This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
Round 12 of the EuroLeague is just around the corner, with the latest double-game week tipping off Tuesday. One very important thing to keep in mind is that after the two Rounds that will be played this week, we will be able to swap out as many players as we would like, as there are unlimited trades after Round 13 and between Dec. 9-14.
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.
And here we go.
Guard
Mike James, AS Monaco (16.7 credits)
James had a recent slow stretch, but he is back in form. He has not attempted fewer than 11 shots in a game this EuroLeague season, and averaged an even 15.0 of them over the last seven games. His numbers over the last three are particularly impressive: 30+ minutes, 15.7 shot attempts, 45/43/87% shooting splits, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 3.3 fouls drawn, 22.0 PIR. Monaco will play against Partizan, a team that allows their opponents to generate a lot of PIR.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (16.1 credits)
Efes has injury problems in every position, making Larkin a good consideration for your fantasy team. A red flag remains the finger injury that was reported a couple weeks ago, but it hasn't stopped him yet. Another red flag -- Larkin may face a solid defender in Jerian Grant most of the time in round 12. Apart from that, he should play 30+ minutes, attempt a lot of shots, and he also possesses great passing skills, constantly stealing the ball and drawing fouls really well. Let me also list the current Efes injury list: Will Clyburn, Rodrigue Beaubois, Ante Zizic, Derek Willis, Elijah Bryant, Tibor Pleiss.
Darius Thompson, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (12.4 credits)
Thompson is a good candidate this week due to the long Efes injury list mentioned above. With so many players out, those who remain will inevitably play longer minutes, unless foul trouble or injury stops them. Thompson is one of those players we may reasonably expect to play 30+ minutes. Please note, this week's article will list many Efes players as a candidates, so don't go with every such pick; select a couple players from this team.
Isaiah Canaan, Olympiacos Piraeus (9.0 credits)
Canaan's teammate Shaquielle McKissic is back and logged four minutes in the last EuroLeague round. They both play the same position, and I was afraid that McKissic would drastically reduce Canaan's minutes. However, this didn't happen right away, making Canaan a solid pick still.
Forward
Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (15.6 credits)
He remains a safe pick as one of the most consistent players in EuroLeague when we talk about PIR per game. His shooting is going down a little, especially from behind the arc (12% during the last 3 games). This affects his PIR but minimally.
Chima Moneke, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (14.3 credits)
Moneke had a 0 PIR game in round 10, but he did bounce back in round 11 (27 PIR). He also got his usual numbers in the last domestic game with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Moneke remains a solid fantasy player.
Shavon Shields, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (13.8 credits)
Shields is having a great individual run (30+ minutes, 19.3 points, 11.0 shot attempts, 64/56/75% shooting splits, 3.7 rebounds, 18.7 PIR over the last 3 games), even though the team is struggling. With Nikola Mirotic out, Shields should soak up some extra shots against Bayern -- and likely beyond.
Konstantinos Mitoglou, Panathinaikos Athens (12.2 credits)
35+ minutes, 12.3 shot attempts, 54/40/58% shooting splits, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 21.0 PIR during the last 3 games. Playing against Efes in Round 12, this team allows a lot of PIR for their opponents. However, it is a completely different story in round 13 when Panathinaikos will play Real Madrid. It is not a bad idea to consider trading Mitoglou out of your team, especially when we will have unlimited transfers before round 14 and will be able to bring this player back.
Tadas Sedekerskis, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (11.4 credits)
Sedekerskis is still getting huge minutes (30+ per game on a regular basis), scoring a little, and still leading the league in rebounds. He is generating 17.3 PIR per game in the last three matches, much more than his price in credits.
Erkan Yilmaz, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (4.7 credits)
Already several times in this article the Efes injuries have been mentioned. This is the main reason why you may consider adding Yilmaz. He did play more minutes in the last EuroLeague round (17 mins vs Red Star) and also got 38 minutes in the domestic game last Sunday. A little risky, but the risk may pay off.
Danielius Lavrinovicius, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.0 credits)
Lavrinovicius' minutes spiked a little after Brady Manek got injured and is absent. In the last EuroLeague game, Lavrinovicius played 14 minutes; he got 22 minutes in the last domestic game Sunday. He didn't generate a lot of PIR in both of those games, and he is a risky pick too, but increased minutes and ALBA as the opponent may be good arguments to take it.
Center
Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (16.2 credits)
Lessort and Panathinaikos will play against shorthanded Efes, which might be an advantage. Over the last three games Lessort racked up 27+ minutes, 14.3 points, a 70.8 percent FG%, 7.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 6.3 fouls drawn, 20.0 PIR. Efes was one of the worst teams defensively in the league; however, they made a couple of additions recently, and one of them is Daniel Oturu, who put up big numbers in the Turkish League. My strategy is to monitor Oturu's availability and decide on Lessort's pick at the last minute.
Bruno Caboclo, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (13.0 credits)
Frank Kaminsky will not play in Round 12, and this may shift more opportunities to Caboclo. Caboclo excels on both ends of the floor, having already played 4 EuroLeague games and recorded 11.8 points, 80/80/73% shooting splits, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 16.8 PIR per 20.0 minutes—a promising stat line. If a player gets 25-30 minutes, these stats may be even better.
Johannes Thiemann, ALBA Berlin (11.6 credits)
Thiemann's minutes are going down, but he remains a profitable pick, generating 18.3 PIR per 22+ minutes in the last three games.
Tyrique Jones, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (10.6 credits)
Again, lots of injuries Efes is having right now. Due to this, Jones played 32 minutes last EuroLeague Round and 27 minutes in the last domestic league game. A red flag, even though he is playing a lot of minutes, he is not attempting a lot of shots, he is not shooting from behind the arc. On the other hand, he has rebounding, stealing, blocking, and drawing a few fouls. He is not a very confident pick but really worth of consideration.
Khalifa Koumadje, ALBA Berlin (8.1 credits)
First of all, I generally don't like players getting less than 20 minutes, and Koumadje is getting less than 20 minutes. However, he is really productive recently, grabbing at least seven rebounds in three straight games. He is a risky pick that may work if you want to save a few credits and invest elsewhere.
Head Coach
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (7.3 credits)
Hopefully Josh Nebo will be back after last week's absence, and Maccabi is favored even though they are headed to France. ASVEL remains one of the worst defensive teams, allowing a lot of PIR for their opponents. Maccabi should be able to capitalize.
Kazys Maksvytis, Zalgiris Kaunas (5.9 credits)
Yes, Zalgiris is playing in Berlin, and yes, they had a bad run, losing multiple games in EuroLeague and also in the domestic championship. They lost Arnas Butkevicius, a core defensive player. However, they are facing a 1-10 ALBA squad. In addition, Sterling Brown, Louis Olinde, Matt Thomas and Ziga Samar all find themselves on the injured list. It is a little risky but this is a very affordable pick at this spot.
Drop Candidates
Devin Booker, FC Bayern Munich (10.6 credits)
Booker had a great run recently. The next Round might be a turning point, with slightly lower statistics due to a few reasons. The upcoming schedule looks challenging: Milan, Olympiacos and Real Madrid. Also Vladimir Lucic could soon be back, at that what mean a couple fewer shots for Booker. At least consider a replacement for this center.
Vanja Marinkovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (6.1 credits)
The idea to drop Marinkovic from your fantasy teams might not be a bad one because of the challenging schedule ahead -- Fenerbahce, Red Star, Virtus Bologna. On top of that, he is coming off a poor shooting night in the domestic league. However, he constantly plays 20 minutes and averaged 9.6 field goal attempts over the last five games. So, we do have arguments both for dropping and keeping him.
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