This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
Another double-game week kicks off Tuesday, so it will be a busy few days ahead in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge.
The biggest key for Round 21 is health, as the injury report is rather lengthy.
EuroLeague Injury Report
We are a little light on guard options this time around, but there should be plent of options to pick from in the frontcourt. Above all, expect players who are healthy and good to go to make a significant impact in Round 21.
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 on X via @RotoWireEuro.
And now, the players!
Guard
Isaia Cordinier, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (12.7 credits)
Virtus will have a tough away matchup with Zalgiris to kick off its week. Will Clyburn will be out a while, but Tornike Shengelia and Ante Zizic have not been ruled for Round 21 just yet, so it's best to wait for more information before deciding on Cordinier. If all three players remain unavailable, Cordinier will be primed for a big night.
Evan Fournier, Olympiacos Piraeus (13.7 credits)
Fournier missed Round 20 with an illness, but he is back in the mix for Olympiacos. During the double-game week the Greek giant will face two Spanish squads in Baskonia and Real Madrid, and the latter will not be an easy fixture. However, Thomas Walkup and Tyler Dorsey will not play this week, so Fournier could be busier than he already is.
Sterling Brown, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (17.1 credits)
Partizan will be down several players this week, including Frank Ntilikina and Duane Washington, and that sets things up for Brown, who recently called himself the best shooter in the EuroLeague. Partizan will play away Tuesday, and they will be looking to Brown, who put up 25 PIR in Round 19 and 22 more his last time out.
Lukas Lekavicius, Zalgiris Kaunas (4.0 credits)
All of Lonnie Walker IV, Sylvain Francisco and Deividas Sirvydis find themselves on the injury report, and there aren't many other backcourt options available for Zalgiris. Dovydas Giedraitis could be the only other established guard available, and while Ignas Brazdeikis could rotate out there, the price looks right for Lekavicius.
Forward
Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (16.0 credits)
After securing victories in their last two home games, Fenerbahce has ended their poor streak, but now they face an away game against their least favorite opponent. In the Week-3 matchup between the two teams in Istanbul, Crvena Zvezda comfortably defeated Fenerbahce. However, when evaluating individual performances, Nigel showed his quality once again, finishing the game with a 25 PIR. Deja vu is loading…
Dzanan Musa, Real Madrid (12.6 credits)
First of all, it must be noted that easy games have not been kind to Musa this season. In Round-18, he finished the game against Berlin with 0 PIR as disappointing one but then bounced back with 17 and 18 PIR in the following two games. The most puzzling aspect is coach Mateo's decision to give Musa an average of 20 minutes per game, likely to keep him fresh for the end of the season, but this seems to be hindering his rhythm. Still, with a Fantasy Points average of 15.84 over the last five games, Musa is still capable of meeting the expectations.
Chimezie Metu, FC Barcelona (11.6 credits)
The dark horse of the week. Although there has been no official statement, rumors flying around that there is a beef between Barça and Willy Hernangomez, and during this period coach Penarroya has found a solution by using Metu more as a center in order to implement small-ball formations to bring a faster basketball. We can expect to see this system again against Panathinaikos after being key to their victory in Monaco. The rest is in Metu's hands.
Isiaha Mike, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (7.2 credits)
Having faced Asvel many times in the LNB last season, Mike is one of the best players who knows the weaknesses of the French team. A player with a good legacy at Eurocup team JL Bourg and beloved by the fans, Mike should make the most of this week as he returns to France. Considering on Bonga's status as uncertain in the forward position, Mike should focus on playing all aspects of the game just as he did in the last domestic league games by contributing extra rebounds.
Center
Joel Bolomboy, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (13.1 credits)
Last week, Bolomboy delivered the expected dominance in the paint. While his scoring contribution of just 8 points may not seem particularly impressive, he was highly productive with 15 rebounds and was the standout player in his team's victory. In Round-21, Crvena Zvezda will face Fenerbahce in Belgrade. If they win this game, they will have swept Fenerbahce for the past two seasons.
Kevarrius Hayes, Paris Basketball (9.4 credits)
While Hayes may not promise extremely high PIRs, he is always a player like doing his job reliably. His PIR average over the last 5 games is nearly same as his season average, so it would not be wrong to expect a minimum standard performance from him. Additionally, Paris will play their next two games at home with matchups against Efes and Maccabi, both of which they will enter as favorites. However, one thing is clear: if they want to win these games, they will need a solid performance from Hayes to provide significant contributions in the painted area.
Head Coach
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (6.5 credits)
There is an idiom that "A single misfortune is worth more than a thousand pieces of advice." In the 9th week of the first half of the season, after a bittersweet loss to Berlin, the Italian side went on a six-game winning streak and entered a recovery phase. Milan who fullfilled its chart the last two weeks with wins will not make the same mistake against Berlin this time and surely continue their climb up the Euroleague standings.
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid (9.3 credits)
At the end of the first 15 weeks, Chus Mateo was perhaps the coach who was closest to being fired. However, since week-16, a five-game winning streak has silenced the rumors. In this double-week, Real will play both of their games at home, but the game everyone is eagerly awaiting is the vital Round-22 clash against Olympiacos. What needs to be done is to avoid any accidents against Maccabi game before that.
Drop Candidates
Tarik Biberovic, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (6.2 credits)
In the last two weeks, Fenerbahce secured victories in the two home games where they were favored in, but Tarık's performances were not particularly impressive. While he contributed to the score, his efficiency left much to be desired. Now, they will travel for the tough match against Crvena Zvezda, and the physicality of such games has always been a challenge for Tarık.
Darius Thompson, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (12.4 credits)
It's such a pity to see the guard who finished the regular season two years ago with the highest PIR average in this section. Since Larkin's return, Darius has been experiencing a significant drop in form, which is something he has not encountered for the first time while playing for Efes. In the shocking loss at the very last game, despite staying on the court for 31 minutes, he was not productive and failed to meet the expectations. Let's see how things work under the new coach Banchi.
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