EuroLeague Primer: Round 2 - Friday

EuroLeague Primer: Round 2 - Friday

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

It will be a busy day in the EuroLeague Friday, with six games scheduled to be played. A number of teams will be short-handed due to COVID-19, which will lead to some interesting decisions for those playing in fantasy contests.

For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter: @RotoWireEuro.

Friday

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

Key Injuries: Zoran Dragic (BAS)

Best Bets for Success: Pierria Henry shined in Round 1, and there's no reason to believe he can't back that up Friday. Jordan Loyd led his squad in a number of categories in Red Star's season opener and appears to be the top player for his new squad.

DFS Darlings: Alec Peters started and scored 18 points over 24 minutes in the opener. He should fill a similar role Friday, making him a nice value pick on DraftKings at just $5,100.

Zalgiris Kaunas at Khimki Moscow Region

*Due to positive COVID-19 tests on both teams this game has been rescheduled for Saturday.

Key Injuries: Alexey Shved (KHI), Greg Monroe (KHI), Stefan Jovic (KHI), Janis Timma (KH), Jordan Mickey (KHI), Evgeny Voronov (KHI), Joffrey Lauvergne (ZAL)

Best Bets for Success: Shved's chances of playing Friday don't look great, but should he take the court he would likely be involved on nearly every possession for an extremely short-handed Khimki squad. Any Khimki player that takes the court Friday will need to play heavy minutes, which is good news for Devin Booker and Jonas Jerebko in fantasy contests. Marius Grigonis reminded everyone last week he is Zalgiris' best player, and he won't cost you all that much on DraftKings.

DFS Darlings: Just about every active Khimki player should have some degree of value in Round 2, but Vyacheslav Zaytsev probably has the most appeal because he handles the ball. Rokas Jokubaitis came of age last week, and he checks in at just $4,600 on DraftKings. It's not yet clear who will replace Lauvergne in Zalgiris' starting lineup, but Augustine Rubit is appealing in his absence. He averaged 10.1 ppg during the 2017-18 campaign and scored in double figures in all four games he started for Olympiacos last season.

FC Barcelona at Zenit Saint Petersburg

Key Injuries: Kyle Kuric (BAR), Austin Hollins (DYR)

Best Bets for Success: You can never go wrong with Nikola Mirotic, who has scored in double figures in all but one game since joining Barcelona. Kevin Pangos led Zenit in scoring and assists and field-goal attempts last week and also tied for the most minutes. He figures to be plenty busy again Friday and won't even cost you $7,000 on DraftKings.

DFS Darlings: While Hollins did not do much in Round 1 his absence removes a scoring option from Zenit's Round 2 roster. That could mean more work for Billy Baron, who averaged a healthy 11.6 ppg in EuroLeague play last season with Red Star.

FC Bayern Munich at ALBA Berlin

Key Injuries: Malcolm Thomas (MUN)

Best Bets for Success: Nihad Dedovic and Vladimir Lucic barely left the floor last week for Bayern, and as the team's most established players they should both play key roles again in Round 2. Luke Sikma had a disappointing day for fantasy players in Round 1, but he also battled foul trouble, so he is a nice bounceback candidate in Round 2 if he can stay on the floor.

DFS Darlings: This game features a number of players who won't cost you more than $7,000 on DraftKings but played big roles for in their first EuroLeague appearances with their new squad. For ALBA, Simone Fontecchio and Ben Lammers both stuffed the stat sheet despite playing just about 20 minutes. Jalen Reynolds recorded a double-double in Bayern's opener and Wade Baldwin led his team in scoring.

Olympiacos Piraeus at Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Key Injuries: Pierre Jackson (PAN), Lefteris Bochoridis (PAN), Livio Jean-Charles (OLY)

Best Bets for Success: This game certainly won't lack intensity, as the two Greek clubs simply don't care for one another. Panathinaikos should again lean on Ioannis Papapetrou in Round 2, and with Konstantinos Mitoglou securing a starting spot he will again be a double-double threat. No one player particularly stood out for Olympiacos last week, but guards Kostas Sloukas and Vassilis Spanoulis remain the safest options for his squad.

DFS Darlings: Hassan Martin stepped right into a key role for Olympiacos, and he won't need to do much more than he did in Round 1 to return value. Aaron Harrison can still score the ball, and if he gets a few more shots to drop he could be a steal on DraftKings at just $4,400.

LDLC ASVEL at AX Armani Exchange Milan

Key Injuries: Vladimir Micov (MIL), Kevin Punter (MIL)

Best Bets for Success: Malcolm Delaney had a nice debut with Milan, leading the team in both points and assists. Norris Cole had a so-so showing in Round 1, but he was on the court for 30 minutes and led the team in field-goal attempts, so he will be a bounceback candidate Friday.

DFS Darlings: ASVEL has a number of big men that can play, but it can't hurt to give Moustapha Fall a look on DraftKings after his big game in Round 1. Guerschon Yabusele did not suit up in Round 1, but he's a good bet for 20 minutes in Round 2 and should be relatively low-owned on DraftKings.

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.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only EuroLeague Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire EuroLeague fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin O'Brien
Kevin mans the Packers and Brewers beats and moonlights as RotoWire's Director of Operations.
EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks: Round 17
EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks: Round 17
EuroLeague Primer: Round 16 - Wednesday
EuroLeague Primer: Round 16 - Wednesday
EuroLeague Picks: Best Bets for Round 16 - Wednesday
EuroLeague Picks: Best Bets for Round 16 - Wednesday
EuroLeague Primer: Round 16 - Tuesday
EuroLeague Primer: Round 16 - Tuesday
EuroLeague Picks: Best Bets for Round 16 - Tuesday
EuroLeague Picks: Best Bets for Round 16 - Tuesday
EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks: Round 16
EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks: Round 16