This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
It has been a very dynamic season in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, as a rash of injuries have forced us to adapt and react swiftly. Fortunately we have had unlimited trades at several points, and looking ahead, that opportunity will once again arise after Round 26.
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 now, for the picks!
Guard
Mike James, AS Monaco (18.6 credits)
James had a couple off nights recently against tough opponents in Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, but he also had a couple monster nights as well. James is consistently playing 30 minutes per game in the EuroLeague, and his next test will come against Efes. The Turkish team used to cede a lot of PIR to point guards, but they have improved defensively in recent couple games, leaving their opponents below 80 PIR.
Keenan Evans, Zalgiris Kaunas (15.6 credits)
Evans remains on a roll, averaging 19.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 4.3 fouls drawn and 21.3 PIR over the last three games. His next opponents are Partizan, which does not not defend very well against point guards, and the Efes club James will next face. After these games, he will face PAO, and we might need to consider trading Evans due to a tough defensive matchup.
Paris Lee, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (13.0 credits)
Lee continues getting a lot of minutes with Nando de Colo out and averaged 32 of them over the last seven Rounds. He put up 16.0 points, attempted 12.4 shots from the field and distributed 7.6 assists per game over this span of time. Since he is getting those huge minutes, he is a strong fantasy candidate.
Yago Dos Santos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (8.6 credits)
Nemanja Nedovic could return Thursday, but Milos Teodosic is still out, so Dos Santos will have another opportunity -- and perhaps a big one if Nedovic remains sidelined. Dos Santos dropped 26 points in Round 22, and he followed that up with a truly impressive domestic-league performance, one in which he put up 17 points, five rebounds and 14 assists over 30 minutes. The next couple opponents -- ALBA and Valencia -- might be favorable for him, as these teams tend to allow plenty of PIR to point guards.
Branko Lazic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (4.0 credits)
Lazic is playing the most minutes recently amongst players who cost the minimum, and those ticked all the way up to 24 in Round 22. Red Star will next play ALBA, a team that allows lots of PIR for their opponents. Lazic had a great domestic-league showing Sunday, making 4-of-5 threes and scoring 17 points. However, in EuroLeague, he records only 0.8 PIR per game over the last 5 games. Obviously, the player has red flags, but at the same time, he plays decent minutes and might be worth the risk, especially when we are sure his price will not go down. Like Dos Santos, his prospects will hinge on the availability of Nedovic to some degree.
Forward
Konstantinos Mitoglou, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (13.4 credits)
It's essential to mention that Mitoglou's minutes are fluctuating recently. He could get 30 or could get only 20 on any given night. Apart from that, his stats are great: 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 fouls drawn 18.3 PIR over the last three games. Aleksander Balcerowski remains out, which may provide more guarantees that Mitoglou will get at lest 30 minutes. The next opponent, Maccabi, has shown tendencies to struggle against bigs.
Rokas Giedraitis, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (11.7 credits)
After this Round, we will have to reconsider Giedraitis, as he will play against a couple good defensive teams from Spain, Valencia and Barcelona. In Round 23, he will face his former club in ALBA, which looks like a good matchup, as they allow a lot of PIR. Giedraitis' stats are up right now, with averages of 30 minutes, 15.7 points, 8.3 shot attempts, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 3.3 fouls drawn and 20.3 PIR over the last three games.
Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (9.4 credits)
I am trying to catch the moment when it could be okay to drop Bryant from the fantasy team, because up until now he has been one of the best value picks in the game. Will Clyburn is back, and most of the time he plays Bryant's position. In the last EuroLeague game Bryant attempted only four shots from the field. He still played 30 minutes and had a decent night with at least five marks in three columns, and that will help keep him on the court. However, his role could shift further once Clyburn is back at full speed.
Charles Kahudi, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (5.5 credits)
Kahudi averaged 27 minutes over a five-game span before being a surprise scratch in Round 22. If we find out that he will be available for Round 23, we could consider keeping or adding him to the roster.
Uros Trifunovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (4.2 credits)
Trifunovic does not run you all that much and sees decent minutes. He is capable of finding the rim in the paint and shooting from behind the arc. He can clean the boards as well. In his last three EuroLeague games, Trifunovic recorded seven, 12 and zero PIR.
Center
Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (17.1 credits)
Lessort is a potential fantasy pick because of his playing time and the opponents over the next four Rounds. He has been playing around 30 minutes per night, and Panathinaikos will play against Maccabi, Armani, Zalgiris and Fenerbahce next -- teams that tend to allow quite a lot of PIR for opposing centers.
Vincent Poirier, Real Madrid (11.7 credits)
Poirier dealt with an injury recently, but he saw action both in Round 22 and in Real Madrid's last domestic contest. Additionally, Olympiacos bigs Nikola Milutinov and Moustapha Fall are both out, making their rotation at the center position very slim. Obviously, this is an advantage for Poirier.
Filip Petrusev, Olympiacos Piraeus (9.7 credits)
With both Milutinov and Fall unavailable, Petrusev will have a big opportunity in Round 23. Although he is a bit pricey, he is likely to get significant minutes. It would be an ideal situation if both Tavares and Poirier were out, but alas he will not have to face the perennial Best Defender contender.
Head Coach
Pablo Laso, FC Bayern Munich (5.0 credits)
Bayern, which has won three straight games across EuroLeague and domestic competitions, will play against ASVEL at home. Bayern has a 6-3 record at home in EuroLeague play, while ASVEL has a 2-8 record in away games. As Vladimir Lucic said in a recent interview, the next few EuroLeague games are very important for Bayern, and this will be a must-win to contend for a spot in the play-in tournament.
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (6.3 credits)
I don't have more confident coach picks to offer, but let me analyze at least one. Partizan will play against Zalgiris at home, and the Lithuanian team emerged victorious five times over its last six trips to the court across all leagues. However, Thursday's game will be in Stark Arena, one of the toughest hosts in EuroLeague. Partizan has no injured players any longer and lost in Round 22, so they will be plenty motivated to knock off an 8-14 Zalgiris team.
Drop Candidates
Tadas Sedekerskis, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (12.3 credits)
He has played below his season average for minutes in three straight games, with 19, 20 and 21 in Round 22 and going backward. Even though he saw 26 minutes in the last domestic game, the confidence that he will get big minutes is gone now. His price has also gone down from 12.7 to this point over the last three rounds.
Diego Flaccadori, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (5.2 credits)
Flaccadori had a good run, but with Shavon Shields and Rodney McGruder joining the fray, and a couple other players due back soon, his role is due to change. In fact, he only played nine minutes in Round 22 after seeing at least 20 in his previous five appearances.
Giordano Bortolani, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (4.8 credits)
In the same situation as Flaccadori, Bortolani's role will be changing. He missed the last EuroLeague Round and played only four minutes in his club's last domestic contest, and despite a productive string of games the youngster will cede minutes to the more established players.
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