EuroLeague Primer: Round 11 - Friday

EuroLeague Primer: Round 11 - Friday

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

PREGAME UPDATES

THE SLATE

Valencia Basket at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Key Injuries: Vanja Marinkovic (PAM), Joan Sastre (PAM), Louis Labeyrie (PAM), Nando de Colo (ULK), Alex Perez (ULK)

Best Bets for Success: Bojan Dubljevic has a plus matchup in this one, but with him struggling to score of late, he won't be Valencia's top fantasy option in Round 11. That honor instead goes to Klemen Prepelic, who has graduated from the section below by averaging 18.0 points on the court, 29.5 points on DraftKings and 30.9 points on FanDuel over the last four Rounds. He too will have a favorable matchup, as Fenerbahce has had trouble slowing opposing guards in de Colo's absence. Fenerbahce's top two players available are clearly Lorenzo Brown and Jan Vesely, but neither are particularly appealing fantasy options, as they are both pretty pricy and Valencia has been among the best against opposing guards and centers.

DFS Darlings: The bulk of damage done against Valencia has come from opposing forwards, as players listed at those spots are averaging more points and rebounds against the Spanish club than any other team. That sets up a couple affordably-priced Fenerbahce players -- Danilo Barthel and Dyshawn Pierre -- for success in Round 11. Barthel has battled back issues, but he looked plenty healthy while scoring 22 points in Round 10. Pierre has settled into a regular role off the bench, and over the last four games he averaged just over 20 minutes and just under 20 points on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Neither will cost you more than $8 nor $6,400 on those respective websites. Fenerbahce hasn't been stout at all against opposing frontcourt players, which is good news for Derrick Williams and Mike Tobey. Both scored in double figures in the last two Rounds and should both see extra run Friday with Labeyrie sidelined. Nikola Kalinic will as well, and he will be facing his former team -- as will Williams -- for the first time.

FC Bayern Munich at Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Key Injuries: Nihad Dedovic (MUN), JaJuan Johnson (MUN), Marcus Foster (PAN)

Best Bets for Success: Panathinaikos has really struggled with guards and centers, and the German team has a premium option at each spot in Wade Baldwin and Jalen Reynolds. Baldwin will handle the bulk of the playmaking with Dedovic sidelined, and Reynolds' floor is among the highest, as he has not finished with fewer than 18.75 points on DraftKings in any Round. Panathinaikos' most consistent player has been Ioannis Papapetrou, and although he won't have the easiest matchup, he's appealing thanks to the fact he cost over $10,000 on DraftKings just two weeks ago, and is now just $8,800.

DFS Darlings: With Foster out, both Nemanja Nedovic and Howard Sant-Roos should play 25 minutes in Thursday's contest, and they have done enough to be worthy of consideration, too. The five players in this contest mentioned up to this point are all quality options on DraftKings, as they occupy five of the top six slots --  Bayern's Vladimir Lucic being the other -- in average value at their current price points. There are a few more intriguing plays to consider in this one as well. Konstantinos Mitoglou has been anything but consistent, but on a short slate, it can't hurt to take a shot on him on DraftKings, considering he put up 43 points on that website in Round 2 and will cost you just $6,600. Paul Zipser isn't quite as cheap as he was in Round 10, but with Johnson sidelined, he's a good bet to score in double figures for the third time in four Rounds. Lastly, things are lined up pretty nicely for the Zan Sisko, who won't cost you all that much on either FanDuel or DraftKings.

FC Barcelona at LDLC ASVEL

Key Injuries: Victor Claver (BAR), William Howard (ASV), Rihards Lomazs (ASV)

Best Bets for Success: Nikola Mirotic is averaging four more DraftKings points than anyone else on Thursday's slate and has topped the 30-point mark on that website five times in his six appearances. Chances are high he will hit that again in Round 11, but he's got a couple things working against him. ASVEL has slowed down opposing forwards as well as anyone, and with Barcelona playing out the string in its last three fourth quarters, Mirotic's playing time has been limited. Mirotic's floor is higher than anyones, but with Barcelona favored by double digits Friday, there could be a cap on both Mirotic's minutes and upside. Moustapha Fall is the only player close to Mirotic in average DraftKings points, and he himself is nearly three points ahead of anyone else. He had one of the best games anyone has had this season his last time out, but like Mirotic, his opponent has been really tough on players at his position, and he may not play as much as he usually does if the game gets out of hand. 

DFS Darlings: Norris Cole's price on DraftKings has jumped significantly since he last took the court three weeks ago, and he will face a Barcelona team that is among the best against opposing guards in just about every category. With all that being said, he's no worse than ASVEL's second-best player, and he should play at least 20 minutes and get up plenty of shots as he tries to get back in game shape. Plus, he's about the only other appealing option besides Fall, as an ASVEL team scoring the fewest points per game could have a tough time scoring against the team giving up the fewest points in the league. With all sides pointing toward this being a lopsided result, this seems like a good spot to take a gamble on Barcelona's Rolands Smits. He has shined this season just about anytime he has been given the opportunity, and put up some big numbers in limited minutes when Barcelona really took it to their opponents in Rounds 8 and 9. His teammate, Pierre Oriola, is also worth considering, as ASVEL has been vulnerable to opposing centers. He's just $5,100 on DraftKings and is particularly appealing on FanDuel at minimum price.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin O'Brien plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kevob100, DraftKings: kevob100.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin O'Brien
Kevin mans the Packers and Brewers beats and moonlights as RotoWire's Director of Operations.
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