This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Monaco's Mike James will play Friday.
- Barcelona's Sertac Sanli remains out for another Round.
- CSKA's Tornike Shengelia will miss at least two months with his shoulder injury.
- Janis Strelnieks and Paulius Jankunas will not play Friday for Zalgiris.
STATS AND INFO.
THE SLATE
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at CSKA Moscow
Status Check: Aaron White (CZV), Branko Lazic (CZV), Maik Zirbes (CZV), Nikola Milutinov (CSK), Tornike Shengelia (CSK), Marius Grigonis (CSK), Kenneth Faried (CSK)
Best Bets for Success: The Russian team is a heavy favorite in the first game of the day, but this one could be closer than the experts think with Shengelia joining a couple talented teammates on the injured list. Red Star is allowing the fewest points in the league, so CSKA could have a tough time running away. They still have plenty of firepower, and Will Clyburn and Johannes Voigtmann look like the team's best options for Round 4, particularly with Red Star ranking among the best against both guards and forwards. Clyburn is of course a forward, but he's also one of the best scorers in the league, and Voigtmann should rule the roost in the post. Nikola Kalinic has been a fixture in this spot for Red Star, and he stays here for another Round. Nate Wolters has also earned a mention here, as he looks like his team's steadiest option in the backcourt.
DFS Darlings: In addition to the two Red Star players above, Luka Mitrovic and Ognjen Dobric have also turned on the jets, and neither of them will cost you more than $7,400 on DraftKings. There will be all kinds of opportunities available on CSKA's roster given their absences, but Red Star's stingy defense takes the shine off some of their value options. Joel Bolomboy is intriguing at $5,000, as he's the player most likely to split the bulk of the big-man minutes with Voigtmann. While he is quite a bit more pricey than the players regularly listed in this section, if you're feeling risky you could bank on Alexey Shved filling Shengelia's scoring load. Shved checks in at $9,600 on DraftKings, but that's far less than he was running when at his best last season.
Status Check: Alex Abrines (BAR), Sertac Sanli (BAR), Mike James (ASM)
Best Bets for Success: Nikola Mirotic has been one of the safest options on the board all season, and he looks extremely appealing in Round 4 against a Monaco team comfortably allowing the most points and rebounds to frontcourt players. Mirotic's numbers speak for themselves, as heading into Friday's games he is leading the league in both average index rating and three-point percentage and is tied for third in points per game and success rate at the charity stripe. It's tough to pass on Nick Calathes here, but Monaco has handled guards fairly well, so we'll stick with Mirotic only. Monaco features another of the best players on the board in James, who has not recorded fewer than 27.8 DraftKings points and put up 51.3 points on that website on Wednesday. James is a bit risky on DraftKings in Round 4, though, as although he is on track to play, he did leave Wednesday's contest was cramping and faces a Barcelona defense that handles guards fairly well.
DFS Darlings: Donta Hall continues to edge closer to 'Best Bet' territory, but he will remain here for now against a Barcelona team that has been tough on centers. He does still look pretty good on DraftKings at $7,900, however. Given how Monaco's defense matches up, it could be a nice night for Brandon Davies, who has started a bit slow but is capable of much more. There's enough reason to believe in Nigel Hayes-Davis to take a swing at an even $7,000.
Zalgiris Kaunas at 
Olympiacos Piraeus
Status Check: Joffrey Lauvergne (ZAL)
Best Bets for Success: This game features a big spread as well, but unlike the first game above, this could indeed be a lopsided affair. Olympiacos appears to be clicking on all cylinders, and Zalgiris is a team looking for its identity. One player who could help them do that is Josh Nebo, who stepped in for an injured Lauvergne in Round 3 and was his team's best player. Despite the minimal track record, we will immediately go with Nebo here, particularly with Olympiacos tough against guards but fairly friendly to centers. Sasha Vezenkov remains locked into this spot for the Greek team, as even a "down game" in Round 3 resulted in 23.8 DraftKings points. His price has dropped to $10,300, and the only concern is that his minutes could be limited if Olympiacos gets out to a big lead.
DFS Darlings: Janis Strelnieks was the best bet for Zalgiris earlier this week, but he was hardly locked into that spot. He gets bumped down to this section for Round 4, as he faces a tough matchup and was never likely to average double figures in the first place. He is averaging 21.2 DraftKings points, though, which makes him an option to consider at $7,100. Niels Giffey could also be worth considering for the Lithuanian squad. Zalgiris has struggled to slow opposing guards, so you could consider a number of Olympiacos backcourt players. Most notably, Thomas Walkup's price has dropped to $7,700, and Giannoulis Larentzakis has a shot to return 3x value if the score gets out of hand.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul at 
AX Armani Exchange Milan
Status Check: Krunoslav Simon (EFS), Troy Daniels (AXM)
Best Bets for Success: The defending champions will be looking to notch their first win of the season, but that won't come easy against a quality Milan team. Efes figures to lean on Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin like they usually do, particularly with Micic looking like the MVP the last two Rounds and Larkin not showing any effects from his sore knee. Both are returning some of the most value on the board despite their lofty prices, but it could be tough for both to do so in Round 4, as Milan has been one of the best against opposing guards. On the other side, Efes has had all kinds of issues with forwards, which bodes well for Milan's top two options -- Shavon Shields and Nicolo Melli. Both players should be able to top the 20-point mark on DraftKings after failing to do so last week.
DFS Darlings: Efes is not getting steady production from anyone outside their top two players, but Simon likely still out Thursday, it's a good bet someone else on the roster tops 20 points on DraftKings, as was the case in each of the first three Rounds. Tibor Pleiss seems to be the most intriguing of the bunch, as he checks in at $6,100 on that website and got off to a hot start last year before injuries took their toll. Konstantinos Mitoglou carries a good deal of intrigue given the matchup, but be aware he's a bit more pricey on DraftKings than he was during his breakout game in Round 3. Most of the same applies to Devon Hall, who is tied for fifth in the league in three-pointers per game.
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens at 
Real Madrid
Status Check: Yogi Ferrell (PAO), Anthony Randolph (RMB), Trey Thompkins (RMB)
Best Bets for Success: Three Madrid players reached the 20-point mark on DraftKings in each of the first three Rounds, which comes as a bit of a surprise considering 11 players on the roster are averaging at least 11 minutes per game. The Spanish squad's top option remains Edy Tavares, who like Vezenkov above, put up 23.0 DraftKings points earlier this week despite not being at his best. Panathinaikos contained Tavares last time these teams squared off, but that followed a stretch that saw Tavares record a double-double against the Greek team in three straight meetings. With Nemanja Nedovic struggling his last time out, Ioannis Papapetrou gets this spot all to himself in Round 4. Papapetrou appears well on his way toward increasing his scoring average for a fifth year in a row, and he's easily leading his team in both points and minutes per contest.
DFS Darlings: Madrid's division of minutes makes it hard to find too much value among their ranks, but Thomas Heurtel looks like one of the best options available, having put up at least 21.5 DraftKings points in each game. He's returning the most value among all players despite seeing his price jump significantly since Round 1. Vincent Poirier is also intriguing, as his price has dropped to an affordable $7,800. Madrid has not been great against guards, which is good news for another of the best values on the board, Daryl Macon. He figures to continue serving as Panathinaikos' starting point guard until Ferrell is ready to go, and he has scored 13 points in all three games this season. The matchup could also allow you to pounce on Nedovic, who is all the way down to $8,100 on DraftKings.
