This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
The main message before this Round of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge is not to think long-term. We've experienced unlimited trades before, and we are about to hit another one of those periods after Round 19. So, focus on existing rates and prices and rack up as many points with your current roster.
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 here are your picks!
Guard
Mike James, AS Monaco (18.4 credits)
As Kobe once said about Shaq, James is also "competitive, he is mean, he doesn't care, he's vindictive." He doesn't care whether he plays against Olympiacos or any other top defense. The last time he recorded fewer than 17 PIR in a EuroLeague game was on November 16th. James is an MVP candidate who regularly gets 30 minutes per night.
Dzanan Musa, Real Madrid (12.7 credits)
Musa is a possible pick after playing 25 and 29 minutes in his last two games. On top of that, Real Madrid will face an Efes team allowing opponents to rack up 99.0 PIR per game this season. Consistency can be an issue for Musa, who recorded 10 and 24 PIR in his last two EuroLeague appearances and scored only four points over 19 minutes in his last domestic appearance. He is risky, but the upside is there.
Paris Lee, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (12.7 credits)
Lee has been busy over the last three games, averaging 34 minutes, 13.7 points, 12.7 shot attempts, 8.0 assists and 18.3 PIR over that span. He makes for quite a solid pick in Round 19, seeing as Nando de Colo presumably remains out and he will face a Zalgiris team that is not so good on the defensive end.
Shabazz Napier, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (11.0 credits)
Napier recorded a nice game statistically last round against Olympiacos, with 31 mins, 10 shot attempts, three rebounds, five assists and five fouls drawn. The next game is against Bayern, which is not a team that defends the point guard position very well, especially recently. Napier should have ample chances, and he will be tasked with a signficant load on offense, as Milan will be down Nikola Mirotic, Shavon Shields, Maodo Lo and Billy Baron.
Daniel Hackett, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (10.6 credits)
Hackett might be a good option a few Rounds ahead because his opponents over the next four -- ALBA, Maccabi, Efes, ASVEL -- cede a lot of PIR and don't defend guards too well. It's also worth mentioning that Hackett played at least 25 minutes in nine straight EuroLeague games. His potential top performance in terms of PIR is probably around 20, but he did outperform his price seven times in the last 10 games.
Tamir Blatt, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (8.6 credits)
Blatt has been a factor recently, averaging 23 minutes, 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 14.7 PIR over the last three games. He will face Fenerbahce, which defends the point guard position poorly and the shooting guard position decently. Blatt could play more shooting guard with Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin IV in the same backcourt, so although he is worthy of consideration there is some risk.
Vanja Marinkovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (6.8 credits)
Marinkovic continues to play huge minutes at this price, which is rare in the Fantasy Challenge. Even though he plays against a great Barcelona defense in this Round, he remains a value pick due to the extended minutes he gets every night.
Ognjen Jaramaz, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (4.9 credits)
P.J. Dozier's minutes and stats are going down, and someone else has to step up. One of those guys is Jaramaz, who averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.0 triples over his last two appearances. Jaramaz's price has increased a bit, but Red Star does not defend the point guard position well, and if Jaramaz sees some time there he may take advantage of this matchup.
Forward
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus (13.7 credits)
I mentioned before the last round that he is likely to have a tough matchup (John Brown) in round 19. Even though all the numbers are there (27 mins, 10.3 shot attempts, 5.3 rebs, 21.7 PIR over the last 3 games), Monaco is an opponent that concerns. Think twice before keeping Peters. I am leaving Peters as a potential pick because of his high-volume stats.
Tadas Sedekerskis, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (12.7 credits)
Sedekerskis is nearing his price to the value he produces, but not just there yet. Once he reaches 15ish credits, he will no longer be a value pick as he is playing for around that price. The next opponent is a little scary - Barcelona. However, Sedekerskis is a really important, versatile player, and we are confident he will play a lot of minutes.
Alpha Diallo, AS Monaco (12.4 credits)
Diallo is recording impressive numbers recently (19.0 PIR over the last 3 games), and more importantly, he is getting 25+ minutes most of the time. The biggest red flag is the next opponent -- Olympiacos, which is one of the most tough matchups defensively.
Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (7.6 credits)
Bryant has been playing well since coming back from injury; he posted 25 mins, 9.7 pts, 8.3 shot attempts, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 13.3 PIR over the last three games. The huge red flag is the next opponent, though (Real Madrid - one of the best defenses in the league).
Charles Kahudi, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (4.8 credits)
Kahudi sees extended minutes (29 and 30 mins for the last 2 games). Naturally, his stats spiked a little, and he is a considerable pick at a low price.
Center
Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus (13.8 credits)
Fall is arguably the most versatile center in the league recently: 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 3.7 blocks, 3.0 fouls drawn, and a nice free-throw conversion percentage alongside (2.0/2.3 86%) over the last 3 games. The biggest red flag is his playtime; in the last 2 rounds, he played 19 and 22 minutes - we were lucky he still produced very solid games. However, if that is going to be another 19 minutes game, we might see a dip in his stats.
Joel Bolomboy, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (11.6 credits)
Bolomboy had a great game last round against Fenerbahce (31 mins, 31 PIR). It's likely not to be as good a matchup against Partizan in R19, but Bolomboy is still a solid pick having in mind his extended playtime.
Josh Nebo, Maccabi Tel Aviv (13.4 credits)
Nebo had a mediocre game last round (21 minutes, 3 shot attempts only, 10 PIR vs Monaco). However, not many solid centers that play a lot of minutes and generate price-worthy PIR can be found right now. Hence, Nebo might be a decent pick for the next round, especially because this could be a great matchup at the center position for him (next opponent Fenerbahce).
Head Coach
Luca Banchi, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (6.5 credits)
One of the best teams in the league will play one of the worst teams in the league. The game is in Berlin, but he's probably the best coach at 6.5 or below.
Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.9 credits)
Zalgiris just ended their 6-game losing streak and now will play Asvel, which is on a 10-game losing streak right now. This will be a game at the opponent's territory though, so it is risky but a very affordable coach pick.
Drop Candidates
Daniel Oturu, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (12.3 credits)
Oturu was stopped by fouls, played only 19 minutes, and recorded 8 PIR last round. The next opponent is Real Madrid - when you play one of the best defenses in the league, it's always an open idea to drop a player.
P.J. Dozier, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (10.3 credits)
Dozier is playing only a little over 10 minutes during the last 3 games. He should get back to playing more minutes eventually, but there is no way we could risk having him on our Fantasy team roster right now.
Dovydas Giedraitis, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.0 credits)
Lakavicius is back, new addition Hollins got his contract extension for 2 more weeks, new coach arrived - probably all this led to Giedraitis play 18 seconds (yes seconds) only in the last game against Alba. If Zalgiris will have a huge early lead against Asvel in an away game in R19, then Giedraitis may see extended minutes though.
Danielius Lavrinovicius, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.0 credits)
Brady Manek is back, who shares the same position and playtime with Lavrinovicius. Also, a new coach will play his players differently. In the first game under coach Trinchieri, Lavrinovicius didn't get any minutes, hence it is time to trade him until next opportunities may arrive later in the season.
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