This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
Another EuroLeague Round is just around the corner, and Tuesday will be the first day of the final double-game week in 2023.
A number of notable names will be found on the list below, plus a few players who will help out your lineups in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge.
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.
Now, let's get going!
Guard
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (17.3 credits)
Still remains one of the biggest candidates to deliver a high PIR game because he has everything: a lot of teammates injured, shifting more weight onto his shoulders (likely more minutes, more shots, more time with the ball in his possession). The red flag is the next opponent, Bayern, which defends PG and SG position players well.
Mike James, AS Monaco (17.3 credits)
James is the tied-most expensive player in this game for a reason. 35 minutes, 15.7 shot attempts, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.7 steals, 4.3 fouls drawn alongside 83% shooting from the line, 23.0 PIR over the last 3 games. Like Larkin, he has everything to play a monster 30+ PIR game against any given opponent.
Codi Miller-McIntyre, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (12.3 credits)
Miller-McIntyre might be the one who will record a triple-double (2 times this season he was close already). His minutes increased over the last 5 games (30+ on average), during this span of time, he records 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists - quite impressive. The next 2 opponents (Maccabi, Efes) are the teams that allow a lot of PIR for their opponents. The red flag may be his shooting accuracy 44/27/50% over the last 5 games (what is going on with hitting those free throws?).
Vanja Marinkovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (6.1 credits)
His shooting is fluctuating; he did not make a shot (0/6) in last weekend's domestic league game against Barcelona. However, he is a player that costs only 6.1 credits and plays 20+ minutes, attempts 10ish shots per game on a regular basis. The next 2 opponents (Maccabi, Efes) might be favorable for Vanja as they are teams that allow a lot of PIR for their opponents.
Dovydas Giedraitis, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.2 credits)
Remains one of the best Guard picks for 4ish credits. Plays 18+ minutes over the last 4 games; however, only the game against ALBA was great for him personally (18 PIR) over that span of time. We could expect Giedraitis to record a nice game occasionally but not each night. Once he does, we may drop a player, wait until his price goes down, and bring him into the team again - that could be a season-long strategy. The red flag: next 2 opponents are tough (Fenerbahce and Barcelona). But we may argue ourselves into this pick, saying Lukas Lekavicius is still OUT, and some of his minutes shift to Giedraitis.
Forward
Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (16.4 credits)
Virtus, in this double-week, will face Olympiacos and Valencia--- teams that are good defensively. However, Shengelia is too good. We may run a strategy to drop him for the next two Rounds, but on the other hand, he is one of those guys who could play against any given EuroLeague team. I will not even mention his ridiculous numbers this season; they are the best of his career.
Shavon Shields, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (14.5 credits)
Nikola Mirotic is still out, so Shields is still Milan's top offensive option. Armani will play ASVEL at home (one of the worst defensive teams in terms of how much PIR they allow to their opponent). In addition, Shields' stats are still up, also he had a nice last domestic league game (25 PTS, 5/9 from behind the arc, 5 rebounds).
Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (13.8 credits)
Six straight 30+ minute games! He is one of those guys that has a lot to offer: 17.2 points, 12.6 FG attempts, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 4.2 fouls drawn over the last 5 games. Fenerbahce will play Zalgiris, ALBA, Efes - teams that do not do too well in defense this season. The red flag - Jasikevicius recently came to the team replacing Itoudis. While Itoudis really constantly was playing Nigel a lot, Jasikevicius is way more inclined to do minutes management. In the last EuroLeague game, we didn't see that yet. I am really looking forward to seeing if those huge minutes Hayes-Davis is getting will drop or not.
P.J. Dozier, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (11.9 credits)
One of the most trending players in the league at the moment. His stats are trending because of an obvious reason - getting more playtime. In the last 3 games, he is averaging 31 minutes per game while his season average is 22. Due to this, his stat line boosted to 13.0 points per game, 9 shot attempts, 4.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks, 4.0 fouls drawn, 21.0 PIR during the last 3 games. Red flags - Dozier will play Valencia, Real, Virtus next. All of the teams are good defensively. However, while he is Forward on a Fantasy Challenge game, he likely to play as a PG often, and their next opponent Valencia has a weak position which they don't stop as effectively as other position players. It is a good idea to drop a player from your roster after this round as Partizan will play Real Madrid.
Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid (10.6 credits)
Guerschon Yabusele is still out, which already gives a potential boost for Hezonja. Gabriel Deck was also reported as questionable as it seems he did miss Monday's training session. Yabusele playing PF, Deck is playing SF and PF, Hezonja also playing PF position. Slim rotation may increase Hezonja's minutes and chances of producing a high PIR game.
Ercan Osmani, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (4.0 credits)
Due to the lengthy list of players on the Efes roster, Osmani was one of the best bargains before last round. And he did have all the numbers and beyond from the player that costs 4 credits only: 27 minutes, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 10 shot attempts. However, he missed all 7 three-pointers, hit only 1 of 3 two-pointers. Before this round, we didn't have the same feeling as before the last round as he played only 11 minutes in the last domestic league game and attempted only 3 shots from the field. At the end of the day, because of the lengthy injury list, Osmani might be worth a risk at 4.0 credits.
Center
Johannes Thiemann, ALBA Berlin (12.9 credits)
Thiemann remains a nice option at the center position. An 8 PIR game was his lowest, which is not terrible at his price. He had only 2 games below 10 PIR this season. Recorded 20+ PIR in 5 games out of 14. He plays a lot, shoots a lot, rebounds, steals, assists, draws fouls, and visits the free-throw line frequently. He is the best player on one of the worst EuroLeague teams.
Maik Kotsar, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (10.9 credits)
Matt Costello remains out, and Kotsar should keep playing long minutes. Since Costello has been out of the roster, Kotsar is playing 26 minutes, scoring 11.3 points (6.3 field goal attempts), recording 5.3 rebounds, and 15.0 PIR over the 3-game span. Most of his numbers have gone up. As long as Costello remains out of the roster with a sprained ankle, Kotsar may be the man at the Center position for Baskonia.
Eli Ndiaye, Real Madrid (4.3 credits)
Ndiaye might get more minutes for the same reason Hezonja may get that too - Yabusele OUT, Deck GTD. We have already seen that Ndiaye could play the PF position alongside Tavares or Poirier, and a short rotation may boost Eli's minutes on the court. Please follow closely Deck's situation.
Head Coach
Roger Grimau, FC Barcelona (8.1 credits)
Barcelona has a 10-4 record, while ALBA has a 2-12 record. It is a game in Berlin, but Barcelona is the clear favorite to win.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (7.5 credits)
Zalgiris is on a bad run, having won just 2 games out of the last 10. Additionally, it is a home game for Fenerbahce where they haven't lost a single game (6W-0L) this EuroLeague season.
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (7.2 credits)
Armani is a team that could lose to Alba and Zalgiris this season but, at the same time, could win against Barcelona. It is hard to predict their performance on any given game day. However, they are playing against one of the worst teams, ASVEL (2W-12L), and the game is in Milan, which might give a slight advantage to EA7. It's worth mentioning that Armani has injured players (Mirotic and Maodo Lo are out, Johannes Voigtmann is a GTD); ASVEL seems to be all healthy. Nevertheless, Armani is still the favorite, especially after winning against Barca last round and also reaching victory in the last domestic league game.
Drop Candidates
Isaiah Canaan, Olympiacos Piraeus (8.4 credits)
I expected Canaan's minutes to drop, but he played 30 minutes last round. However, that turned out to be a bad game (1 PIR only), mostly because of his bad shooting percentages (37/33/80% shooting splits over the last 3 games) and turnovers. When he is not having a good shooting night, he does not back it up filling the sheet on other columns recently (1.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0 steals, 1.0 fouls drawn only). Also, since Shaquielle McKissic is back, concerns remain that Canaan's minutes may not be as high as last round.
Danielius Lavrinovicius, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.3 credits)
Lavrinovicius had a great game against Partizan last round (16 minutes, 8 rebounds, 13 PIR), but the next 2 games are against tough opponents defensively: Fenerbahce and Barcelona. Sorry to say that, but let Lavrinovicius drop his price to 4.0 credits again, then we could bring him back. On the other hand, Brady Manek is still OUT, which likely leads Lavrinovicius to play 10+ minutes, so it's not a straightforward decision to drop a player, but undeniably there is a high risk for Lavrinovicius to drop his price when facing tough matchups.
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