EuroLeague Primer: Round 19 - Wedesday

EuroLeague Primer: Round 19 - Wedesday

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

PREGAME UPDATES

  • Wednesday's scheduled game between Real Madrid  and Red Star has been postponed due to weather issues in Spain.
  • ASVEL's Moustapha Fall was not listed on the active roster the team released prior to game time, but that turned out to be an error and he will return to action Wednesday.
  • Nihad Dedovic, Zan Sisko and Robin Amaize will not play for Bayern in Round 19, but D.J. Seeley and James Gist will both be available.

THE SLATE

Zalgiris Kaunas at CSKA Moscow

Key Injuries: Patricio Garino (ZAL), Steve Vasturia (ZAL), Will Clyburn (CSK), Daniel Hackett (CSK)

Best Bets for Success: Mike James kept rolling last week, hitting the 40-point mark on DraftKings for the fourth game in a row. His ongoing hot streak began against Zalgiris in Round 9, so he has already proven he can produce in this matchup. Nikola Milutinov is a double-double threat any time out, but he did not get there last week, and he will have a tough time getting there Wednesday against a Zalgiris team giving up the fewest rebounds in the league. Marius Grigonis has been Zalgiris' best player all season, and he's now producing more in the non-scoring categories. Like James, Grigonis got the job done last time these teams squared off, recording one of his six 30-point games on DraftKings this season.

DFS Darlings: There's not a lot of great value in this game on DraftKings, but based on how things have went in Clyburn's absence, one of CSKA's big men besides Milutinov is a good bet to hit the 25-point mark on DraftKings. The Russian club does at least have one bargain-bin option in Janis Strelnieks, who appears back at full speed and should again replace Hackett in the rotation. Zalgiris' starters have been doing most of the producing of late, and none of their bench options carry much appeal in Round 19.

Zenit Saint Petersburg at FC Bayern Munich

Key Injuries: Alex Poythress (DYR), Nihad Dedovic (MUN), D.J. Seeley (MUN), James Gist (MUN), Zan Sisko (MUN)

Best Bets for Success: With Vladimir Lucic playing in Bayern's last domestic game, it appears Bayern will be able to deploy its "Big 3" for the first time since Round 12. It's unclear how many minutes Lucic will play, and Zenit is shutting down opposing guards better than anyone, so the best option of the trio Tuesday will be Jalen Reynolds. Even he will be a risky option Tuesday, though, as he could lose some scoring opportunities with Lucic back and Zenit has done a good job on the glass. The top option for the Russian squad remains Kevin Pangos, who scored in double figures eight times in the last nine Rounds and also averaged 6.1 assists over that span. The one team he did not reach double figures against in that stretch, though, just so happens to be Bayern.

DFS Darlings: There aren't any particularly appealing matchups to target in this one, but with Poythress still out, it could be another nice day for Arturas Gudaitis, who scored a career-high 25 points last week and fared well against Bayern last time these teams met. It remains to be seen if any of Bayern's still-injured players will take the court Tuesday, but if none of them play -- that was the case in the same game Lucic returned in -- Nick Weiler-Babb and Paul Zipser will make nice mid-tier options. Weiler-Babb in particular has done a number on the box score recently, averaging 10.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.3 threes over the last three Rounds.

LDLC ASVEL at Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Key Injuries: William Howard (ASV), Amine Noua (ASV), Ioannis Papapetrou (PAN), Zach Auguste (PAN)

Best Bets for Success: The Greek team will be without one of its top players in Papapetrou, which will open significant minutes and scoring opportunities. Nemanja Nedovic figures to claim a few of those, which on top of his regular allotment of attempts makes him Panathinaikos' clear top pick. Nedovic scored just 10 points last time these teams faced each other, but he had a tough day from the field, and he should fare better if he can get a few more shots to drop. Georgios Papagiannis might not benefit to the same degree as Nedovic, but he too should be a bit more involved on the offensive end than usual. Six different players led ASVEL in fantasy points over the last six Rounds, and Moustapha Fall is set to return Wednesday, so it's tough to identify their top option. We'll go with Norris Cole, who averaged 15.0 points over the last five Rounds and faces a Panathinaikos that is allowing the second-most points and most threes to opposing guards.

DFS Darlings: Konstantinos Mitoglou was already starting to come on a bit, and he should be one of the players who sees more minutes in Papapetrou's absence. He has topped 25 points on DraftKings four times this season, which gives him some nice upside at just $7,300. Guerschon Yabusele was starting to come on before a Round 17 absence, and with a game under his belt and Howard out, he could get back on track Wednesday. Derrick Walton is actually cheaper than he was last week in his debut, a game in which he played 17 minutes. If his playing time holds, he won't have to do much to return some nice value on DraftKings at just $4,500.

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Real Madrid

Key Injuries: Jordan Loyd (RED), Marko Simonovic (RED), Anthony Randolph (MAD), Sergio Llull (MAD), Rudy Fernandez (MAD)

Best Bets for Success: Walter Tavares bounced back nicely from a quiet Round 17 and is still averaging 13.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 2.7 blocks since the start of December. Not many players have been more productive or consistent of late, but Tavares will have a tough task on his hands Wednesday. Red Star is faring better than anyone against players listed at the center position, and they held Tavares in check last time these teams met. Red Star will still be down by far its most productive player in Loyd, so Johnny O'Bryant will remain the team's top option -- both on offensive end for his club and in fantasy contest -- for another Round. O'Bryant could be a risky pick on DraftKings, though, as his price spiked and Tavares will be patrolling the paint for the opponent.

DFS Darlings: Dejan Davidovac and Ognjen Dobric have both gotten more involved in Loyd's absence, and that should remain the case Thursday. Dobric gets the edge among the duo Wednesday after getting up 23 shots over the last two Rounds. Madrid has a couple interesting options in the $4,000 range in Carlos Alocen and Alex Tyus, who both fared well last week in their first true action of the season. Tyus should hold down a rotation spot moving forward and Alocen will be worth considering if Llull remains sidelined.

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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin O'Brien
Kevin mans the Packers and Brewers beats and moonlights as RotoWire's Director of Operations.
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