We are here with the second leg of the final double week of the EuroLeague season. Together with the increase in the number of teams, the schedule has naturally become more congested, leading to an unusually high number of double weeks this season, which is one of the most disliked situations for players in the EuroLeague. At this stage, where the tension is extremely high and the playoff and play-in race is heating up more than ever, detailed team analysis has somewhat taken a back seat; differentiating between matchups based on teams' urgency to win has become a more reasonable approach. That's why in the recommendation section below, we have focused on selecting players and coaches in line with this perspective.
If you have any questions or comments about strategy or the picks below, feel free to reach out on X via @RotoWireEuro.
Good luck on your EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge journey!
Guard
Tyler Dorsey, Olympiacos Piraeus (13.0 credits)
Facing against a potential Final Four-caliber opponent like Real Madrid who are known for struggling in away games, Dorsey delivered an incredible performance by scoring 37 points and producing 43 PIR in 29 minutes, earning himself the MVP of Round 36. Olympiacos have traveled to Sofia for their upcoming game against Hapoel and it has been alredy reported that Evan Fournier did not travel with the team due to injury, which means Tyler is likely to see similar minutes as he did in the Real Madrid game. This is not a must-win game for Olympiacos, as even a victory in their final EuroLeague game at home against Olimpia Milano would be enough to secure the first seed. That's why, for this particular matchup, coach Georgios Bartzokas may prioritize helping Dorsey maintain his form and could grant him the offensive freedom he needs without hesitation.
Nadir Hifi, Paris Basketball (15.5 credits)
Last season's deadly duo TJ Shorts and Hifi were fighting for a play-in spot around this time, but this season in Paris Basketball, who fell out of both the playoff and play-in race very early this season, the most entertaining aspect has been Hifi's one-man show performances. Nadir who has recently found his rhythm again may not have been able to keep his team competitive in the tough road game against Red Star, but he still stood out as the only player keeping Paris alive with 20 points and a 23 PIR performance. In Round 37, Paris will face Maccabi Tel Aviv who are still holding onto slim play-in hopes and with the game being played at home, there is a strong possibility that Hifi, potentially in his last EuroLeague appearance in front of the Paris crowd, will be eager to deliver a memorable show.
Nenad Dimitrijevic, FC Bayern Munich (10.9 credits)
Right after returning from a two-game injury absence, Nenad Nedović produced 25 PIR against Fenerbahçe and followed it up with 23 PIR in the first leg of the double week on the road against Virtus Bologna and he did all of this in just 20 minutes on the court. While his limited playing time may raise some question marks, as he might not be fully recovered yet, no one really expected him to be this efficient. With two away games remaining for Bayern Munich, whose play-in hopes had already ended long ago this season, it is fair to say that this is now a period where individual performances will come more to the forefront for Bayern players. Considering also the recent defensive issues of their opponent Olimpia Milano in guarding perimeter players and the fact that Milano is Nenad's former team, which should motivate him to approach the game in a more focused and ambitious way, picking him can definitely be considered as a move worth trying.
Forward
Jaylen Hoard, Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (15.6 credits)
Having a loss against Baskonia in the first leg of the double week, Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered a major blow to their play-in hopes. Despite an explosive start to the game where the team scored 36 points in the first quarter, with Jordan Clark, Lonnie Walker IV and Roman Sorkin stepping up, Hoard only found his rhythm in the final quarter, but by then it was too late as they could not recover from the 40–19 deficit they allowed in the third quarter. Even though he underperformed at a time when his team needed him the most, Hoard still deserves another chance considering he stayed on the court for around 34–35 minutes and managed to produce 16 PIR even on one of his worst days. In Round 37, in what is expected to be a high-scoring game on the road against Paris Basketball, trusting Hoard one more time could be a reasonable move.
Mamadi Diakite, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (10.8 credits)
Since the middle of the season, Diakite has firmly established himself as an indispensable part of the rotation, and it is fair to say that his rookie year in the EuroLeague has not gone badly at all. Playing for Baskonia, a team without a natural center in its roster, Diakite has occasionally taken on the center role and has especially stood out with his performances in away games. After playing their last four games at home, Baskonia's most recent road appearances saw Diakité produce 37 PIR against Dubai in Round 31 and 17 PIR against Olympiacos in Round 32, leaving a strong impression. Considering that their remaining two games are both away fixtures, it is fair to say that this could once again be the right time for Diakite to showcase himself.
Juancho Hernangomez, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (13.5 credits)
The arrival of Nigel Hayes-Davis seems to have benefited Hernangomez the most, as alongside Nigel, coach Ergin Ataman has been deploying him as a center in small-ball lineups; while Nigel positions himself in the painted area for post-ups, Hernangomez spaces out to the three-point line via allowing himself to find the open shots he prefers more easily and more frequently. After securing a statement 31-point win on the road against Barcelona in the first game of the double week, Panathinaikos is expected to maintain its recent rotation in order to complete the Spain tour with a perfect week and achieve its goal of finishing within the top six seeds, which makes it quite clear that Hernangomez will once again see around 25 minutes of playing time.
Center
Mfiondu Kabengele, Dubai Basketball (16.3 credits)
Leaving aside his performance in the Zalgiris game, Kabengele has been contributing at a very high level in recent weeks and this home matchup against Efes could be one of the games where he proves nearly unstoppable. Efes who have struggled in center defense since the beginning of the season, do not seem to have found a solution even with the return of Vincent Poirier, whose current condition is still questionable as he looks far from the version we are used to seeing. In a scenario where he is effectively out of the equation, there is simply no way for Efes to defend a paint beast like Kabengele with an undersized Kai Jones and he will most likely dominate like prime Shaq, which is why he can also be considered as a captain.
Kevarrius Hayes, AS Monaco (7.1 credits)
Following the departure of Vassilis Spanoulis, Monaco has been operating with a shortened rotation and on top of that, the absence of Daniel Theis from the game roster over the past two weeks for unclear reasons has made Hayes stand out as the only true center on the roster, essentially without a direct alternative. The player who has averaged around 15 minutes per game throughout the season was on the court for nearly 14 minutes just in the first half against ASVEL in Round 36. It is important to closely monitor updates regarding whether Theis will be available, as if he is not included in the game squad, Hayes becomes a name you will definitely want to have on your team.
Head Coach
Jurica Golemac, Dubai Basketball (5.8 credits)
As you may recall from the introduction of our article, we identified teams' need for wins as the primary criterion that would shape this week's evaluations and in that case, following a near-impossible comeback on the road against Zalgiris, Dubai managed to keep their play-in chances alive and carry their hopes into the final weeks. Their next opponent, Efes, has long since thrown in the towel for the season and considering that Dubai tends to play high-scoring games on their home court, they stand out as the top candidate for +20 fantasy points.
Sasa Obradovic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (5.7 credits)
The loss they suffered against Partizan in the derby in Round 35 was far more than just a derby defeat, to the point that it may have reduced the margin for error of Obradovic and his players to zero. The convincing win they secured against Paris in Round 36 has still not provided much relief for the Belgrade side, and considering that winning the final game on the road against Real Madrid will be a very tough challenge, they simply cannot afford to give any chance to their Round 37 opponent ASVEL, otherwise their play-in hopes will vanish.
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