This article is part of our DraftKings EuroLeague DFS Picks series.
Slate Overview
Thursday's slate is uniquely large, and when the player pool is this size I really try to take fewer chances and just go after my favorite plays or the most favorable games. We will let other contest participants take the risk of reaching for guys. Two games feature teams that either or both give up plenty of points or score them in bunches, and those would be the Maccabi vs. ALBA and Partizan vs. Panathinaikos matchups. We will want to get plenty of exposure to those contests and also make sure we account for the potential absences on the ALBA side.
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid ($10,600)
Campazzo has been the wizard that he is all year and has guided his team to a perfect 10-0 start. It seems like he is threatening a double-double every time out, especially when the games are close. I expect this to be one of those, as Real Madid is hitting the road and is favored by only a few points.
Mike James, AS Monaco ($10,800)
Neither of the top two guards has an easy matchup, but I think both see great usage and minutes due to how tight I believe both games will be. Plus, with them priced below $11,000 it doesn't take a 40-point DraftKings night for them to join the optimal lineup. I will note that if Jordan Loyd returns for Monaco, that will lower my exposure to James.
Sterling Brown, ALBA Berlin ($9,800)
This is a contrarian play in GPPs only, but this is a great matchup for ALBA's guards, as Maccabi plays a defense-optional style. Brown is a usage monster and simply has not been shooting efficiently. Make sure he plays if you go with him, as he missed Round 10 with a "slight" knee injury.
Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($10,300)
Wade Baldwin IV, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ($9,300)
The conditions are ripe for both engines of the Maccabi offense. They will both have the potential to hit 40.0 points on DraftKings and are priced reasonably.
Valuable Values
Marius Grigonis, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($7,800)
Grigonis is listed as a guard but has been filling the small forward spot frequently because Panathinaikos is very thin there. With him seeing action at multiple spots, his minutes should remain high, and that's why I have interest.
Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($6,000)
Nunn has not found his shot just yet, but he put up 19.8 DraftKings points in his lone EuroLeague start of the year. If he starts again Thursday, the price is right to take a flier, even though the backcourt rotation for Panathinaikos is frustrating.
Lukas Lekavicius, Zalgiris Kaunas ($4,900)
Zalgiris remains thin at the guard spots, and although Tomas Dimsa could play Thursday, Edmond Sumner will not. Lekavicius should get 20 minutes, which is particularly nice below the $5,000 mark.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Walter Tavares, Real Madrid ($9,500)
Sergeant Swat is back, and with Campazzo running the show, Tavares gets so many easy buckets. I like attacking Fenerbahce on the interior as well.
Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna ($11,000)
Shengelia has provided one of the best floors all season, and that should continue. I question his upside as he has not hit 40.0 points on DraftKings all season, and this is indeed a steep price. However, floor is key in EuroLeague contests, and he is as reliable as it comes when you need 30.0 DraftKings points.
Konstantinos Mitoglou, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($10,900)
He is priced up yet again, but I think his ceiling is higher than Shengelia's. He can rack up numbers in bunches and this should be a back-and-forth game.
Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ($9,700)
I have to mention Lessort, who has been dominant all season and just needs to avoid fouls. There could be a bit of a revenge factor -- or at least some added motivation -- with this game taking place in the arena Lessort called home last season.
Johannes Thiemann, ALBA Berlin ($9,400)
He lost some minutes his last time out with ALBA being blown out by Real Madrid, but he will now face a team that does not play much defense and is a little cheaper than he was before.
Nikola Mirotic, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan ($10,400)
He is a great GPP play despite the floor and mediocre results lately. The truth is Mirotic cannot help that his team was involved in a blowout in three of the last four Rounds. He's never someone who will get pushed in a game that's slightly out of reach, whether his team is way up or way behind.
Frank Kaminsky, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($8,800)
I expected him to play at this level right out the gate, but he's arrived and will have a soft matchup in Round 11.
Valuable Values
Dzanan Musa, Real Madrid ($8,100)
Gabriel Deck, Real Madrid ($7,800)
Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid ($7,900)
Yes, I am lumping them all together because Real Madrid seemingly does, and head coach Chus Mateo tends to turn to whoever has the best matchup. It's tough to pinpoint which one exactly will deliver, but the absence of Guerschon Yabusele has helped and I like spreading the wealth around. Real Madrid has played twice since Yabusele went down, with Tuesday's rescheduled game against Maccabi showing up in its original spot in Round 6.
Isaac Bonga, FC Bayern Munich ($7,200)
I expect him to see minutes in the mid-20s again sooner rather than later -- as long as he avoids fouls. This remains an affordable price for a player with Bonga's upside.
Bruno Caboclo, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($6,900)
Caboclo started his last time out but didn't close with Kaminsky playing well. I think Caboclo is the much better player, though. One way or another, I think the two will share the court Thursday, and there is enough room for both to contribute given the matchup.
Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos Piraeus ($7,100)
This is a risky GPP play, but when he's healthy he's one of the best centers in Europe, and this is a cheap price. He only played 14 minutes last week in his return to action, and he could continue coming off the bench with how well Moustapha Fall has played.
Khalifa Koumadje, ALBA Berlin ($6,100)
The big man has been starting regularly, and he has delivered in the games in which he doens't find himself in early foul trouble. He has the potential to get the job done again in Round 11 thanks to the matchup.
Mateusz Ponitka, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade ($5,700)
As I expected, Ponitka saw a lot of action at the small forward spot in Round 10. He's probably more of a power forward, but his ability to handle the ball and shoot threes allows Partizan to move him and still capitalize on the talent they have down low. Ponitka is not the best when it comes to fantasy points per minute, but if he plays 20 minutes and knocks down a couple threes that should be more than enough.
Nicolo Melli, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan ($7,600)
I have to ride the hot hand here. I'm starting to think that head coach Ettore Messina had a conversation with Melli and asked him to be more aggressive on the offensive end and take less gambles on defense, which got him into foul trouble early on. We are seeing flashes of the Melli that spent time in the NBA earlier in his career.
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