shooters wide open on the perimeter? Peters.
Chima Moneke, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz ($10,600)
I'm placing Moneke here out of respect, but I am still hesitant to pay this price for someone who works off the bench -- even if he does flirt with 30 minutes sometimes. The matchup inside is tough, but Moneke is talented enough to overcome it if given the playing time.
Serge Ibaka, FC Bayern Munich ($9,500)
It's tough to tell exactly what's going on with Ibaka after he sat out last week and left Sunday's domestic game early, but if we can confirm he's starting Tuesday I think he's the best GPP play on the slate. He should be well-rested, and if Devin Booker is unable to go, Ibaka will be the only Bayern player available capable of both scoring in the post and shooting from the perimeter. I think Bayern needs someone with that skill set to maximize this offense .
Semi Ojeleye, Valencia Basket ($8,400)
if Jones joins Brandon Davies on the inactive list we will likely see Ojeleye slide into the starting lineup. We could see a big increase in usage rate as well.
Vincent Poirier, Real Madrid ($8,400)
Poirier finally had a ceiling game in a starting role on the back of his four blocks. He's still priced to play in my opinion, especially against a Maccabi team that is not all that stout on the interior.
Valuable Values
Luke Sikma, Olympiacos Piraeus ($4,900)
He's not the best when it comes to fantasy points per minute, but he's going to be asked to handle as many minutes as he can at the center spot, and he will not even cost you $5,000.
Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos Piraeus ($6,800)
Papanikolaou had no issue with the small-ball lineup in Round 23, as he had arguably the best performance of his career. He's not going to make 75 percent of his threes again, but I do think he will make enough of them to pay off his price tag.
Yanni Wetzell, ALBA Berlin ($7,300)
With Johannes Thiemann out, Wetzell's three-game hot streak could continue against an Olympiacos team that will have a difficult time defending his crafty post game. We've seen the rebounds and minutes spike when Thiemann is not in the equation.
Mbaye Ndiaye, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne ($5,700)
Deshaun Thomas, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne ($4,800)
I've really liked what I've seen from these two at the power forward spot and wouldn't be surprised to see one of them return 3x value at home, particularly if Joffrey Lauvergne is unable to go.
Vladimir Lucic, FC Bayern Munich ($6,400)
He doesn't fare that well in fantasy points per minute, either, but due to the injuries he could be in play. If Booker is out, Lucic will be in consideration thanks to his minutes floor and matchup, as Baskonia is pretty vulnerable against stretch bigs.
