EuroLeague Primer: Round 11 - Friday

Written by

Kevin O'Brien

Updated on December 7, 2022 4:59PM EST

PREGAME UPDATES

Bayern's Paul Zipser will suit up for Round 11, but Vladimir Lucic, Niels Giffey and Jason George will not.
Fenerbahce's Marko Guduric will not play Friday.

STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

VIR Virtus Segafredo Bologna at CZV Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

Status Check: Tornike Shengelia (VIR), Milos Teodosic (VIR), Semi Ojeleye (VIR), Awudu Abass (VIR), Leo Menalo (VIR), Nikola Ivanovic (CZV)

The Breakdown: With Virtus dropping its last two games and Red Star winning three straight under new head coach Dusko Ivanovic, these teams enter Round 11 with identical 4-6 records. Both teams rank well below average on the offensive end and near the bottom in the pace department, so the oddsmakers are anticipating far fewer points will be put on the board in this contest than in any of the three below, and the over/under checks in a shade below 150.0 points. Red Star is favored by as few as 2.5 points, but they are 3-1 at home this season, and the Italian team will be forced to overcome a trio of key absences.

Best Bets for Success: Virtus ranks top-3 against guards in all of the points, assists and triples categories, but it's still tough to list anyone here outside of Luca Vildoza and Nemanja Nedovic, as they were easily their team's steadiest contributors in November. It's pretty tough to separate the two given that they check in around the same price both on DraftKings and in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, but we would recommend going with no more than one in what figures to be a low-scoring affair. We feel pretty good about both Iffe Lundberg and Jordan Mickey on the other side, as both have regularly been hitting the 20-point mark on DraftKings and should have some extra opportunities in Round 11.

Fantasy Factors: The Italian team has fared well against both guards and centers, but they rank bottom-3 against forwards in both the points and field goal attempts categories, which bodes well for Ben Bentil. This seems like a good spot for Daniel Hackett to break out, as he could hit the 30-minute mark for the second time this season and should have the ball in his hands more than he usually does. Mam Jaiteh has not made much noise this season, but he did put up 34.5 DraftKings points just two Rounds ago.

RMB Real Madrid at FBB Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Status Check: Guerschon Yabusele (RMB), Rudy Fernandez (RMB), Adam Hanga (RMB), Anthony Randolph (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB), Scottie Wilbekin (FBB), Nemanja Bjelica (FBB), Marko Guduric (FBB), Dyshawn Pierre (FBB)

The Breakdown: The marquee matchup on Friday's slate will take place in Turkey, as first-place Fenerbahce takes on a streaking Real Madrid team that has won five straight. The Spanish squad's depth has been tested nearly all season, and Fenerbahce's will be Friday, as they could be down three players who are regularly seeing 20 minutes per night. Both teams have plenty of talent to overcome their absences, and thus this is expected to be the highest-scoring game of the evening. Fenerbahce has not lost at home this season and has been given a slight edge in the spread, but Real Madrid has fallen just once in four road trips and have fewer questions marks in their Round 11 rotation.

Best Bets for Success: With Fenerbahce one key guard and perhaps another, Nick Calathes is the clear top option in their backcourt in Round 11. Johnathan Motley also makes the cut, as also the Spanish squad is ceding fewer rebounds to centers than any other team, they are also allowing players at that position to score more points and get up more shots than any other club. The Turkish team is making life hard on forwards, so we're going to give the nod to Walter Tavares on Friday.

Fantasy Factors: Real Madrid has been just about as tough on forwards as Fenerbahce has, but Nigel Hayes-Davis still deserves strong consideration after topping the 30-point mark on DraftKings in consecutive appearances. This also seems like a spot to pop for Carsen Edwards. Real Madrid has been pretty top-heavy, but Vincent Poirier and Petr Cornelie could give you 3x value on DraftKings.

PAO Panathinaikos Athens at ZAL Zalgiris Kaunas

Status Check: Marius Grigonis (PAO), Alexandros Samontourov (PAO), Neoklis Avdalas (PAO), Mantas Kalnietis (ZAL)

The Breakdown: Both these teams are on the rise, with the Greek team entering on a 3-1 run and the hosts going 4-1 over the last five Rounds. These teams fare pretty evenly in the secondary stats, but Zalgiris is a perfect 4-0 at home this season while Panathinaikos is 1-3 on the road, and the experts have given the edge to the home team by as many as 5.0 points.

Best Bets for Success: Keenan Evans has now put up at least 24.5 DraftKings points in seven straight appearances, keeping him in the top spot for another Round. On the opposing side, don't look past Dwayne Bacon, who is returning some of the most value on the board.

Fantasy Factors: The Greek team is allowing players at the forward spots to grab more rebounds and get up more shots than any other team, which bodes well for Rolands Smits in the Fantasy Challenge and Edgaras Ulanovas in both contests. We believe in a bounceback from Nate Wolters, who will be facing his former team and should see his playing time pick up again.

MTA Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at BAY FC Bayern Munich

Status Check: Wade Baldwin IV (MTA), Darrun Hilliard (MTA), Paul Zipser (BAY), Zan Mark Sisko (BAY), Jason George (BAY)

The Breakdown: The visitors will be looking to get back on track after going 1-4 over the last five Rounds, but that will be a tough task, as they have not won away from home this season and hit the road without two guards who can put points on the board in bunches. Bayern has not done much scoring this season, but the experts believe they will take advantage of one of the league's lowest-rated defenses and have installed them as 3.5-point favorites.

Best Bets for Success: With Baldwin out, Lorenzo Brown will occupy this spot by himself for Round 11. No player on the slate is returning more average value on DraftKings, and he should be even more involved than he usually is. A top option does not stand out on the Bayern side, but we're going to give the nod to Cassius Winston, who righted the ship in Round 10 and simply seems more comfortable working as a reserve.

Fantasy Factors: Baldwin's absence opens up a lot of opportunties on the Maccabi side, and while we don't feel great about any one person claiming them, we would expect Bonzie Colson to pick up the pace in the scoring column. Austin Hollins has not done a lot this season, but he will not have a better chance to make a mark. Have a look at Othello Hunter given Maccabi's lack of size, and Augustine Rubit as well.

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.