This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Monaco's Dwayne Bacon and Rudy Demahis remain out for Round 27.
- Nemanja Nedovic and Neoklis Avdalas will suit up Friday for Panathinaikos, but Okaro White will not.
- Fenerbahce's Nando de Colo, Danilo Barthel and Marial Shayok will be available for Friday's game, but Jan Vesely will remain sidelined.
STATS AND INFO.
- Betting Odds
- Starting Lineups
- Injury Report
- Team Stats
- Opponent Averages
- Team Trends
- Twitter - @RotoWireEuro
THE SLATE
FC Barcelona at 
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Per an official announcement from the EuroLeague, "The following game corresponding to Round 27 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague has been suspended: Zenit St Petersburg vs. FC Barcelona. The decision has been taken by the Euroleague Basketball CEO as a precautionary measure according to Article 151 of the EuroLeague Bylaws and ahead of the meeting that the 18 teams of the competition will have on Friday, February 25, 2022."
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at 
AS Monaco
Status Check: Jan Vesely (FBB), Nando de Colo (FBB), Pierria Henry (FBB), Danilo Barthel (FBB), Marial Shayok (FBB), Melih Mahmutoglu (FBB), Ahmet Duverioglu (FBB), Metecan Birsen (FBB), Dwayne Bacon (ASM)
Best Bets for Success: Both games on Friday's schedule tip off at the same time, and the first we will analyze carries far more weight, as it features the two teams that currently reside in the ninth and 10th spots in the standings. Fenerbahce has ripped off five straight EuroLeague wins despite dealing with significant absences, and they are about to get stronger, as all of Vesely, de Colo, Barthel and Shayok could play Friday for the first time since the calendar flipped to 2022. It is no easy task identifying their best options, as the returning players could be limited and the team will still be down four players. However, we're going to guess the Turkish team's top producer will line up in the frontcourt, as Monaco ranks bottom-2 against players at the forward and center spots in all of the points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage categories. When these teams last met in Round 13, three Fenerbahce centers put up at least 10 points and five rebounds, and Vesely put up a season-high 44.0 DraftKings points. Vesely can be considered on that website at a reasonable $9,400, and if you pass on him, Devin Booker likes the next best option, having put up at least 21.0 DraftKings points in four of his last five appearances. It's pretty easy choosing the top player to go after on the Monaco side, as no player on the slate is averaging more fantasy points nor returning more average value than Mike James. He too shined in the last matchup, putting up a season-high 31 points, and his chances at a repeat get a boost with Henry not around to bother him. While he cannot match James' track record, Alpha Diallo also earns a mention here for Round 27. Diallo's season-high $9,700 price tag raises an eyebrow, but there is still reason to believe he can return value at that rate, as he put up at least 28.8 DraftKings points in four of his last seven games, could play 30 minutes in a third straight with Bacon limited at best, and will face a Fenerbahce team that ranks bottom-4 against forwards in five of the six counting stats as well as field goal attempts.
DFS Darlings: On some websites the over/under on this game is nearly 10 points higher than the next one, so it may be wise to target players in this contest. There aren't any potential bargains that really stand out, but if you want to try and and take advantage of Fenerbahce's issues with forwards, you could slot in Will Thomas, and you could also take a swing at Brock Motum on DraftKings, where he will cost just $3,900. Leo Westermann started Tuesday's makeup game and is the only player on the slate averaging 3x value besides James, so he will certainly be worth a look at a meager $4,300. No one has been tougher on opposing centers than Fenerbahce, but at just $7,300 Donta Hall deserves consideration, as he appears to be back at full speed following the EuroLeague break. Fenerbahce's backcourt is in flux, but with at least two guards unavailable, you could gamble on Markel Starks, who checks in at just $3,900 on DraftKings. Sehmus Hazer will also be worth considering with his price falling back to $5,100.
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at 
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
Status Check: Maik Zirbes (CZV), Georgios Papagiannis (PAO), Ioannis Papapetrou (PAO), Nemanja Nedovic (PAO), Okaro White (PAO), Stefan Jovic (PAO), Neoklis Avdalas (PAO)
Best Bets for Success: The last matchup between these two teams, in Round 8, resulted in an 81-48 victory for the Serbian squad, and this one could wind up lopsided as well, as Red Star will essentially be at full strength and Panathinaikos may be down all five players that would likely open the game on the court if available. With it more likely than not that Panathinaikos will be down every player listed above, their best option for Round 27 appears to be Jeremy Evans. You could make a case for a couple backcourt players, but Red Star is ceding the fewest points and FGA to opposing guards and also ranks top-4 against backcourt players in four other counting stats, so we're going to go with the big man. Evans has been anything but consistent, but he did average 20.6 DraftKings points over a three-game span in which Panathinaikos' top producer -- Papagiannis -- was out or limited a few weeks ago, so there is ample reason to believe he will deliver Friday. At just $7,100 on DraftKings, it won't cost you much to find out. It's not difficult to identify the safest option on the Red Star side, as Nikola Kalinic has finished with fewer than 15.5 DraftKings points just twice all season and is easily leading his team in fantasy points. The main concern for Kalinic is the scoreboard, as if Red Star runs away away again, Kalinic may not spend enough time on the court to return 3x value at $9,500.
DFS Darlings: While Daryl Macon and Howard Sant-Roos will have anything but an inviting matchup, it could be tough to pass them up if all of Panathinaikos' injured players are ruled out. Macon is not producing like he did earlier in the season, but he has put up at least 24.3 DraftKings points eight times this season. Sant-Roos, meanwhile, could be asked to do more scoring, and he is averaging 23.2 DraftKings points when he puts at least 10 points on the board. Lefteris Bochoridis, despite also being a guard, warrants consideration at $5,000 if all the injured players are sidelined, and among the rest of the bunch, Lefteris Mantzoukas looks like the best option, as he checks in at just $4,100. There are a number of potential bargains on the Red Star side, and the one with the most upside Nate Wolters, who is returning some of the most average value on the board and put up 30.5 points on DraftKings in Round 26. It's anyone's guess how the minutes will shake out for Red Star on Friday, so we're going to stay below the $7,000 mark on DraftKings to limit the bust potential. Austin Hollins has come on in February, so he will be in play at $6,800. Ognjen Kuzmic is worth a look as the only center available, and you could gamble on Nikola Ivanovic, who did not see action in Round 26 but has hit the 25-point mark on DraftKings four times this season.
