This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
The second half of the regular season gets underway Tuesday, and it will also be the first day of another double-game week. Before we get to the picks, just a reminder that we will once again have unlimited trades after Round 19.
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.
Let's get the second half underway!
Guard
Mike James, AS Monaco (17.9 credits)
An MVP candidate, currently second in the league by PIR per game, is playing against Maccabi, who is not at the top when we talk about defense.
Chris Jones, Valencia Basket (12.6 credits)
Jones has been playing really well over the last 3 games: 29 minutes, 16.7 points, 11.7 shot attempts, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 18.3 PIR. Last weekend, he tallied 19 points, five assists and two steals against Real Madrid in the domestic league. His next opponents is Efes, which might be a very favorable matchup for the Valencia guard, who will be joined in the backcourt by Kevin Pangos.
Shabazz Napier, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (10.7 credits)
With Maodo Lo out and Diego Flaccadori less than 100 percent, Napier -- who already brings a lot of potential -- will get an extra boost in his first EuroLeague game since rejoining Milan. Let's not forget that Nikola Mirotic and Shavon Shields are also out with injuries. Napier will have his hands full with Thomas Walkup on Tuesday, but the noted defender may not be at full speed due to an injury of his own.
Nigel Williams-Goss, Olympiacos Piraeus (8.4 credits)
It would be ideal if Walkup is out, but Williams-Goss still might be a pretty nice pick for your fantasy team. He did come back to the OLY roster a while ago and is recording 12.3 PIR per game over the last 3 games. His next game is against EA7, which is having a lengthy list of injured players.
Vanja Marinkovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (6.7 credits)
Marinkovic remains one of the best picks in the affordable price range. He plays 29 minutes, scores 13.3 points, grabs 1.7 rebounds, records 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game over the last 3 EuroLeague games. Red flags - the next two opponents are PAO and Barcelona (might be tough defensive matchups for Marinkovic).
Kassius Robertson, Valencia Basket (4.8 credits)
Robertson's upside is diminished a bit with Valencia's roster being boosted, but he did put up 10 points over 19 minute over the weekend. He comes with risk but could be just what you need at this price.
Forward
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus (13.3 credits)
This is the last Round we can keep Peters with some confidence, as after this one Olympiacos will face Monaco and John Brown, who will provide a tough test for Peters.
Tadas Sedekerskis, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (12.5 credits)
Sedekerskis has huge minutes (32+ over the last 3 games), and rebounds are still there (8.7 rebounds over the last 3 games). He might not have a big PIR game as he is not shooting the basket too often, but you can expect him to outperform his price most games.
Alpha Diallo, AS Monaco (12.1 credits)
Diallo is recording 27+ minutes, 16.3 points, 10 shot attempts, 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 fouls drawn, 19.3 PIR over the last 3 games in EuroLeague. Monaco will play Maccabi -- a team that usually allows a lot of PIR for their opponents.
Center
Josh Nebo, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (13.6 credits)
Nebo left the game last EuroLeague round due to injury, but there is no indication he will not go Tuesday, and if he starts as usual he will be a quality pick. He only played 23 minutes per game overt he last three Rounds, and we would really like to see 30 from a guy in this range. However, he also averaged 19.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 fouls drawn over the last three Rounds.
Joel Bolomboy, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (10.7 credits)
Bolomboy's stats are up: 27 minutes, 12.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 17.3 PIR over the last 3 games. Red Star will face Fenerbahce, who are still struggling to stop bigs.
Eli Ndiaye, Real Madrid (4.6 credits)
I didn't expect Ndiaye to play only 15 minutes and not attempt any shots in the last EuroLeague round against ASVEL while Mario Hezonja, Gabriel Deck and Guerschon Yabusele were out. However, he did bounce back in the domestic league game against Valencia (12 points, 2/4 from behind the arc, 5 rebounds, 1 assist). If Deck remains sidelined, Ndiaye is still a considerable fantasy pick.
Head Coach
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (7.8 credits)
Fenerbahce will play Red Star at home. The Serbian squad is 1-8 when playing away, and Fenerbahce is 7-0 at home. Since Jasikevicius took over, Fenerbahce has not lost.
Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.7 credits)
Zalgiris is on a six-game losing streak, and they will be keen to end this unpleasant run by winning at home against ALBA, which is just 3-14. It's a risky pick because we don't know how the players will respond after Trinchieri replaced Kazys Maksvytis, but they lost to ALBA in Berlin earlier in the season, which should provide some extra motivation. The gamble could pay off, though, as rarely do we get a chance to select a coach in this price range.
Drop Candidates
Willy Hernangomez, FC Barcelona (13.3 credits)
I am late to the party, but Hernangomez's minutes are trending down massively. He is playing only 10+ minutes on average over the last 3 games, nowhere near what we want to see for a 13.3 credits player. He lost 0.7 credits in value during the last three Rounds. On top of all this, he will face a Real Madrid defense that is the best in the league.
Brandon Davies, Valencia Basket (11.3 credits)
Valencia had a long list of injured players before Round 17, but now multiple players are back and several others have been added. Davies' value drops due to this, and it seems like the right time to remove him from your roster.
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