This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Marko Guduric, Danilo Barthel and Dyshawn Pierre will all be available for Fenerbahce on Friday.
- Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Papanikolaou remain out for Olympiacos.
- ALBA's Niels Giffey will not play Friday.
- Zan Sisko, Robin Amaize and Matej Rudan are still out for Bayern.
THE SLATE
Zenit Saint Petersburg at 
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Status Check: Alex Poythress (DYR), Tarik Black (DYR), Marko Guduric (ULK), Danilo Barthel (ULK), Dyshawn Pierre (ULK)
Best Bets for Success: Five Fenerbahce players averaged at least 24.4 points on DraftKings last week, but with a couple of them banged up and Zenit containing opposing guards as well as anyone, Jan Vesely is the clear top option for the Turkish team. Vesely has been efficient as they come of late, and he's been productive, too, averaging 16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists over the last eight Rounds. Nando de Colo has been nearly as steady as Vesely, and it could be worth looking past the matchup if Guduric sits out, as he has gotten his groove back and would pick up more opportunities to produce. It doesn't appear there will be any changes to Zenit's roster Friday, which means both Kevin Pangos and Arturas Gudaitis land here again. Pangos scored in double figures and recorded at least five assists six times over his last eight appearances, and he was one assist shy of doing just that last time these teams matched up. Gudaitis will be in position to bounce back Friday, as he should spend plenty of time on the court and gets a Fenerbahce defense allowing plenty of points and rebounds to opposing frontcourt players.
DFS Darlings: Given Fenerbahce's top-heavy distribution of late and Zenit's stingy defense, there won't be any intriguing value plays for the Turkish team if they are at full strength. However, if Guduric sits, you could take a chance on Alex Perez at a minuscule $3,600 on DraftKings. Among all the positions Zenit has been most vulnerable to players at the forward spots, so if both Barthel and Pierre are out, you could make a case for Edgaras Ulanovas, who checks in at $4,600. Fenerbahce's has been particularly poor against players at the two forward spots, which is good news for both Mateusz Ponitka and Will Thomas.
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens at 
Olympiacos Piraeus
Status Check: Nemanja Nedovic (PAN), Sasha Vezenkov (OLY), Kostas Papanikolaou (OLY)
Best Bets for Success: The latest edition of the Greek derby will take place Friday, but it's all but certain neither team will be at full strength. Panathinaikos will be down its top scorer in Nedovic, and Olympiacos will likely be without Vezenkov, who has been one of their best scorers of late. With Nedovic out, Ioannis Papapetrou will be Panathinaikos' top scoring threat, and he did plenty of that in his club's last domestic game, putting up 26 points over 24 minutes. He will be plenty appealing on DraftKings at a mere $8,200. Georgios Papagiannis should see some extra opportunities as well, making him a good bet to record a double-double and at least a couple blocks. Kostas Sloukas continues dominating for Olympiacos, and he's likely to keep things going Friday, as Panathinaikos is giving up plenty points and threes to opposing guards. He was a bit quiet last time these teams faced off, but he's playing far better now and should be motivated to perform better.
DFS Darlings: Shaq McKissic's playing time has picked up of late, and he's a good bet to hit double figures Friday with Olympiacos needing someone to pick up some scoring slack and Panathinaikos allowing guards to succeed in that regard. Vassilis Spanoulis could also get extra run in what could be the final derby of his career, and he got the job done in a far tougher matchup in his last appearance. Panathinaikos' top players figure to pick up most of the slack for Nedovic, but his absence could allow Lefteris Bochoridis' ascent to continue.
ALBA Berlin at 
FC Bayern Munich
Status Check: Peyton Siva (BER), Jayson Granger (BER), Niels Giffey (BER), Zan Sisko (MUN)
Best Bets for Success: Jalen Reynolds has been so good lately that he finds himself the top-priced player in Thursday's DraftKings contests. That will make it tough for him to return significant value, but he has the matchup to do so, as ALBA ranks at or near the bottom against frontcourt players in just about every category. ALBA will be down its top two guards in this one, so the team figures to lean on its frontcourt. Luke Sikma will be the top option in fantasy contests, as he was back at full speed last Round and could do a bit more facilitating than usual.
DFS Darlings: While his goose egg last Round knocks him out of the top section for the time being, Vladimir Lucic still lands here with an $8,400 price tag on DraftKings. He is returning some of the most average value on the board, and he gets the same favorable matchup as Reynolds. Centers have scored the ball pretty well against Bayern, which plays right into Ben Lammers' hands, particularly with some scoring opportunities available. Maodo Lo and Markus Eriksson figure to be ALBA's top backcourt options Thursday, and neither will cost you even $7,000 on DraftKings. You could consider gambling on Jonas Mattisseck, though, as chances are he will start and he won't have to do much to return useful value at $4,200.
AX Armani Exchange Milan at 
LDLC ASVEL
Status Check: Sergio Rodriguez (MIL), Vladimir Micov (MIL), Jeff Brooks (MIL), Jakub Wojciechowski (MIL), Derrick Walton (ASV), Charles Kahudi (ASV)
Best Bets for Success: Milan continues getting pretty steady production up and down its roster, but their starting guards will be their top two options Friday, as Rodriguez will be sidelined and ASVEL is giving up plenty of points to opposing backcourt players. Malcolm Delaney failed to reach double figures just four times over his last 16 games, and Kevin Punter has finished with fewer than 10 points just twice in his 17 appearances. Both figure to have the ball in their hands even more so than they usually do. ASVEL has a guard who has also been lighting up the scoreboard in Norris Cole, who has hit the 20-point mark four times since New Year's and has averaged 16.6 ppg since that day. He's getting a bit pricey on DraftKings, but he's earned the raise.
DFS Darlings: ASVEL has contained opposing forwards better than anyone in the league, but they've had little success against both guards and centers. Riccardo Moraschini gets a mention at just $4,800 on DraftKings, and both Zach LeDay and Kyle Hines are worthy of consideration as well. Moustapha Fall has been banged up for a while, but he was able to handle a full workload his last time out, and at just $7,400 he is returning some of the most average value on the board. He fell two rebounds shy of a double-double last time these teams met. With Kahudi out, William Howard is interesting as well.
TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at 
Real Madrid
Status Check: Luca Vildoza (BAS), Zoran Dragic (BAS), Anthony Randolph (MAD), Nicolas Laprovittola (MAD), Jaycee Carroll (MAD)
Best Bets for Success: Pierria Henry isn't the most expensive player on the board, but he's averaging the most DraftKings points by a pretty comfortable margin, which gives him plenty potential to provide value. It's not like he has been in a slump, as he averaged just shy of 30 points on that website last month, and he had poured in a season-high 23 points when these team squared off in Round 1. Walter Tavares remains the man for Madrid, and thanks to his work on the defensive end he has remained productive even with his scoring slipping a bit.
DFS Darlings: Carlos Alocen figures to run the show again for Madrid, and he's still cheap enough on DraftKings to return 3x value if he can just match what he did last week. Alocen will be tested by Henry, so Alberto Abalde could assist with some facilitating. Abalde has been a bit hit-or-miss lately, but he provides some nice upside on DraftKings at just $6,900. While Baskonia's injured players figure to be available, their value plays will be limited, as it's not clear what shape those two players will be in and all of Baskonia's big men will have to contend with the imposing Tavares.
