This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
The busiest stretch of the EuroLeague season ends with Round 21, and we have one more set of EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge recommendations until next week.
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 find who makes the cut this time!
Guard
Mike James, AS Monaco (18.5 credits)
Before the last Round, I was planning to keep James for Round 21 but trading him before the next one, as he and Monaco will face a tough test against Real Madrid next week. However, I've backtracked a bit, as I think Panathinaikos will also present a challenge, particularly in the form of Jerian Grant. Still, we're talking about James -- he doesn't care who he faces and can go off against any team. I don't have a final decision just yet.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (18.5 credits)
Larkin played a lot Tuesday despite logging a whopping 53 minutes against Real Madrid before that. However, he attempted "only" nine shots from the field -- unusual for Larkin since Will Clyburn went out -- and finished with only 16 PIR against Panathinaikos. Virtus Bologna and Barcelona are the next challenges for Larkin and Efes. He is a top-tier player who can get you 30 PIR or more, and not many players can do that repeatedly like he can. Although some stingy defenses lie ahead, he remains a solid pick for the time being.
Paris Lee, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (12.7 credits)
Lee recorded a stellar stat line -- 13 field goal attempts, five free throw attempts, seven assists and 23 PIR -- in Tuesday's win over Red Star. The next team on the docket is ALBA, and it is definitely a good idea to get Lee on your roster, as they don't fare well against the point guard position.
Shabazz Napier, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (10.7 credits)
Napier did what we expected in Round 20, tallying 15 FGA, two rebounds, five assists, two steals and five fouls received. However, he only shot 27 percent from the field. His next matchup will be against his former team, Red Star. Napier should be extra motivated, but I don't really like using that as an argument for picking a player. I like this argument more -- Red Star does not do well defending point guards.
Vanja Marinkovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (6.7 credits)
Marinkovic played 35 minutes in the last Round but attempted only four field goals. He recorded 6 PIR in that game, hence his price went down by 0.1 credit. Baskonia will face a tough Olympiacos defense in Round 21, but due to the big minutes and low price, Marinkovic remains a decent fantasy pick.
Diego Flaccadori, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (5.9 credits)
Flaccadori is really capitalizing with Milan shorthanded. Rodney McGruder could join the mix Thursday, but he has not been around long, and Nikola Mirotic, Shavon Shields, Maodo Lo and Billy Baron all remain sidelined.
Giordano Bortolani, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (4.9 credits)
Bortolani is another Milan player who is seizing the opportunity, averaging 11.7 points, 2.7 threes and 11.0 PIR while shooting a sizzling 59.1 percent over the last three Rounds. I am skeptical about him, as he will not maintain that rate and does not do much in the peripheral stats, but he has delivered for a few Rounds now, and he could be a worthy addition to your roster until Milan gets healthy.
Forward
Alpha Diallo, AS Monaco (12.4 credits)
This might be the last Round before we really consider trading Diallo, as he will face Real Madrid in Round 22. As for this Round, Diallo could have the matchup in his favor on the offensive end if he is defended by Marius Grigonis.
Jabari Parker, FC Barcelona (12.0 credits)
It took Parker a while to jump into a key role, but he has now played at least 26 minutes in five straight appearances. His shots, assists, steals and PIR have spiked as a result. Parker will take on Zalgiris next, which looks like a favorable matchup for him.
Rokas Giedraitis, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (10.8 credits)
Giedraitis' minutes stopped fluctuating, as he played at least 25 minutes in each of the last three Rounds. As a result, he put up marks of 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 4.0 fouls drawn and 20.0 PIR over that span. Red Star is playing Milan, Baskonia and ALBA in the next three Rounds. Milan could present a challenge, so you could wait a Round. Or, you could assume the risk and get him in immediately.
Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (8.3 credits)
Bryant is underpriced after averaging 12.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 threes over the last three Rounds. There is a bit of a red flag when it comes to the upcoming opponents, as Efes will face Virtus, Barcelona and Monaco over the next three Rounds.
Yanni Wetzell, ALBA Berlin (6.8 credits)
Wetzell has played at least 20 minutes in seven straight EuroLeague games, and he recorded at least 10 PIR in each of the last three. The next opponent is ASVEL, a team that cedes a lot of PIR to its opponents.
Charles Kahudi, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (5.5 credits)
Kahudi had a great performance last round against Red Star, recording 19 PIR. As a result his price increased from 4.9 to 5.5 credits. The next opponent is ALBA, a team that isn't afraid to give up a lot of PIR to its opponents. Before Round 22 versus Virtus we should consider dropping Kahudi, but given his Round 21 matchup its to resist including him on your roster.
Center
Walter Tavares, Real Madrid (16.1 credits)
The most significant red flag that Tavares has is his playing time. Very often he gets less than 20 minutes in a game because Real Madrid has such a quality backup in Vincent Poirier. It's also worth mentioning that in both his last EuroLeague and domestic appearances Tavares did not record a field goal attempt. He still hit 10 PIR in those contests though. There is risk that Tavares does not deliver at this price, but it's one I'm willing to take.
Youssoupha Fall, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (10.5 credits)
ASVEL won the last two games, and Fall was impactful in both, recording 36 PIR against Zalgiris in Round 19 and 16 PIR against Red Star his last time out. Fall looks like a particularly nice option if we look ahead, as his next four matchups will be against ALBA, Virtus, Bayern and Fenerbahce -- all teams that aren't great against the center spot. Minutes could be a concern for Fall, though, as he played only 17 of them Tuesday.
Mam Jaiteh, AS Monaco (5.9 credits)
Jaiteh played sparingly for Monaco in 2023, but since the new year started he has gotten 11, 18 and 15 minutes in consecutive appearances. He averaged 9.0 PIR over that span, which is more than his value in credits.
Head Coach
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (8.4 credits)
Fenerbahce will play at home, and they have lost only once there all season. Both Jasikevicius' club and their opponent -- Bayern -- are in good shape health-wise, but Bayern is just 2-9 in away games this season.
Roger Grimau, FC Barcelona (7.8 credits)
Barcelona will play at home, and they knocked off Real Madrid, Baskonia and Olympiacos in their last three EuroLeague games. Zalgiris, on the other hand, got ant uplifting win against Valencia in the last Round. The visitors are still down a quality defender in Arnas Butkevicius, and it remains to be seen who will be available for Barcelona, as Alex Abrines is out and Nicolas Laprovittola and James Nnaji are uncertain. There is some hesitation in going with Grimau, but Barcelona will be a pretty heavy favorite.
Pierric Poupet, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (4.6 credits)
This is a very risky pick even though ASVEL will face an ALBA team at the bottom of the table. ASVEL has won two straight but has just one more win on the season than their counterparts. Nando de Colo remains out and Deshaun Thomas is still uncertain. ALBA will play without Justin Bean and Martin Hermannsson, and a couple others are up in the air.
Drop Candidates
Daniel Hackett, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (10.5 credits)
Hackett and Virtus have a favorable schedule for the next two games facing Efes and ASVEL. However, Hackett's playing time is slipping a bit, which is concerning. I am keen to learn more about this tendency and go without Hackett for the upcoming Rounds.
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