This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Fenerbahce's Jan Vesely will not play Wednesday due to his injury, and Dyshawn Pierre, Edgaras Ulanovas, Jarell Eddie, Ali Muhammed and Yigit Onan will all be unavailable after presumably testing positive for COVID-19.
- CSKA's Daniel Hackett will start Wednesday. Joel Bolomboy remains out due to injury, and Mike James will be unavailable after officially being granted a temporary release.
- Zenit's Mateusz Ponitka is likely done for the season due to an injury.
- Bayern's James Gist will play Tuesday, but Nihad Dedovic will remain sidelined.
- Milan's Michael Roll will be available Tuesday.
- Efes' Krunoslav Simon is starting in Game 1.
- Alex Tyus will not suit up for Real Madrid on Tuesday. Tristan Vukcevic will start Tuesday in his EuroLeague debut.
STATS AND INFO.
THE SLATE
Real Madrid at 
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Status Check: Anthony Randolph (MAD), Krunoslav Simon (IST)
Best Bets for Success: Walter Tavares appears to be back at full speed after struggling with a hip injury in recent weeks, and he will be the most important figure in Real's ranks in their opening series. Tavares wasn't at his best in two matchups against Efes in the regular season, but that was rather caused by injuries and a busy schedule. Madrid's star recorded eight double-doubles during the regular season and he will have matchup in his favor here, as Efes ranks near the bottom in all of points, rebounds and blocks conceded to centers. Nicolas Laprovittola had his ups and downs this season, but after a strong showing in Round 34 he continued to impress in domestic league. Laprovittola seems to have the upper hand over Carlos Alocen at the moment and will likely start for Real at point guard. Laprovittola averages 12.3 points, 3.3 assists and converted 53.3 percent of his three points shots in last four away games. Efes will rely on its star backcourt duo of Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin -- the two most expensive guards on Tuesday's slate. The former averages 36.5 DFS points in last four home outings and produced over 30 on 14 occasions this season. Larkin, despite being one of the best players in the league, started only 15 of the 25 games he appeared in. However, he averaged 28.7 DFS points over his last five outings off the bench, converting 55.8 percent of his shots from the field and 96.2 percent of his free throws over his last 10 outings. While Larkin was plenty effective as a reserve, don't be surprised if both players form Efes' starting backcourt during the postseason.
DFS Darlings: Alberto Abalde and Rudy Fernandez will benefit from Gabriel Deck's departure to NBA. They are priced at $5,500 and $5,000, respectively, and Abalde seems likely to start at small forward. Future NBA player Usman Garuba figures to benefit, too, and he checks in at just $7,000. Sertac Sanli scored 17 points in just 18 minutes on the court in last game against Real, and he has shown he can produce plenty more than his $6,900 price tag suggests. James Anderson averaged 18.9 DFS points over his last two starts and, if Simon is unavailable Tuesday, he will presumably occupy that role again.
FC Bayern Munich at 
AX Armani Exchange Milan
Status Check: Nihad Dedovic (MUN), James Gist (MUN), Michael Roll (MIL)
Best Bets for Success: After qualifying for the postseason for the first time, Bayern is hungry for success on the playoff stage. Vladimir Lucic could be the key to success here, as the Serbian forward was in great shape in final stages of regular season. In last five EuroLeague outings he averaged 26.1 DFS points, and he has scored in double digits in eight straight. Lucic also contributes in rebounds column with 4.8 boards per game this season. Wade Baldwin was red hot in last Rounds with an average of 30.8 DFS points since the start of March, and he has reached double figures 15 times in 17 chances since the start of 2021. Baldwin was Bayern's top scorer in Round 1 matchup against Milan with 18 points. After recovering from a knee injury, Malcolm Delaney featured regularly in domestic league, so he should be at full speed for this matchup. If Roll remains out Tuesday, Delaney should see extended minutes while sharing the ball-handling duties with Sergio Rodriguez. Kevin Punter and Shavon Shields will probably take responsibility for Milan's scoring again after averaging 16.7 and 13.8 points, respectively, over their last four games. Punter missed just one free throw over the last 11 games, converting 30 shots from the line.
DFS Darlings: Paul Zipser will have a good chance to spend more time on the court, as Gist could be limited even if he is available. The former NBA'er is priced up at $6,500 on DraftKings slate and has produced over 20 fantasy points on 10 occasions this season. Vladimir Micov averaged 17.9 DFS points average in last three games of regular season and his experience will definitely help Milan in the fight for the Final Four.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at 
CSKA Moscow
Status Check: Jan Vesely (ULK), Edgaras Ulanovas (ULK), Daniel Hackett (CSK), Joel Bolomboy (CSK), Nikola Milutinov (CSK)
Best Bets for Success: It's not yet clear who will and who will not suit up Wednesday for Fenerbahce, but it's likely Vesely will be out, and several other players will likely be unavailable as well due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Assuming he plays in Game 1, Nando de Colo will be the safest option on his team. He scored 23 out of 67 points in his team's last EuroLeague game and proved again that he is a serious candidate for the MVP award. de Colo averaged 29.1 DFS points in five final games of regular season and shone in both clashes against his former team, putting up 32.0 and then a season-best 46.5 fantasy points. Before joining Fenerbahce, de Colo spent five seasons playing for CSKA and won the EuroLeague title twice. Iffe Lundberg will likely continue occupying the driver's seat in CSKA's backcourt. He was very productive in April with an average of 32.7 DFS points over three games, and with Mike James gone and Hackett uncertain due to his injury, Lundberg won't have much competition for minutes. Micheal Eric also finished regular season on a high note with an average of 23.2 DFS points over his last five, missing a double-double in Round 34 game by one rebound. If Bolomboy does not recover from his ankle injury on time, Eric should feature heavily again.
DFS Darlings: Kyle O'Quinn, if available, will likely fill in for the injured Vesely if he sits. O'Quinn had his best game this season in Round 33 against Barcelona, delivering 31.8 DFS points. His matchup against Eric will be the one to watch. Dyshawn Pierre has stepped up frequently this year and averaged 29.6 minutes per game over his last five, and he could be needed for plenty minutes again Wednesday if he plays. Janis Strelnieks has gotten more chances of late with CSKA's backcourt short-handed. He averaged 16.8 DFS points in last three outings and most likely will be providing backup for Lundberg.
Zenit Saint Petersburg at 
FC Barcelona
Status Check: None
Best Bets for Success: The No. 1 seed hosts the final contest of the first two days of games. Nikola Mirotic, the MVP favorite, scored over 40 fantasy points twice in his last three showings. He easily led the league in Performance Index Rating and averaged 35.1 DFS points over his last five games. Brandon Davies scored 18 points when these teams met in the last matchup in January. Davies averaged 23.0 DFS points in last three outings and, despite regularly working off the bench, he is the team's most-productive center. Zenit's skipper, Mateusz Ponitka, seems to be in top shape recently with an average of 29.5 DFS points over his last four games. Ponitka's versatility is especially impressive -- he has averaged 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals since the start of March. Former Barcelona member Kevin Pangos is the player the Spanish side should be worried about most. Zenit's leader played his best game of the season his last time out, posting a huge double-double against Panathinaikos to sew up a playoff spot for his team. Pangos averaged 36.5 DFS points over his last three outings.
DFS Darlings: Austin Hollins averaged 19.2 DFS points over the last three games and seems primed for another start. He reached double digits in four of his last five. Pau Gasol could make an impact off the bench after a very promising domestic appearance Sunday in which he produced 13 points, two rebounds and an assist in just 11 minutes on the court.
