This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
We hope you had a successful opening round and are ready for more EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge picks.
A small tips for Round 2; as you can see below, we typically recommend guards and centers with lower credit values, whereas for forwards, we've prioritized selecting higher-credit players. Moreover, there are numerous coaches capable of generating over 20.0 fantasy points. Naturally, this forms the core of our strategy for Round 2.
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 away we go!
Guard
Nenad Dimitrijevic, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (9.7 credits)
The MVP of last year's VTB League was already on everyone's radar prior to the start of the season. While there may have been a cautious approach due to Milano's away game against Monaco in the opening week, but despite the tough match, he made 15 PIR and proved himself. This week, he is set to become his team's key guard against Paris Basketball, especially since Leandro Bolmaro had to leave the game due to an ankle sprain sustained during the domestic game.
Martin Hermannsson, ALBA Berlin (8.3 credits)
To clarify, he is the only pure guard that ALBA has, in addition to this he is on fire! He nearly led his team to make a comeback against Pana in Week 1, but the quality of the Pana's roster did not allow that to happen. Despite of the loss in Bonn over the weekend, he performed 16 points and dished out 8 assists in 25 minutes.
Tamir Blatt, ALBA Berlin (8.3 credits)
The MVP of the Round 1. He played the best match of his career against ASVEL. Maccabi agreed to terms with Saben Lee for their guard rotation, but he is unlikely to play in Round 2. Additionally, according to many pundits, Jordan Loyd's future at Maccabi is uncertain, which makes Blatt seem like the most important asset for the team.
Forward
Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus (15.8 credits)
He may not have performed as expected in Round 1, but if you recall the 2022-2023 season playoffs, could be said that the games where Vezenkov struggled at most were against Fenerbahce. Nevertheless, domestic game in Monday against Lavrio on the road, he put on a show; recording 25 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a total of 39 PIR in just 20 minutes. Trust the process.
Dzanan Musa, Real Madrid (13.4 credits)
According to the penalty announced on Tuesday, Facundo Campazzo will miss the game against Partizan, which means the Real Madrid guards will have a significant workload. As we all know, Musa is listed as a forward in the Fantasy Challenge, but he primarily plays as a shooting guard, often wanting the ball in his hands. Without Campazzo, he is likely to handle the ball much more and drive to the basket, which could be drawn a lot of fouls. In the domestic game played over the weekend, he impressed with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a total PIR of 28.
Zach LeDay, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (12.8 credits)
Josh Nebo sustained a left groin injury in loss to Monaco and will be reevaluated in two weeks, which will push Milano to change its strategy. On the other hand, for LeDay, who is currently in good form after recording a 15 PIR in the Monaco game and contributing 20 points and 6 rebounds in a recent domestic game, it means he will likely receive more playing time.
Center
Tyrique Jones, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (10.7 credits)
The player who had the highest PIR among pivots in the first week, yet it wasn't enough for his team to secure a victory against Baskonia. Additionally, considering Brandon Davies' injury, Jones is once again among the usual suspects for this week.
Joffrey Lauvergne, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (10.8 credits)
Although, he was the top scorer for his team with 17 points in the away game against Maccabi, only grabbing 1 rebound left him with a PIR of 11. Nevertheless, he's been playing around 25 minutes and in the derby which was played during the weekend in domestic league, he logged 20 points in 20 minutes and was the key architect of the victory against Monaco.
Ante Zizic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (9.0 credits)
In the first half of the Week 1 game against Efes, Zizic played quite well, but things changed in the second half. In particular, Efes's defense completely neutralized all the Virtus players during the third quarter. In domestic game played over the weekend, he grabbed 10 rebounds in 15 minutes and still looks fit. It seems to me that he deserves another chance.
Mam Jaiteh, AS Monaco (7.5 credits)
He is definitely in good shape. Last season, he wasn't considered a main figure in the squad, but this year, from the onset of training camp, he has emerged as one of the team's standout performers. As they prepare to face Maccabi at home, a significant responsibility will fall on Jaiteh to contain Jasiel Rivero.
Head Coach
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona (8.2 credits)
Barca couldn't overcome the clutch performance of Sylvain Francisco in a highly competitive match and lost in Kaunas. Their first match of the league in front of their home crowd will be against the weakest team in EuroLeague. Although ALBA performed quite well against Panathinaikos in the first week, Barca's new roster needs to prove itself.
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (10.0 credits)
Everyone expected Panathinaikos to defeat ALBA by at least 11 points to earn 20 fantasy points, but unfortunately, they fell short. In Round 2, in their season opener in front of their home crowd, they won't give Bayern any chances.
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus (9.0 credits)
Despite assembling a highly competitive squad, Oly started the season with a defeat in away game against Fenerbahce. Nikola Milutinov and Moustapha Fall remain out for this one, but Olympiacos is still strongly considered as the favorite side in front of their home crowd.
Drop Candidates
Alen Smailagic, Zalgiris Kaunas (8.1 credits)
After the Rytas derby played this weekend, head coach Andrea Trinchieri spoke to the press as follows that He's slow on everything. He needs to find his game and his rhythm and catch up with the team; we can't just wait for him. In the light of these expressions, seems like he is not among the promising ones.
Joel Bolomboy, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (11.9 credits)
He was one of the best centers last season, but he hasn't had a strong start to this one and isn't showing his best on the court. I'm sure he will find his form during the season, but not right now.
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