This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Bojan Dubljevic, Mike Tobey and Sam Van Rossom will all be available for Valencia on Thursday.
- Bayern's James Gist is out for Round 31 due to a back injury.
- Carlos Alocen and Felipe Reyes will be available for Real Madrid on Thursday.
- ASVEL's Derrick Walton will return to action Thursday, but William Howard is out with an ankle injury.
- Zalgiris' Patricio Garino is set to see his first EuroLeague action with Zalgiris on Thursday.
- Red Star's Branko Lazic is inactive for Round 31.
- CSKA's Joel Bolomboy will not play Thursday due to an ankle injury.
- Panathinaikos' Nemanja Nedovic and Georgios Kalaitzakis remain out Thursday.
THE SLATE
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at 
CSKA Moscow
Status Check: Quino Colom (RED), Duop Reath (RED), Darrun Hilliard (CSK), Nikola Milutinov (CSK)
Best Bets for Success: Jordan Loyd has been in excellent form lately, and that has been noticed by DraftKings, who priced him at $11,400 -- far more than any other Red Star player -- for Round 31. Loyd put up more than 40 fantasy points in each of the last two Rounds and averaged 33.0 over his last five appearances. He sits third in the league in scoring with an average of 17.6 ppg. Will Clyburn was his team's top scorer in last week's win over Real Madrid, putting up 23 points and chipping in four three-pointers. CSKA's small forward missed time early in 2021 with a foot injury, but he is now back in top form. Clyburn averaged 23.8 DFS points over the last four, and that number should go up after Thursday's game. Johannes Voigtmann shined in both EuroLeague and domestic games in recent weeks, and he missed out on a double-double in the last Round by one rebound. He averaged 24.1 DFS points over the last three games, and he could hang onto a starting spot after last week's showing. The priciest play on Thursday's slate is again Mike James. The league's top scorer produced over 30 DFS points in each of his last two outings and averaged 27.8 over the last five. Both Red Star and CSKA have struggled to contain the backcourt positions, so Loyd and James seem to be the best picks despite their prices.
DFS Darlings: Red Star's roster is loaded with budget players who can provide fantasy teams with an unexpected haul of points. There are plenty of options to choose from in their backcourt, with Corey Walden and Ognjen Dobric leading the pack. They are both capable of delivering over 20 DFS points and both scored in double digits in three of the last four outings. Marko Jagodic-Kuridza had one of his best games this season in the last matchup and may be worth a dart on DraftKings at just $5,700.
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens at 
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Status Check: Nemanja Nedovic (PAN), Georgios Kalaitzakis (PAN)
Best Bets for Success: In the absence on Nedovic, Howard Sant-Roos continues to step up from the point guard position. He has averaged 26.3 DFS points since Nedovic went down after putting up 17.2 fantasy points per game before that. Sant-Roos had his best outing of the season last week, posing an excellent 44.8 DFS points, a number that got a big boost from his seven steals. Mario Hezonja has shown great consistency in his first four games for Panathinaikos, averaging 26.7 DFS points and scoring in double figures each time out. Hezonja's DraftKings price, which once sat at $6,100 has reached $9,500. His performance has not been affected much by the return of Ioannis Papapetrou, who is another quality option in this game. The skipper for the Greens averaged 27.4 DFS points in the last two games and spent over 30 minutes on the court in both. Panathinaikos concedes the most points in the league to opposing guards, so Efes' stars, Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic will have extremely favorable matchups Thursday night. They are priced at $10,200 and $11,500, respectively. Micic scored 33 points last time these teams squared off.
DFS Darlings: With a good chance for blowout in this game, it's worth to have a look at budget players in the Efes ranks. Players like Tibor Pleiss, Dogus Balbay, and maybe even Dzanan Musa will likely see extra time on court, and they are all available below $6,200. Rodrigue Beaubois is slightly more expensive, but his stats back up his $7,200 price tag. The French guard scored in double digits in seven of his last eight games and averaged 20.4 DFS points over the last five. Lefteris Bochoridis is not starting for Panathinaikos, but he averaged almost 20 minutes on the court in the last five games and is worthy of consideration at just $5,200.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at 
Zalgiris Kaunas
Status Check: Othello Hunter (TEL), Yovel Zoosman (TEL), Patricio Garino (ZAL), Arturas Milaknis (ZAL)
Best Bets for Success: Scottie Wilbekin is slowly emerging from his recent slump. Over the last two Rounds he averaged 24.8 DFS points after delivering just 13.3 DFS points per contest over the previous four outings. Neither number really compares to what he puts up when he is at his best, but he's on the right track. Ante Zizic seems to be there already, with four out of his last five showings resulting in 20 or more DFS points. The Croatian center averaged 24.5 DFS points over the last five games, and at the price of only $7,500 and with Hunter out, he could be a very valuable play. His matchup against Joffrey Lauvergne should be an interesting one. Lauvergne has played through injury of late, but when fully fit he is one of the most dangerous players under the rim. The Frenchman averaged 24.8 DFS points over an eight-game span before exiting early in Round 29. Marius Grigonis scored in double figures in his last four outings and figures to continue that streak Thursday night. He has averaged 15.8 points and 4.4 assists in games played at Zalgirio Arena in 2021 and is priced at $8,900 on the DraftKings slate.
DFS Darlings: Chris Jones has found a place in Maccabi's starting lineup in three consecutive games and has averaged 14 DFS points since the start of that stretch. Fellow guard Elijah Bryant has been in a bit of a rut, so Jones -- just $5,800 on DraftKings -- could pinch some minutes from him again. The experienced Paulius Jankunas is providing valuable backup at the frontcourt positions for the Lithuanian champions. The EuroLeague's all-time leader in total rebounds usually contributes most in this category and averaged 15.4 DFS points in last five outings.
Status Check: Sergio Llull (MAD), Carlos Alocen (MAD), Rudy Fernandez (MAD), Felipe Reyes (MAD), Anthony Randolph (MAD), Derrick Walton (ASV), Matthew Strazel (ASV)
Best Bets for Success: Real Madrid arrives in France with limited options in the backcourt. Alocen struggles with an ankle injury and, if he will not recover for Thursday's game, Nicolas Laprovittola will most likely start as a point guard. Laprovittola has fallen behind Alocen in the pecking order, but he proved in the past that he is capable of better. With ASVEL struggling with defense against guards this season and more time on the court, Laprovittola is in good position to return value. Walter Tavares recorded a double-double in two consecutive games and he is, unsurprisingly, the priciest play in this game. Madrid's center delivered over 30 DFS points in each of his last four outings and could do even better against ASVEL, who is one of the worst in the league against players at his position. Norris Cole has been starting regularly for the French team and averaged 26.7 DFS points over the last five. He scored in double digits in his last eight outings and, with ASVEL short-handed in the backcourt, he could spend over 30 minutes on the court. Guerschon Yabusele scored a season-high 21 points last time he faced the Spanish squad. In his last six starts he averaged 20.2 DFS points and DraftKings priced him up to $8,400 for Thursday's slate.
DFS Darlings: Alberto Abalde is a likely option to provide backup for Laprovittola. He got some run at the point guard position earlier this season and could do more facilitating Thursday. Abalde is priced at just $5,600 by DraftKings. Antoine Diot should see some more action with Strazel out and Walton likely out, and he has put up at least 21.5 DFS points three times since Jan. 21. He seems to be a great budget play at just $5,400.
FC Bayern Munich at 
Valencia Basket
Status Check: Nihad Dedovic (MUN), Bojan Dubljevic (PAM), Mike Tobey (PAM), Sam Van Rossom (PAM), Martin Hermannsson (PAM)
Best Bets for Success: Wade Baldwin's streak of scoring over 20 DFS points ended at eight last week, but foul trouble was a major reason for that. Baldwin averaged 33.2 DFS points over the five games leading up to Round 30 and scored at least 13 points in each. He was rested in Bayern's last domestic game and will face a weakened Valencia backcourt, so his price tag of $9,800 doesn't seem too high. Vladimir Lucic, who improved his point tally in each of the last four Rounds, averaged 25.9 DFS points over his last seven outings and will face one of the worst defenses in the league when it comes to containing the forward positions. Also, Lucic tallied a season-high 39.3 fantasy points last time these teams met. Dubljevic should recover on time for this crucial game after he missed the last Round with a finger injury. He averaged 23.5 DFS points in his last five outings and usually contributes in all areas of the game, but be aware he may not be 100 percent. Derrick Williams put up a season-high 18 points in Round 30 against Khimki, and he could do plenty of scoring again Thursday with two of his fellow big men banged up. He should also have a little extra juice facing his former squad, and he won't cost you more than $6,900 on DraftKings.
DFS Darlings: Recent injuries in Valencia's roster create opportunities for interesting value picks. With Hermannsson unavailable and Van Rossom coming in injured, Guillem Vives will likely see more action. He is priced at just $4,400 at DraftKings slate and scored a season-high 21.8 DFS points last time these teams matched up. Louis Labeyrie will be providing backup for the frontcourt positions and, depending on Dubljevic's and Tobey's fitness, could handle a heavy workload Thursday night.
