This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Bayern's Vladimir Lucic will not play Friday.
- CSKA's Mike James will start Friday for just the third time all season.
- James' teammate, Daniel Hackett, will not play Friday due to an illness. Fellow guard Janis Strelnieks will return to action after missing the last five games.
- Khimki's Sergey Karasev is out Friday, and Dairis Bertans will suit up in his place.
- Jeff Brooks will be available for Milan on Friday, but Sergio Rodriguez will not.
- Zach Auguste will be unavailable for Panathinaikos in Round 13.
THE SLATE
CSKA Moscow at 
Khimki Moscow Region
Key Injuries: Janis Strelnieks (CSK)
Best Bets for Success: We get a top-tier guard matchup for the second day in a row, as the league's leading scorer, Mike James, faces off against Alexey Shved, the league leader in assists. Those playing on FanDuel will not be able to utilize either player unfortunately, as this game is not included on Friday's slate. Both of them will certainly be in play on DraftKings, though, particularly with no one coming all that close to matching the 38.8 points is Shved averaging on that website. James has at least been close of late, averaging 37.1 DraftKings points over the last four Rounds, and he will have the matchup advantage in this one, as Khimki has been one of the worst against opposing guards. CSKA has not been particularly stout in that regard, either, and although Shved will cost you a whopping $12,900 he is actually returning the most average value of anyone on the slate. All in all, there's a whole lot to like about both players in Round 13.
DFS Darlings: It's been tough for other players on these teams to produce consistently while James and Shved dominate box scores, but with this game having the highest over/under on the slate, Khimki allowing the most points in the league and CSKA scoring the second-most, there's ample reason to include another player or two from the Russian squads in Friday's lineups. Khimki is giving up all kinds of threes, so both Daniel Hackett and Darrun Hilliard make sense as value plays. It's been anyone's guess trying to determine when Errick McCollum will go off, but this is the type of game that could help him reach double digits in back-to-back Rounds for the first time this season.
Zalgiris Kaunas at 
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens
Key Injuries: Patricio Garino (ZAL), Steve Vasturia (ZAL)
Best Bets for Success: While there is no doubt who the top dogs are in Friday's first game, it's a total toss-up who will put up the most points for these two squads, with five different players on each team leading the way for their squad since the start of November. We'll stick with Marius Grigonis -- who is just $10 on FanDuel -- for Zalgiris, as he is averaging four more points than anyone on his team and faces a defense giving up some of the most points and threes to opposing guards. As for Panathinaikos, it's to narrow down the best choice out of Nemanja Nedovic, Ioannis Papapetrou and Georgios Papagiannis, particularly since Zalgiris is pretty neutral against each position. For fantasy purposes, consider Nedovic the top option, as he is both the cheapest of the bunch and returning the most value out of the trio on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
DFS Darlings: The Lithuanian team has a number of appealing options in this section, as they will need to replace a starter with Vasturia out. We're hoping Rokas Jokubaitis claims that spot, and he will be worthy of a pick if he does. Last time one of Zalgiris' guards was sidelined Thomas Walkup really picked up the pace, and that will be the case Friday. Finally, Panathinaikos hasn't handled centers all that well either, which is good news for Joffrey Lauvergne. For the Greek team, Aaron White has quietly come on of late, and he will face one of his former teams for the second Round in a row. He's particularly appealing on DraftKings at just $5,200. Panathinaikos' Shelvin Mack could also be worth a dart throw, as he is nearing the end of his two-month contract and would help his chances at an extension with a nice game.
LDLC ASVEL at 
FC Bayern Munich
Key Injuries: Nihad Dedovic (MUN)
Best Bets for Success: The German team's "Big 3" has added another member of late, with Paul Zipser producing just as well as his three teammates over the last five Rounds. He's a bit too pricey on FanDuel to be Bayern's top option, particularly with ASVEL limiting threes better than anyone. Wade Baldwin gets the nod on that website, as he's significantly cheaper than the other three. However, we'll go with Zipser on DraftKings for the same reason, and bank on him making enough shots to score in double figures for the fifth time in six Rounds. Consider Tuesday's dud a blip on the radar for ASVEL's Norris Cole, who played four minutes less and got up three fewer shots than he was averaging heading into the game. He remains the team's leader in both points and assists.
DFS Darlings: This could be a spot for Moustapha Fall to get back on track, as Bayern does not have much size to contend with him. It's a bit of a shot in the dark, but Fall has major upside, and he's not all that expensive on either FanDuel or DraftKings. Nick Weiler-Babb has complemented Bayern's top players nicely in recent weeks, and he is worth considering on DraftKings, having averaged a shade under 17.0 fantasy points per game on that website over the last seven Rounds.
AX Armani Exchange Milan at 
FC Barcelona
Key Injuries: Sergio Rodriguez (MIL), Jeff Brooks (MIL), Victor Claver (BAR)
Best Bets for Success: Nikola Mirotic left something to be desired in the last couple Rounds, and he faces a tough matchup Friday against a Milan team that has done a good job against frontcourt players. At the same time, he remains one of the best players in the league and is more than due for a big game. Shavon Shields and Kevin Punter have been Milan's best players since late November, with each averaging more than 15.0 ppg over the last five Rounds. Their pricing is markedly different between the two websites, and since they have been producing at about the same rate, consider Shields the better option on FanDuel and give Punter the nod on DraftKings. Barcelona has a tough defense, but they weren't very stingy Tuesday, giving up 96 points to Olympiacos.
DFS Darlings: Everything is lined up for Leandro Bolmaro to be one of the top picks in Friday's contests, as he faces a Milan team allowing the most points to opposing guards and will cost you next to nothing in Friday's lineups. He won't have to do much more than he did Tuesday to return 3-4x value on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Malcolm Delaney will be in play on both websites as he faces his former team, and he will get an added boost if Rodriguez remains sidelined.
