EuroLeague Primer: Round 31 - Tuesday

EuroLeague Primer: Round 31 - Tuesday

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

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STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

Real Madrid at Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Status Check: Alberto Abalde (RMB), Adam Hanga (RMB), Trey Thompkins (RMB), Fabien Causeur (RMB), Jeffery Taylor (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB), Krunoslav Simon (EFS)

Best Bets for Success: The first game up will be the second matchup this season between two teams that played a thrilling five-game playoff series a season ago. Efes has been a bit up-and-down lately, but Vasilije Micic has been as steady as they come, topping the 30-point mark on DraftKings in nine of his last 10 appearances. The Spanish squad put the clamps on Micic when these teams squared off in Round 1, but he is simply playing at another level at this point. Micic's backcourt mate, Shane Larkin, bounced back nicely his last time out, and he looks like a steal on DraftKings at just $9,500. Efes has fared fairly well against centers, but that did not stop Walter Tavares from dropping a double-double in the opener. "Sergeant Swat" has tacked on five more of those since, and like Larkin, he will not cost you five figures on DraftKings in Round 31.

DFS Darlings: The Turkish team is ceding the most points, rebounds, assists and field goal attempts to opposing forwards, which bodes particularly well for the trio of Guerschon Yabusele, Rudy Fernandez and Gabriel Deck. Those players all check in at different price points, and at least one of them will be a good fit in most lineups, particularly with several Real Madrid forwards sidelined or returning from absences. On the flip side, no team has been tougher on frontcourt players than Real Madrid, so it's probably best to focus your attention on Efes' backcourt. Rodrigue Beaubois is scoring in bunches, and he's not all that pricey at $8,200.

FC Barcelona at ALBA Berlin

Status Check: Cory Higgins (BAR), Sertac Sanli (BAR), Pierre Oriola (BAR), Maodo Lo (BER), Marcus Eriksson (BER), Johannes Thiemann (BER), Louis Olinde (BER)

Best Bets for Success: These two teams also met in Round 1, and Barcelona claimed victory with ease. ALBA is playing pretty well these days, but if Lo remains out, it could be another easy win for the Spanish squad. A healthy Lo would be the top option for the German team, but with him banged up, we will go with Luke Sikma, who has slowed down but is still plenty capable of a big night. He had one of those when these teams last met, as he recorded his lone double-double of the season. Despite the drop-off, Sikma is still returning some of the most value on the board and checks in at just $8,600. Nikola Mirotic has gotten going again, recording at least 27.0 DraftKings points in back-to-back games, and only three other players on the slate are averaging more fantasy points. Nick Calathes has been producing steadily, putting up at least 21.0 DraftKings points in six straight appearances. He will be in position to deliver again, as no team is ceding more assists to opposing guards than ALBA.

DFS Darlings: A Lo absence would leave a major void in ALBA's rotation, and the top candidate to fill in would be Jaleen Smith. He has scored at least 15 points in four straight games, and he would be in position to hit that mark again Tuesday, as Barcelona ranks bottom-3 against guards in FGA and free throw attempts allowed. Oscar da Silva would also be appealing at $6,600 if both Lo and Thiemann remain out. The rest of Barcelona's roster has taken turns sharing the load in recent Rounds, but it's tough to look past Dante Exum, who put up at least 24.0 DraftKings points in four of his last five outings. Alex Abrines, who dropped 20 points in Barcelona's last EuroLeague game, looks like a steal at just $4,200. Brandon Davies will also be worth considering if Sanli remains sidelined.

FC Bayern Munich at Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Status Check: Nick Weiler-Babb (BAY), Ioannis Papapetrou (PAO), Stefan Jovic (PAO), Lefteris Bochoridis (PAO)

Best Bets for Success: This game will be a key one for the visitors, as a win would boost their chances of securing a playoff spot by season's end. It remains to be seen how things will shake out for Bayern, as due to a COVID-19 outbreak they have not played a game in two weeks. As such, Vladimir Lucic seems like the team's safest option in Round 31. Lucic averaged 24.8 DraftKings points over his last four appearances and will face a Panathinaikos team that ranks bottom-3 against forwards in all of the points, rebounds, threes and field goal percentage categories. Augustine Rubit averaged only one fewer point on DraftKings over his last eight outings, and he will have the same inviting matchup as Lucic. Three players on the Panathinaikos side have been doing most of the damage of late, and they all look pretty good in Round 31. Nemanja Nedovic has scored at least 16 points in eight straight appearances, and there's no reason to think he will slow down, particularly against a team that could be rusty. Georgios Papagiannis is the riskiest of this trio with his price popping back up to $10,000, but he is back in top form and put up at least 29.8 DraftKings points three of his last four times out. Last but not least is Daryl Macon, who has snapped out of his midseason slump and should remain busy with both Jovic and Bochoridis out.

DFS Darlings: If we knew Darrun Hilliard was 100 percent we would have included him in the section above, as no team is allowing guards to do more scoring than Panathinaikos. Hilliard could still be worth a roster spot, as he scored 20 points when these teams faced each other in Round 11 and Larkin is the only player on the board returning more average value. The matchup also favors Corey Walden, who checks in at a meager $7,100. While the Greek team has been pretty top-heavy of late, you can take a look at Howard Sant-Roos, who at $6,700 is returning some of the most value on the board. Okaro White also looks like a good buy-low candidate with his rate slipping to $7,500. 

AX Armani Exchange Milan at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

Status Check: Trey Kell (AXM), Riccardo Moraschini (AXM), John DiBartolomeo (MTA) 

Best Bets for Success: Milan can improve its playoff positioning with a win, but this game means everything to Maccabi, who currently sit in the ninth spot in the standings. Scottie Wilbekin remains Maccabi's safest option, as the 19.8 DraftKings points he put up his last time out were his fewest in seven games. However, Milan put the clamps on him when these teams saw each other in Round 3, and they rank top-3 against opposing guards in all of the points, assists, three-pointers and FG% departments. If you pass on Wilbekin, James Nunnally will be the next man up. Nunnally put up at least 35.0 DraftKings points in each of his last two games, and he scored 20 points last time he saw his former team. Shavon Shields has not appeared in a EuroLeague game in over three months, but he did see action in Milan's last two domestic contests and played pretty close to his regular role. As such, we are going right back to him as the best pick on his squad. Shields is returning some of the most value on the board, and it's unlikely he will remain priced at $9,100 for long.

DFS Darlings: Maccabi has been pretty friendly to opposing guards, which brings Malcom Delaney into play at $8,900. Sergio Rodriguez could be a better bet, though, as he is over $1,000 cheaper than his backcourt mate. Konstantinos Mitoglou will not have as inviting a matchup, but he will not need to do much to return 3x value at $6,500. There aren't really any other options that stand out on the Maccabi side, but Derrick Williams and Jalen Reynolds both got the job done last time they saw the Italian team, and neither will run you more than $7,100 on DraftKings.

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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