This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
Two Rounds remain until we have unlimited trades at our disposal again. Now, let's take a look at EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge picks for Round 25.
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, let's get to the picks!
Guard
Mike James, AS Monaco (18.7 credits)
James is arguably the most consistent player in the league when it comes to playing 30+ minutes. He has reached the 30-minute mark in the last 7 games. In the upcoming match against Fenerbahce at home, who have struggled to defend point guards, James has another opportunity for a favorable matchup.
Paris Lee, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (13.3 credits)
Lee has had a nice statline over the last 3 games: 17.7 PTS, 15.7 FGA, 6.7 AST, 18.7 PIR. His next opponent is Real Madrid, which may seem like a tough defensive matchup at first. However, Real Madrid has been struggling recently, especially since Walter Tavares is out. They have also faced difficulties in stopping PGs throughout the season, even when Tavares was playing. This could be an opportunity for Lee.
Chris Jones, Valencia Basket (13.1 credits)
Jones had a couple of mediocre games in the last 2 rounds (12 PIR each). In the next round, he is set to play against arguably one of the worst PG-defending team in the league recently - ALBA. Berlin's team has allowed a lot of PIR for opponents' PGs over the last 5 games, and this vulnerability has been a season-long trend.
Scottie Wilbekin, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (12.9 credits)
Wilbekin has maintained his solid performance in recent rounds, recording 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists against ASVEL. Fenerbahce's next opponent is AS Monaco, a team that also struggles to defend shooting guards. Therefore, Wilbekin might have a good chance to put up solid numbers again.
Vanja Marinkovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (7.2 credits)
Marinkovic has played 25+ minutes in 8 out of the last 10 games. He is also approaching his price to his value (7.2 credits and 9.5 PIR per game over the last 10 games). Once the price reaches around 8.5, it should stop increasing if he continues to record a 9.5 PIR average.
Edwin Jackson, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (4.6 credits)
Jackson is playing the most minutes over the last 3 games among the players that are 5 credits or below (23+ mins). The biggest red flag is their next opponent - Real Madrid. However, Jackson is priced at 4.6 credits only and might be worth the risk.
Forward
Chima Moneke, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (15.4 credits)
Tadas Sedekerskis is reported to miss the next round game, and Matt Costello will as well. If that is the case, then Moneke could be a solid pick to consider adding to your fantasy team. In general, Moneke's playtime fluctuates, which is not ideal, but with Sedekerskis and Costello OUT, this could give high chances for Chima to play 25+ minutes against Maccabi. Last but not least, Maccabi is not the best defending team in the league.
Bonzie Colson, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (14.2 credits)
Colson has played 30+ minutes in the last couple of games. He is attempting almost 10 shots per game this season, grabs 5.7 rebounds, draws fouls, and his shooting splits look great (50/37/87%). He will play against Baskonia, a team that is not the best defensively and will be shorthanded in Round 25.
Yanni Wetzell, ALBA Berlin (8.2 credits)
Johannes Thiemann is still out, which might mean more minutes for Wetzell in round 25. In the last round, we had an identical situation, and although I expected Yanni to get 25 minutes at least, he played 20 instead. The next opponent is Valencia, a little intimidating as they are a solid defensive team. So before this round, I am a bit more nervous about this pick, but he is still a decent bargain at 8.2 credits.
Mbaye Ndiaye, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (5.9 credits)
He continues to see extended minutes (around 20 for the last 5 games), making him a considerable pick. A little red flag is the opponent in the next round - Real Madrid. However, the Spanish team is not the same defensively without Tavares, and they have shown vulnerabilities since his absence.
Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (4.8 credits)
Kalaitzakis played 20+ minutes in 3 straight games (2 EL games and 1 domestic game). He did generate double-digit PIR in all of those games. Sloukas' absence might be the reason why Kalaitzakis played more. As long as Sloukas remains out, Kalaitzakis could be a considerable pick at a low price.
Center
Vincent Poirier, Real Madrid (12.6 credits)
Poirier is enjoying extended minutes, and his PIR has boosted a little over the last 3 games (26+ minutes, 17.3 PIR per game). He played the game of the season last round, recording 29 PIR. A red flag is the next opponent - ASVEL. Oh, don't laugh; this team is the #1 center-stopper at the moment.
Youssoupha Fall, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (11.4 credits)
I expected more minutes on the court and a higher shooting percentage from Fall, who had a season-low 29% field goal percentage last round. Fall will play against Real Madrid next round, but Tavares is injured. I would love to see Fall to play 25+ minutes, however last game it didn't happen and that wasn't due to foul trouble. He is, at least, considerable, as Real is not the same defensive monster as it was with Tavares.
Laurynas Birutis, Zalgiris Kaunas (9.6 credits)
Birutis continues to see extended minutes. Alongside coach Trinchieri, it seems like he is a lot more confident and not afraid, especially on the offensive end, hence his stat line spiked. Over the last 3 games, he is recording solid numbers: 15.0 points, 87/0/56% shooting splits, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 fouls drawn, 22.3 PIR. The next opponent seems like a great defensive team (PAO); however, they struggle to stop centers, and their opponents tend to attack them via this position during last games.
Maik Kotsar, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (9.1 credits)
Costello is OUT, Khalifa Diop is OUT, Sedekerskis is OUT - Baskonia will have a slim bigs rotation next round, hence Mike Kotsar may get extended minutes. He is not a great value player, especially lately. However, having in mind so much bigs will be OUT, he may get his playtime and role boosted for the next round against Maccabi.
Tibor Pleiss, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (7.1 credits)
Pleiss is a little risky pick as he does not have locked-in minutes; he could play less than 20 mins sometimes. But the main reason he is on the list right now is the potential absence of Daniel Oturu next round. Oturu got injured last round game against Zalgiris and didn't come back. Another argument for picking Pleiss, their next opponent is not defending centers well.
Head Coach
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid (12.5 credits)
Real Madrid is playing at home against ASVEL, who remain tied for last place but have been playing better. Both teams are missing important players: Tavares, Sergio Llull, Nando de Colo, Joffrey Lauvergne and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Real might even win by 11+, which would earn 20 fantasy points and would increase your budget approximately by +1 cr.
Alex Mumbru, Valencia Basket (6.1 credits)
First of all, he is a risky pick. We did have multiple stories this season already when a team is coming to Berlin to take the W and they fail. But ALBA will play without their best player Johannes Thieman, and also Louis Olinde still not getting back on the court. Valencia is missing Brandon Davies, Boubacar Toure, Stefan Jovic is GTD - core and important role players here. While we have red flags not to pick Valencia coach, Alex Mumbru might be a good selection in case you would love to risk and save credits elsewhere to spend.
Drop Candidates
Keenan Evans, Zalgiris Kaunas (15.4 credits)
Least we could expect that Zalgiris will win against Efes so bad and Evans will play only 17 minutes as a consequence of this. He got 6 PIR only in that game, and that was nowhere near what we expected from Evans. But that is not the main reason Evans is on a drop list. He is at risk to have not so great game because of a matchup coming his way in Round 25. He will play PAO, and might be Jerian Grant will be guarding him most of the time. Last time they met, Grant was superb at stopping Evans. Don't get me wrong, Evans is one of the best point guards out there, but he has a higher risk to underperform than usual.
Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (8.9 credits)
Bryant played 13 minutes only in a game against Zalgiris in round 24, it was the first time Will Clyburn played 30+ mins since coming back after injury. Like we did guess, might be that Bryant's role is changing, and he no longer will get big minutes even though he produced really nice numbers just a few games ago. This player becomes a risky pick, and I would rather take him out to see what will happen next.
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