EuroLeague Primer: Round 31 - Wednesday

Written by

Kevin O'Brien

Updated on March 23, 2022 2:54PM EST

PREGAME UPDATES

Jan Vesely, Pierria Henry and Marial Shayok are all active for Fenerbahce on Wednesday.
Zalgiris' Joffrey Lauvergne is available for Round 31.
Marcos Knight and Charles Kahudi will both suit up Wednesday for ASVEL.

STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

ASV LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at ZAL Zalgiris Kaunas

Status Check: Marcos Knight (ASV), Raymar Morgan (ASV), Charles Kahudi (ASV), Joffrey Lauvergne (ZAL), Mantas Kalnietis (ZAL)

Best Bets for Success: It's too late for either of these teams to make a playoff push, but a win would help the victor avoid finishing the season at the bottom of the standings. The home team is favored by a few points, and that's because they won four of their last seven games while ASVEL took the loss in all seven. The Lithuanian team has gotten on track thanks to its frontcourt, and Tyler Cavanaugh and Edgaras Ulanovas have been the main catalysts. Cavanaugh has been particularly hot, putting up at least 25.5 DraftKings points in four straight games, and Ulanovas has also hit that mark four times since the mid-February break. Both will have a chance to deliver again Wednesday, as ASVEL ranks bottom-5 against forwards in the points, rebounds and field goal percentage categories. The French team has its dynamic backcourt duo back together, but we aren't ready to list them both in this section just yet. At least in fantasy contests, Chris Jones remains the clear-cut top option on the ASVEL side, as he hit the 30-point mark on DraftKings each of his last two times out. He will have a chance to do the same Wednesday, as he put up 33.8 DraftKings points when these teams squared off all the way back in Round 1.

DFS Darlings: Elie Okobo's playing time remains a question with him still getting up to speed following an extended absence, but he could be worth the risk Wednesday, as only two players on the board are returning more average value and he too had a nice night in the box score in the season opener. David Lighty remains too cheap on DraftKings at $7,600, and Victor Wembanyama -- despite his price continuing to rise -- remains intriguing at just a couple hundred bucks cheaper. It remains tough to choose between Lauvergne and Josh Nebo on DraftKings, but with the former unlikely to be 100 percent, Nebo gets the nod for Round 31. This also seems like a good spot to deploy Lukas Lekavicius, whose price point is more appealing after a quiet game his last time out.

FBB Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at BKN Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

Status Check: Jan Vesely (FBB), Pierria Henry (FBB), Marial Shayok (FBB), Ahmet Duverioglu (FBB), Tarik Biberovic (FBB)

Best Bets for Success: With the Russian teams excluded from the standings, both these teams remain in the mix for a playoff spot despite each owning a losing record. The Turkish team has not played a EuroLeague game in nearly three weeks, but the time off allowed them to get healthy, and it seems both Vesely and Henry will return to action Wednesday. The big man is returning some of the most value on the board and Henry will no doubt be motivated playing in the gym he used to play his home games in, but both are pretty risky coming off long layoffs. You could make a case for all kinds of Fenerbahce players here, but with the Spanish squad ranking top-5 against centers in the points, rebounds and field goal attempts categories and ceding some of the most shots to both guards and forwards, we are going to go with Nando de Colo and Dyshawn Pierre. The former should be back at full speed at this point, and the latter averaged more than 25 points on DraftKings over his last nine appearances. No one has been hotter than Wade Baldwin, who topped the 40-point mark on DraftKings for the third time in five games his last time out. He will have work cut out for him Wednesday, though, as Fenerbahce is faring well against opposing guards and should get back their best defender in Henry. Matt Costello's recent results earn him a mention here, as he averaged 28.4 points on DraftKings over his last six games. However, he too will have a tough task, as no team has limited opposing center better than Fenerbahce. Simone Fontecchio and the rest of Baskonia's forwards have the most inviting matchup, and that could help Fontecchio approach or surpass the 25-point mark on DraftKings like he did in his last four trips to the court.

DFS Darlings: Rokas Giedraitis snapped out of a bit of a slump his last time out, and he remains plenty affordable on DraftKings at $8,300. Alec Peters is listed as a center, but he often spends time on the perimeter, making him a potential bargain at $7,100. Achille Polonara is also listed as a center, but he could see action at a forward spot Wednesday and will be facing his former team, so there is reason to buy in at $8,600.

OLY Olympiacos Piraeus at ASM AS Monaco

Status Check: Danilo Andjusic (ASM)

Best Bets for Success: Wednesday's slate will, for a few reasons, end with a fun one. The over/under on this game is notably higher than it is in the first two contests, Olympiacos can match second-place Real Madrid in the win column, and Monaco needs a win to hang onto the eight spot in the standings. The Greek team blew out its counterpart when these teams met in Round 8, but they are not as stout on the road, and chances are this will be a close contest. There are a number of options to consider here on both teams, and we feel most confident in Mike James and Alpha Diallo for Monaco and Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas on the Olympiacos side. James is averaging the most fantasy points on the board and is also returning the most value, and Diallo's price dropped drastically despite another big game his last time out. Vezenkov dropped a double-double when these teams met back in Round 8, and Sloukas should thrive in a fast-paced contest.

DFS Darlings: Both squads have been a bit top-heavy of late, which does not leave much space for bargains. However, Dwayne Bacon may be the best value play on the board at a meager $7,900. Donta Hall is starting to make some noise again, bringing him into play at $6,800. Tyler Dorsey's rate has dropped to $8,500, and he had one of his best games of the season last time these teams squared off. The French team has had trouble with frontcourt players this season, which bodes well for both Kostas Papanikolaou and Moustapha Fall.

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.