This article is part of our DraftKings EuroLeague DFS Picks series.
Slate Overview
The EuroLeague break felt like an entire offseason, but we're back and ready for the final stretch of the regular season.
Some teams got healthy over the last few weeks, but some players are still priced as if their teams were shorthanded, so it's a tough board to read Thursday. We're going to have to make some tough picks, and as I noted in previous articles, this is one of those slates where you can still win with a dud in your lineup. As such, I'm inclined to focus on players with high ceilings and not worry too much about their floors.
There are a couple injury situations to monitor, and they are both in the Partizan vs. Efes game, as all of Shane Larkin, Will Clyburn and James Nunnally are questionable.
Good luck and enjoy the first games in a while!
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Wade Baldwin IV, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($12,000)
Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($9,400)
We have the price king in Baldwin as well as Brown, who should be at or as close to 100 percent as he has been in a while. Last time Maccabi faced ALBA it was a blowout and neither were needed much, but if this game is even remotely close, one or both could return 3x value. ALBA plays fast and is not too stout on the defensive end.
Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($10,500)
The floor is not great but the upside here is very nice. Panathinaikos is a little thin in the backcourt with Luca Vildoza out, and I'm curious to see what we get from Kostas Sloukas, who has played sparingly this month. One way to attack Real Madrid is at the point guard spot, and Nunn performed well against them in the first meeting.
P.J. Dozier, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($9,200)
Partizan's backcourt rotation is very frustrating when everyone is healthy, but if we get news that Nunnally is unable to go there is definitely merit to some Dozier shares. He has shown the ability to take over games.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($11,300)
I love the floor Larkin brings, especially since Tomislav Mijatovic took over as head coach. He is not afraid to give his best players minutes. I don't love Larkin's ceiling as much with Efes relatively healthy again, and his potential absence of course raises an eyebrow.
Valuable Values
Sterling Brown, ALBA Berlin ($7,400)
Matteo Spagnolo, ALBA Berlin ($6,800)
The first thing we want to note is how peculiar ALBA's backcourt rotation is. In fact, it is so deep that virtually no one gets over 28 minutes per night. Still, without much for value available these guys are worth a look. They will be facilitating the offense when they're out there and we need one of them to be efficient during their playing time, which is possible given the pace of this game.
Kostas Sloukas, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($7,500)
I have no idea what the minutes will look like, but with Vildoza out it opens up the possibility that Sloukas could spend plenty of time on the court. Just a heads up, but I fully expect him to come off the bench.
Aleksa Avramovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($7,000)
Like Dozier, I like Avramovic more if Nunnally is unable to go. In that scenario it's more likely Avramovic has a floor of around 18 minutes.
Stefan Jovic, Valencia Basket ($4,800)
Kevin Pangos, Valencia Basket ($4,000)
This branches from the absence of Xabi Lopez-Arostegui. Jovic more directly benefits because he fits the mold of a bigger guard who's versatile, but Pangos is cheap as well and should see anywhere from 10-to-18 minutes.
Gabriele Procida, ALBA Berlin ($6,300)
He will come off the bench and play 17-to-25 minutes. I love his talent but he will have to make some shots or he could get the short end of the stick in ALBA's rotation.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Kevin Punter, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($10,000)
I don't love any of the pricey forwards Thursday, but on slates that could be lower-scoring like this one, even 28.0 DraftKings points from Punter could go a long way. Just to refresh everyone, Punter often fills the point guard spot despite being listed as a forward.
Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna ($9,800)
I don't love the matchup and the pace is expected to be slow, but Shengelia remains one of the better players in the league and checks in below $10,000. We saw him rip off 39.0 DraftKings points last time he faced Valencia, but his four steals played a big part in that. I'd still be happy with 30.0 DraftKings points here.
Will Clyburn, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($9,100)
Clyburn -- provided he plays -- is either going to be in the winning lineup or he's going to bury you. There really doesn't seem to be any in-between with him, but Partizan plays fast, which suits his style.
Valuable Values
Walter Tavares, Real Madrid ($8,400)
Sergeant Swat should be one of if not the most popular play Thursday -- and for good reason. He returned from injury and looked to be 100 percent during the Spanish Cup. He's simply too cheap for his role. He does foul and sometimes does not get a full complement of minutes, but the upside is so good. Just be aware of the wide range of outcomes.
Tibor Pleiss, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($8,100)
Daniel Oturu, Anadolu Efes Istanbul ($6,600)
Talk about a dilemma here. Efes has so many talented guys in the frontcourt and not enough minutes to go around. Prior to Oturu's absence it seemed these were the two centers they favored, and Tyrique Jones would get limited minutes alongside them at the power forward spot.
Guerschon Yabusele, Real Madrid ($7,200)
Gabriel Deck, Real Madrid ($7,000)
The best way to attack Panathinaikos this season has been at the power forward spot where you avoid Mathias Lessort and Jerian Grant almost entirely. It remains to be seen who will start, and both have great upside with low floors. That's the case with a lot of guys Thursday, though.
Bruno Caboclo, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($6,700)
Frank Kaminsky, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($7,400)
I want to make sure Alen Smailagic is out, but if he is I love the pricing on one of these two guys. Caboclo has been the better fantasy option over the course of the season, but Kaminsky got hot before the break.
Juancho Hernangomez, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($5,900)
I can't believe I'm doing this, but value is tough Thursday and the 5-to-13 minutes freed up by the absence of Kostas Antetokounmpo could be enough to bring Hernangomez into play.
Balsa Koprivica, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($4,000)
Bear with me on this one, but Koprivica could be in play if all of Smailagic, Uros Trifunovic and Tristan Vukcevic are inactive. Koprivica would almost need to play 10-to-15 minutes with Efes frequently employing big lineups.
