This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
The second part of the double-round week begins in just hours, which means it's once again time to set your lineups in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge.
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 via @RotoWireEuro.
And away we go!
Guard
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (17.3 credits)
Larkin still posted almost all the fantasy numbers we need in the last EuroLeague round: 33 minutes, 9 shots (would love to see a little more though), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal. He got 18 PIR in that game, which is not ideal but okay. The next game is against Baskonia, which is among the teams that allow lots of PIR for their opponents. Red flag: Elijah Bryant is already back, and Rodrigue Beaubois may also return in Round 16, which could slightly lower Larkin's value.
Mike James, AS Monaco (17.2 credits)
James remains a strong addition to Fantasy teams as he still has everything to deliver a high PIR game: minutes, shot attempts, rebounds, assists, fouls drawn, and a few steals. On top of that, a very important AS Monaco player, Jordan Loyd, will remain OUT.
Codi Miller-McIntyre, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (12.4 credits)
Before the last round, we agreed to keep Miller-McIntyre for at least two rounds. Last round, as expected, he played a lot again (33 minutes) and recorded a 17 PIR game.
Vanja Marinkovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (6.3 credits)
Marinkovic gets the most playtime in the 7 credits or below list of players. He might not offer too many statistical records apart from shooting from behind the arc and rebounding. Every other game he dishes out a few assists and gets steals once or twice though. Costing only 6.3 credits, he is always a considerable option. On top of all this, he will play Efes, who is not defending well.
Diego Flaccadori, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (4.7 credits)
I am late to the party; next round might be the last when we could pick Flaccadori with the value he has right now. Kevin Pangos is not playing and probably will no longer play for Armani, Maodo Lo is injured and Shabazz Napier is not on the team just yet. Especially since Lo's absence, Flaccadori got a bigger role on the team and had 16 PIR and 10 PIR in his last two EuroLeague games. A considerable pick, keeping in mind that we will likely have to burn 1 trade after this round while replacing him.
Josep Puerto, Valencia Basket (4.2 credits)
Puerto is only 4.2 credits, and during the last 4 EuroLeague games, he has a small but regular role in this Valencia team. He is contributing by attempting 4-6 shots and grabbing 2-4 rebounds over that span of time. He likely will not get you a lot of PIR, but you may expect him to perform for his value -- particularly with Valencia down three key players in Semi Ojeleye, Jared Harper and Victor Claver.
Forward
Shavon Shields, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (15.0 credits)
Shields had great games in the last round, with the highlight being his 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 4 fouls drawn - that's versatility. Mirotic is still not back. It is a little concerning that Armani will play at Panathinaikos in the next Round, but the last time Shields recorded fewer than 15 PIR was on Nov. 9 -- well over a month ago.
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus (12.6 credits)
Peters did come back to the roster with a mediocre game (28 minutes, 9 shot attempts, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 9 PIR). However, his next couple of games are against ASVEL and ALBA, which might be favorable matchups for the player. The last game was not so good because his shooting was off, but he contributed in other aspects of his game: minutes, rebounds, and a few assists.
Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid (11.0 credits)
If Gabriel Deck is still OUT, Hezonja's expected value might remain boosted and should be more than 11.0 credits.
Center
Johannes Thiemann, ALBA Berlin (12.9 credits)
Thiemann is one of those players we may always consider adding as he is the best player on the team and costs only 12.9 credits. ALBA always expects him to play a key role, team mates giving him chances to record a decent amount of PIR.
Eli Ndiaye, Real Madrid (4.4 credits)
If Deck continues his absence, Ndiaye is one of the best picks at this price range. While Deck is OUT, it is very likely to give more playtime to Ndiaye.
Head Coach
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (7.6 credits)
What a close game win by Saras and the Fenerbahce team in their last round at home against Zalgiris. They are now traveling to Berlin to play the team that just beat Barcelona. There are quite a few red flags here to pick Jasikevicius: an away game; ALBA might be hyped after the win against Barca; Fenerbahce still far away from where the new coach wants them to be. While it's risky, at the same time it is definitely a considerable pick.
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus (7.3 credits)
They play ASVEL - the team that has a 7-game losing streak. Olympiacos is going into this game after a tough loss to Virtus. Will that give OLY extra motivation to win the next game? Will they be able to win against ASVEL in France? Bartzokas and a pretty much healthy Olympiacos have more chances to win against ASVEL even in an away game, they just got more talented and experienced players.
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (7.3 credits)
Maccabi, a 9-6 team, will play Red Star, a 5-10 team. This coach pick is also risky, like the first two, as it has a few red flags - it is unclear how Red Star players will respond to the recent Napier story. Sometimes teams unite after such shaking events that happened in Belgrade. Moreover, even though Zvezda lost all its away games, most of those were lost by a close deficit. It's a risky pick like other 2 coach picks above.
Drop Candidates
Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (16.2 credits)
I understand this is a very controversial suggestion; let me try to explain. Shengelia did face a really tough opponent last round (OLY), recording 8 PIR only - his shooting suffered badly while other stat categories were usual in this game. Shengelia will play another tough matchup against Valencia Basket. If you don't have a player currently on your roster, do not bring him to the team. If you do have him, you may consider keeping him and saving trades elsewhere. After the game against Valencia, it's Partizan, Bayern, ALBA, Maccabi, which look like better matchups for Virtus and Shengelia than Valencia.
Dovydas Giedraitis, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.1 credits)
We could start seeing Giedraitis' minutes go down; he might lose a part of his role to Austin Hollins, who is much more experienced than Giedraitis. Last game, Giedraitis played only 10 minutes, which moves his expected value down.
Ercan Osmani, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (4.0 credits)
Osmani was registered for the game but didn't play last EuroLeague round, probably as Efes players gradually come back after injuries and new players integrate into the team. We have no option but to trade him.
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