This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
Four Game 2s are just around the corner!
We've already seen it all already: injuries, overtime, X factors, non-performers, Nigel Hayes-Davis and John Brown playing center and more. With another exciting set of games on tap, let's see who we want to include in our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge lineups.
If you have any questions or comments about strategy or the picks below, feel free to drop those at the bottom of this article or reach out via @RotoWireEuro.
Let's get to it!
Guard
Mike James, AS Monaco (17.8 credits)
Game 1 stats: 40 MIN, 16 PTS, 15 FGA, 4 AST, 3 STL, 17 PIR. Though the game went to overtime, James was the only player to record 40 minutes in Game 1. His stat line was as expected: lots of shot attempts, he logged assists, fouls drawn. His poor shooting splits (27/17/88%) held him from having a great game. We are sure James will continue logging those numbers and if he will start making those buckets, we might see a huge game.
Kostas Sloukas, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (15.3 credits)
Game 1 stats: 32 MIN, 12 PTS, 13 AST, 2 STL, 23 PIR. That's a nice stat line, and he even has a little room to improve if he gets up more shots. He remains as one of the best fantasy picks due to loads of minutes and is versatile contributions, which include scoring, assists, steals and fouls drawn.
Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (12.0 credits)
Game 1 stats: 34 MIN, 16 PTS, 12 FGA, 4 REB, 3 AST, 14 PIR. With Wade Baldwin IV out, Brown will have even more chances to rack up minutes and fied goal attempts. Just be aware that most of the time he figures to be guarded by Jerian Grant, a great defender.
Tamir Blatt, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (7.0 credits)
Game 1 stats: 22 MIN, 3 PTS, 1/6 FG, 4 AST, 3 PIR. Baldwin will miss Game 2, so expect Blatt to both play more and contribute more in his absence.
Chris Chiozza, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (4.2 credits)
Game 1 stats: 15 MIN, 2 FGA, 6 REB, 2 AST, 10 PIR. If you have only few credits, Chiozza might be an option to consider. He is a risky pick because he might only play a few minutes without a defined role. Last couple of games in ACB and EuroLeague he played 18 and 15 minutes and used his chance pretty well. Very risky!
Forward
Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (15.5 credits)
Game 1 stats: 39 MIN, 19 PTS, 13 FGA, 7 REB, 23 PIR. Was it a surprise he played as a center for some time against Monaco? Johnathan Motley is more likely to return for Game 3 than Game 2, and in that case Hayes-Davis could take some of Motley's minutes again. He likely will be guarded by Brown most of the time, and he is a great defender. In Game 1 seems like that wasn't a problem for Hayes-Davis, though.
Tadas Sedekerskis, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (12.2 credits)
Game 1 stats: 26 MIN, 3 PTS, 4 FGA, 7 REB, 10 PIR. Sedekerskis is not a player who attempts a lot of shots, but 4 FG attempts in game 1 that is less of what I expected when Moneke is not playing. Other than that, stat-line is his usual: 7 rebounds, a block and assist, couple of fouls drawn. Of course he raises a little more concerns now after game 1, but still is very considerable to be added due to his high expected minutes.
Jaron Blossomgame, AS Monaco (7.2 credits)
Game 1 stats: 36 MIN, 8 FGA, 9 REB, 17 PIR. Blossomgame continues to see more minutes, he plays more than season average in last 8 out of 10 EuroLeague games. His stat-line includes 10.2 PTS, 4.5 REB, 11.7 PIR over this span of time (10 games). 7.2 credits for a player who plays 30 minutes, that is a good deal.
Nikos Rogkavopoulos, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (5.3 credits)
Game 1 stats: 23 MIN, 14 PTS, 5/11 FG, 2 REB, 8 PIR. Rogkavopoulos attempted 9 threes in game 1 against Real Madrid, we probably didn't expect that. On the other hand, he got 2 rebounds only in 23 minutes of play, all in all he got pretty much of what we expected in a game without Moneke. Chima is still reportedly will miss next game, hence Rogkavopoulos holds his fantasy value up and is worth consideration adding to your team.
Oscar da Silva, FC Barcelona (4.1 credits)
Game 1 stats: 12 MIN, 4 PTS, 2 REB, 5 PIR. He is more or less consistence in getting 15ish minutes on the court per game this whole season, his play time does not fluctuate too much. Over the last 3 games he is scoring 4.7 points, grabbing 3.3 rebounds, that is decent stats for a 15-minutes player. He is good pick who could generate few fantasy points. Last time da Silva got a negative PIR was 8 rounds ago, however he didn't get more than 9 in that stretch.
Center
Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (18.1 credits)
Game 1 stats: 34 MIN, 22 PTS, 11 FGA, 10 FLS RV, 26 PIR. Lessort is getting a lot of minutes, one of the most amongst centers. He is great at drawing fouls, rebounding, and doing so all season long. Red flag is his 64% FT% only this season (in game 1 he missed 7 shots from the line, 4/11). Do you think is it possible he will get less playtime just to avoid him visiting free throw line too often in game 2? Lessort has this tiny red flag (free throws), however he is a nice fantasy pick especially against Maccabi, which is a fast pace team and allowing their opponents a lot of PIR.
Josh Nebo, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (15.6 credits)
Game 1 stats: 23 mins, 12 points, 8 rebounds. He had pretty much a stat-line that we expected. One of the most athletic centers in the league, continues to perform - last time he got single digit PIR was 14 rounds ago!
Head Coach
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid (11.8 credits)
A strong win in Game 1 gives me even more confidence Real Madrid will win Game 2 -- particularly with Chima Moneke still unavailable.
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (10.7 credits)
Panathinaikos lost Game 1, so Thursday's contest is pretty much a must-win for the Greek team. Maccabi lost Baldwin late in the opener, and he is set to miss Game 2. Nothing is guaranteed -- particularly in the Playoffs -- but the oddsmakers are pretty confident Panathinaikos will even up the series.
Drop Candidates
Filip Petrusev, Olympiacos Piraeus (9.0 credits)
Game 1 stats: 16 MIN, 12 PTS, 5 REB, 16 PIR. Petrusev got injury on a second half in game 1 against Barca, hence it is unknown if he will be able to play. If further reports will confirm his absence, might be a good idea to bring in Alec Peters or Luke Sikma as likely Petrusev's minutes will be shifted to those guys.
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