EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks: Round 15

Looking back at Round 14 of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, it's hard to summarize it with just one word. The mountains we trusted truly crumbled! Interestingly, almost all the high-credit players underperformed in the same week, defying expectations. That's why, for this upcoming Round, our strategy shifts to "no more reliance on high-credit stars." Instead, we will turn our focus toward lower-credit pickups which is seeking value and stability from players who may fly under the radar but can deliver fantasy points.

If you have any questions or comments about strategy or the picks below, feel free to drop those at the bottom of this article or reach out on X via @RotoWireEuro.

Guard

Nando de Colo, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (13.7 credits)

de Colo is like a fine wine: while he may not maintain perfect physical condition throughout the season, whenever he's on the court, he still delivers flashes reminiscent of his CSKA prime. After returning from roughly a one-month injury layoff, de Colo led ASVEL in PIR in back-to-back challenging road games, posting 34 PIR in Round 13 and 22 PIR in Round 14. This demonstrates that even after injury, he remains a highly reliable fantasy contributor when given minutes. Looking ahead, ASVEL faces two more manageable consecutive matchups, first against Maccabi and then Bayern. With de Colo's recent form trending upward, fantasy managers should seize this opportunity to maximize his high ceiling. At his price, he's a top-tier pick for stable production and potential breakout PIR in upcoming rounds.

Kevin Punter, FC Barcelona (12.8 credits)

Since Xavi Pascual, who won a EuroLeague title in 2010, has taken over the reigns for Barcelona, Punter's production has risen significantly. Punter has been used primarily as a pure scorer in previous Barcelona constructions, but in Pascual's first two wins, he showcased a far more diverse offensive profile: seven assists again ASVEL and six more against Red Star. This shift signals a deliberate effort by Pascual to expand Punter's responsibilities and make him a dual-threat creator. If this trend continues, Punter will unlock a highly valuable fantasy combination: his natural scoring ability plus consistent 5+ assist upside. That statistical blend would elevate him into the category of elite, high-demand fantasy guards, making him one of the most attractive mid-to-high tier options on the market. In his current form and evolving role, Punter stands out as a prime buy candidate for any manager seeking both stability and top-tier PIR potential.

Nigel Williams-Goss, Zalgiris Kaunas (9.0 credits)

Williams-Goss has always been one of my favorite guards in the EuroLeague due to his ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Although he never quite became a major piece during his two seasons with Olympiacos, he is clearly working toward rediscovering his best form in Zalgiris colors. He actually started very well in Round 6 against Barcelona before suffering an injury that kept him sidelined until Round 14. Thankfully, his long-awaited return finally came last week. While his performance against Maccabi was not particularly impressive, the key fantasy takeaway is that he logged 21 minutes -- a strong indicator that the coaching staff is ready to reintegrate him without heavy restrictions. Let's consider it a warm-up game. Zalgiris faces Paris in Round 15, and Williams-Goss should show a much sharper and more impactful version of himself. Given his stable role, two-way reliability and clear upward trajectory post-injury, he profiles as a sneaky mid-range pick for managers seeking a guard with both floor stability and breakout potential.

Matthew Strazel, AS Monaco (8.4 credits)

Ladies and gentlemen, this is officially an appreciation pick. Over the last two rounds, Strazel has delivered performances that looked almost Mike James–like, posting 21 and 26 PIR with remarkable efficiency. Yes, both games being blowouts certainly helped—but what truly matters for fantasy managers is that he produced these numbers without receiving any significant increase in playing time. His minutes remained almost identical to his usual rotation role, which underscores just how productive he has become per possession. Since head coach Vassilis Spanoulis took over, we have repeatedly highlighted how he has been trying to elevate Strazel's importance within the team's structure. Spanoulis values the energy and composure the young guard brings so much that he even allowed Jordan Loyd's departure at the start of the season—an early sign of trust in Strazel's development trajectory. The only notable drawback remains his dramatic split between home vs. away performances, where his efficiency dips considerably on the road. Fortunately for fantasy managers, Monaco faces Fenerbahce at home this week, which places Strazel in a favorable spot to maintain his hot streak. At his price point, he stands out as a high-upside momentum pick with a stable role and coach-backed usage.

Forward

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (12.4 credits)

Tadas Sedekerskis will miss a couple months, and with the recent departure of Hamidou Diallo, this leaves Baskonia severely undermanned at the forward positions. As of now, Luwawu-Cabarrot is essentially the only capable player remaining to absorb the bulk of those minutes and responsibilities. For a team that already opened the season with major struggles, these injuries could push them even further away from their initial goals. With more than one-third of the season already behind us, Luwawu-Cabarrot may be inclined to take on a bigger offensive burden and focus on elevating his own productivity -- something that directly benefits fantasy managers seeking volume-driven upside. Round 15 brings a tough road matchup against Real Madrid and his individual matchups will not be favorable on paper. However, given the combination of expanded role, guaranteed minutes and high usage, Luwawu-Cabarrot stands out as a necessity play. In Baskonia's current situation, fantasy managers may simply have no better choice than to trust him.

Rolands Smits, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (7.9 credits)

Since Georgios Papagiannis went down, Efes has been lacking of a natural center and trying to operate this situation with a dual–power forward setup. Smits has emerged -- alongside Ercan Osmani -- as the team's most frequently utilized presence in the painted area. After a disappointing first five Rounds, the Latvian forward finally showed signs of life in the Round-6 win at Paris, where he played an important role and began to rebuild momentum. Since then, his performance curve has been inconsistent, but there is one fantasy-relevant constant: over his last 10 games, Smits has consistently logged 25+ minutes, signalling a stable and reliable rotation slot. Last week, he delivered a 24 PIR against Real Madrid by standing out as Efes's best player in an otherwise difficult matchup. Heading into the Valencia road game, Smits profiles as a trending upward, mid-range budget option. Given his steady minutes, boosted frontcourt role and recent spike in efficiency, he carries meaningful upside for managers seeking a dependable frontcourt asset with breakout potential.

Justin Anderson, Dubai Basketball (7.0 credits)

Anderson stands out as a strong value pickup this week. With Dwayne Bacon sidelined, his role has expanded noticeably, resulting in PIR outputs of 22 and 17 what both were significantly above the expectations. Even more important for fantasy purposes, his previously inconsistent minutes have stabilized by reaching the 27-minute range in each of the last two games—an indication of growing trust from head coach Jurica Golemac. Dubai now faces two crucial back-to-back home games against Bayern and Maccabi, both of which they must approach with full intensity. Anderson should sustain his current efficiency and usage, in this way he has a realistic chance to secure a meaningful role even after Bacon's return. Given his low cost and upward trend, Anderson profiles as a high-upside, low-risk short-term addition, especially for managers looking to capitalize on temporary opportunity windows.

Jordan Nwora, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (12.9 credits)

Nwora comes with some uncertainty due to Red Star's roster situation, but it appears Chima Moneke and Devonte Graham will suit up Friday while Ognjen Dobric will not. As such, it appears Red Star will have nearly all of its key players available for Round 15. Although Nwora played a great game against Olympiacos right after returning from injury, in Round 14 his performance fell well below expectations against Barcelona -- just like most of his teammates. Nwora remains a quality pick, but the upside could be capped a bit.

Center

Mouhamet Diouf, Virtus Bologna (8.4 credits)

After a disastrous performance against Bayern in Round 8, Diouf has clearly refocused and started to impress head coach Dusko Ivanovic with his improved play. Currently averaging 25 minutes per game, he has also addressed one of the weaker aspects of his game for a center -- rebounding -- grabbing 12 and 9 rebounds in his last two outings. Round 15 will present a true test as Virtus faces Hapoel, where Diouf will go up against a formidable rim protector like Dan Oturu. If he manages to perform effectively in this matchup, his value and credibility as a fantasy asset will rise significantly.

Wenyen Gabriel, FC Bayern Munich (8.3 credits)

Looking to take a high-risk, high-reward shot? Gabriel might be your man. The center has averaged just 4.36 fantasy points over the first 14 Rounds, but there are a few reasons to consider him this week. Firstly, he faces two consecutive matchups against teams near the bottom of EuroLeague in center defense: Dubai and ASVEL. Secondly, he recently showed dominance in the domestic league by logging 23 minutes for 21 points and 13 rebounds—a clear indicator of his potential when given minutes and opportunity. To be honest, if Gabriel is going to make a meaningful impact this season, this week is the moment. Failing to capitalize on these two favorable matchups could signal a short tenure for him in Bayern's rotation.

Head Coach

Sergio Scariolo, Real Madrid (8.1 credits)

Although they faced challenges, Real Madrid secured road victories against Hapoel and Efes in order to send a clear "count me in" message to the EuroLeague race. In Round 15, they will host Baskonia  who seems like left out of playoff contention and currently dealing with injury issues. As the clear favorites, Real is expected to dominate and seeing +20 PIR from key contributors would not be a surprise for everyone.

Pedro Martinez, Valencia Basket (6.8 credits)

Many pundits predicted that Valencia had no chance against Panathinaikos on the road in Round 14, but they completely proved that wrong via dominating the game from start to finish with minimal mistakes. One of Valencia's early-season weaknesses was guard defense, which had caused them trouble against opposing backcourts. However, recent games show significant improvement in this area as they have reduced defensive lapses noticeably over the last three matches. In Round 15, Valencia will face Efes without their head coach and as a home team that has looked nearly flawless on its own court, Valencia is well-positioned for another strong performance.

Drop Candidates

Kenneth Faried, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (10.0 credits)

That's the EuroLeague: it never takes a joke! Faried started his duty in Athens impressively by winning his first four games and averaging 20 PIR including earning November's MVP honors. However, the recent home matchup against Valencia ended disastrously. Despite Valencia historically struggling to defend opposing centers, Faried finished the game with a disappointing -5 PIR. Looking ahead to Round 15, he faces a fully healthy Josh Nebo and Devin Booker, which makes his potential impact highly uncertain. Given the combination of recent inconsistency and a tough matchup, Faried represents a high-risk option and is not worth gambling on for this Round.

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