First round of the 2015-2016 Turkish Airlines Euroleague season is behind us and it is time to get your Euroleague fantasy teams ready for the second round. The second round will bring more excitement and interesting matchups, so make sure you stay with us as we break down all games in all 4 groups once again. We will be recapitulating the first round, good choices that we made as well as the bad ones. Who to move from your team and who too keep? Who to add and who to keep an eye on? Stay with us and you will find out.
Euroleague basketball group A:
Real Madrid
Gustavo Ayon: He obviously did not pay off, because he was quite expensive but managed to produce only 8 PIR. I still stand behind everything I wrote about him earlier and still consider him as one of the best fantasy picks form Real Madrid. If you got him before the first round, I think you should hold on to him at least for one more round. He now stands at 62.1 credits and I don’t think this is a good time to be selling him. He lost a lot of his value so you would be losing credits if you sell him now. Real is playing at home against Crvena Zvezda and he has a good chance to regain some of his lost value. He is still Real’s number one option under the rim and he could have good game this week. If you didn’t purchase him at all before the first round, he maybe a good choice now.
Sergio Llull: Sergio was one of the player that delivered in the first round. I got exactly what I wanted from him. He had a PIR 19 and dropped his value by just one credit and he stands at 76 now. The drop is insignificant, while his performance was great. You could say that you got what you paid for, if you had him on your team. Sergio is probably the player that is in the best shape in Real’s roster and I really don’t see a reason to move him from your team. Home game for Real; Lull plays a lot of minutes; plays very good; what is there not to like?
Jaycee Carroll: Another player that did not justify his price in the first round. That is not much of a shocker, because he normally performs much better at home. Real had a tough away game and he blended with team’s bad performance in general. I would not move him either as I think he also could have a good game this week. He is not in a bad shape, so I expect an improvement from him this week. His current price is 51.
Conclusion:
I’m sticking with my choices from Real as I don’t see adequate replacements in Madrid’s roster. These three players are looking good and should have good performances this week at home against Crvena Zvezda.
Fenerbahce
Luigi Datome: Fenerbahce struggled for the most part of the game against Bayern and Datome was no exception. Even though things were not going so smoothly for him and Fenerbahce he managed to collect 12 PIR. It is obvious that he has got a lot of trust from coach Obradovic and that he will be one of the leaders of this team. He plays a lot of minutes and he should be contributing a lot in the future. Fenerbahce’s next game is in France against Strasbourg and I can see Datome only progressing. If you already have him, don’t sell him. If you don’t, you should seriously consider getting him. There are not many players that are better then him in the SG-SF selection, especially for 52.8 credits.
Jan Vesely: Seriously, why would anyone consider selling him? He manger to get 23 PIR with a below average shooting percentage. I’m looking forward to see what will his PIR be on a good scoring night?! He is in great shape and he is playing a lot of minutes. He had 11 rebounds and even 5 assist against Bayern. Last year I bought Boban Marjanovic before the next round and did not move him from my team until Zvezda was eliminated from the top 16. I have a feeling Vesely could be staying in my team until the end of Fenerbahce’s road in the Euroleague. That could be a long time.
Bogdan Bogdanovic – out, Kostas Sloukas – in
Bogdanovic is not justifying his price of 57.8 at the moment and I think you should trade him for Sloukas who costs only 5 credits more. Sloukas has a much bigger impact on the team at the moment and I think he could have another good game against Strasbourg. He was one of Fenerbahce’s best players in their Turkish league visit to Darussaffaka this Sunday. Great defender, shooter and passer. Obradovic likes him, why shouldn’t we?
Khimki Moscow Region
Alexey Shved: His price came way down to 59.5 and I don’t think it is the right time to be selling him. His pinnacle is at a much higher price. He had 11 PIR in the first round, but I expect him to take much more responsibility in Munich.
Paul Davis – out, James Augustine – in
Davis is a great scorer, but Augustine is Khimki’s best rebounder. Augustine seems to be in a much better shape then Davis at the moment. Augustine’s current price is 62.1, while Davis stands at 56.1. So if you could manage to produce some extra credits, you should swap these two centers. He had an 18 PIR against Real and 19 against CSKA in a VTB league game on Monday. Why not 20 in Munich on Thursday?!
Zoran Dragic: It is obvious he is not yet a 100% ready and he is not the player to keep on your roster at the moment. His moment will surely come, but you should ditch him now, if you got him. For additional 10 credits along with 51 from Dragic you should consider Petteri Koponen. The Finish PG had a great VTB league game on Monday and he should continue performing at a high level after a slow start against Real last week.
Bayern
John Bryant: Home game against Khimki is in front of Bayern and Bryant is definitely worth having on your team in round 2. Although the Russian team has enough quality players under the rim, they do not do a good job closing out the paint. Khimki’s defense in general is not that good. Khimki is also a team that fires a lot of shots, so there will be enough balls for such a good rebounder like Bryant to collect. I expect him to have a very good performance this week, maybe even a monster one. He had 11 PIR in a tough away game against Fenerbahce and he now stands at 53.6 credits.
Paul Zipser: German young prospect is also a keeper on this team. He played 27 minutes in Istanbul producing 10 PIR. Against Khimki at home his PIR as well as his price should only be going one way and it is up.
K.C.Rivers – out, Alex Renfroe – in
Rivers is a great scorer and he is playing his former team this round, but I see Renfroe having a much bigger role in this team. I advise to move Rivers from your team and add Renfroe instead. Rivers stands at 45.1 credit at the moment while Renfroe will cost you 46.8. Rivers is in the SG- SF section while Renfroe is in the PG section. That means you can’t swap them directly but if you should move one of your PG’ as well, you should consider adding Renfroe. He scored 14 points and had a PIR 10 in Istanbul, mostly because he committed 6 turnovers. Khimki does not play such an aggressive defense like Fenerbahce and he should reduce the number of his turnovers and have an even better performance overall in Munich this week. Renfroe is good choice for this week.
Crvena Zvezda
Marko Simonovic: to tell you the truth I was planning to advise you to move him, but after Luka Mitrovic’s injury his perspective has changed. Zvezda does not have a proper PF at all on their roster, because Marko Tejic is also out for some time now. Simonovic is SF, not a PF, but I guess coach Radonjic will be forced to use him on PF position, because he has no other option. Simonovic should be playing a lot, so I decided not to move him and see how it goes.
Mike Zirbes: Definitely one of the best picks of this season. The German center is still one of the most undervalued players and one of the best pick there is. He is playing in great shape and is an absolute “must have” when it comes to big men. Zvezda has got a very tough away game in Madrid, but Zirbes is definitely worth keeping. Real, although a much stronger team than Zvezda, is struggling at the moment. They were always team that has a lot of problems defending against dominant big man and I see a chance for Zirbes to dominate even on a tough trip such as this one. Zirbes could have another big night, especially now with Luka Mitrovic being out. 52.9 credits and a 22 PIR game behind him. Zirbes all the way.
Gal Mekel: I’ll hold on to the Israeli guard too. Although Jovic was a much better choice in the first game, I think Mekel should have much better performance in Madrid. He is worth keeping if you already got him, because a player of his quality has got the potential to raise his price even on a tough trip like this. 47.6 is not too much even to purchase him now.
Strasbourg
Rodrigue Beaubois: No way I’m selling him after his 17 points, 16 PIR game in Belgrade. Strasbourg is playing at home against powerful Fenerbahce and they will need their experienced guard to lead them. He is a very talented player that has the chance to raise his price of 52.9 credits a little bit more.
Kyle Weems: He probably disappointed a lot of Euroleague Fantasy Challenge players in the first round, because a lot of people probably added him before the first round. He was a rather cheap player with a significant role in his team and was worth adding for a low price. Now his price is even lower, since he had just 1 PIR in Belgrade. You should consider adding him for 38.3 credits, because I’m convinced that he won’t be shooting 0/5 from down town like he did in Belgrade. He played 30 minutes against Zvezda and I expect him to use his minutes a lot better in Strasbourg.
Vladimir Golubovic: Golubovic remains to be the main threat on Strasbourg’s front court and you should keep him for one more round as he still has not reached his max price.
Euroleague basketball group B
Anadolu Efes
Birkan Batuk: As long as Cedi Osman is out, Batuk should remain as one of the best choices when it comes to low-priced players. He had a very good PIR of 12, for a player that you could get for only 27 credits. He now costs 31.1 and he is still a very good purchase. Just keep an eye on Osman’s injury status.
Dario Saric: Saric had the highest PIR on Efes’ crowded front court and I see no reason to move him. He is probably to expensive to add at the moment for 70.4 credits, but if you already have him, you should hold on to him.
Jon Diebler: Diebler rounds up my good picks from this team. He had 19 PIR and 21 points score with out a single two point shot attempt!? His price went up to 59.8, but he is still worth adding if you ask me. He is getting a lot of playing time and he uses it well. He shot 6/10 from down town in Limoges, I cant wait to see what will he do in Istanbul.
Olympiacos Piraeus
Ioannis Papapetrou – Out, Patric Young – in
OK, this may not be a fair proposal, because of a huge difference in prices, but if you could find a way to add the first round MVP to your team, you definitely should. Young is playing a lot of minutes since Othello Hunter is out and he is playing really good. He has got intelligent guards like Spanoulis or Mantzaris to feed him with the balls inside and he is rebounding like crazy. I don’t see Laboral’s front court stopping him from having a double double performance in Vittoria. He will cost you 71.3 credits, but he should perform accordingly or even better.
Dimitrios Agravanis: Between the two Greek low priced youngsters I chose before the first round I decided to stick with Agravanis. He did not perform that well in the first game, but he has the potential to do much better in the second. Laboral Kutxa is not that strong on the PF position, so Agravanis could use the fact that their best defender on his position will probably be sitting on the bench whenever Georgios Printezis sits. I’m willing to give him a second chance.
Matt Lojeski: One of the top performers in first round with 22 PIR, should be moved only if you are in a desperate need for credits. Olympiacos play an important game in Vittoria against Laboral Kutxa this week and they will need Lojeski at full alert. He maybe too expensive if are thinking of purchasing him at the moment, though.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano
Alessandro Gentile: He did not have the performance I expected from him, although 14 PIR is not such a disaster. The only problem is that his price dropped a lot and he now stands at 62.9 credits. I’m in a bit of a dilemma whether to sell him or not. Milano is in for a tough road trip to Istanbul to face Efes. Gentile is still the best player of this team, and should get a lot of minutes. He could also end up scoring a lot of points, but I’m afraid missed shots and turnovers could keep him from getting a big PIR.
Robbie Hummel: I’m pleased with Hummel’s 14 PIR performance in the first round, so I’ll keep him. He raised his price to 48.3 and I expect his good performances to push his value even higher.
Krunoslav Simon: If Gentile should struggle there is another player that could take the role as the leader of the team. His name is Kruno Simon and he is playing with great confidence this year. He had an 11 PIR game in the first round, but I have a feeling he will have a better one in Istanbul on Thursday. Hold on to Kruno.
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz
Ioannis Bourousis: Although his price went up by 7.5 credits since the last round, he is still uderpriced. Laboral Kutxa is welcoming his former team Olympiacos Piraeus and I expect him to bring his A – game. He was the player of the round in Liga Endesa this week with 32 PIR. Bourousis is a “no sell” and a “must have” player at the moment.
Fabien Causer: He had 12 PIR in Milano, but I expect him to have an even better game against Olympiacos. It is a big game against a big opponent and Causer has got the nerve to excel in those kind of games. On of the best player of this team should have a good game in Vittoria this week and i would not sell him if I Were you. For 48 credits he could be a good purchase too.
Kim Tillie – out, Darius Adams – in
Tillie did not deliver last week, ending up with only 4 PIR. Although he had a great game in the Liga Endesa, scoring 17 points and having 20 PIR, I don’t see him being that good against Olympiacos’ front court this round. I will be recommending Darius Adams instead. Adams is a PG with the capacity to hit tough contested shoots. Olympiacos plays aggressive defense and i think Adams will be forced to finish Laboral’s attacks on his own a lot. If he should have a good shooting night, he could end up with a lot of PIR.
Cedevita
Tomislav Zubcic: Everything that I said about him before first round still stands. Zubcic had a great performance and collected 20 PIR on one of the toughest away games there is in the Euroleague. He now stands at 39.1 and had a good chance of having another great performance, since Cedevita is playing at home against Limoges. He is still undervalued, therefore an excellent choice for such a small price.
Miro Bilan: He did not have such a great performance against Olympiacos, but if you got Bilan on your team you may want to hold on to him at least for one more round. Cedevita is playing Limoges at home and Bilan should prove to be the best player of the Croatian team this season. Keep Bilan on your team if you have him, because you will be losing credits if you move him now. He now stands at 45.1 and it’s the right time to get him for a low price before what it should be the easiest game for Cedevita this season.
Nemanja Gordic: He was pretty much a bust, because he had a -3 PIR in the first round, but I expect a much better performance from him in this round. He is now one of the cheapest PG’s there is and you can get a player that plays a lot of minutes for a mere 30.6 credits. Gordic can do much better, of that I’m sure. His performances in the ABA league show it. Great choice for one of your PG positions this round.
Limoges CSP
Leo Westermann – out, Heiko Schaffartzik – in
Since Randy Culpepper has been suffering some injury problems Westermann seemed like the right choice for my Euroleague fantasy team. As it turned out Culpepper was ready for the first round and played a good game collecting 15 PIR. I’ll be trading Westermann this week, but not for Culpepper as he now costs 60 credits. There is another guard on the team that costs only 38 credits. His name is Heiko Schaffartzik and he had a monster performance of 26 PIR in the first round. German national team guard is probably one of the best buys this round. He won’t be repeating his first round performance in the second round, but if he does as half as good I’ll be satisfied.
Ali Traore: One of the most experienced, one of the leaders and one of the top performers of this team. He had 15 PIR against Efes powerful front court and I don’t see a reason to sell him. There are probably some cheaper choices, if you are thinking of adding him, but if you already have him – he is a keeper.
Nobel Boungou-Colo – out, Will Daniels – in
Boungou-Colo had an average performance in the first round and he does not cost much at the moment. I have another player that cost even less, but could have a surprisingly good performance in Zagreb. His name is Will Daniels and he plays at the PF position for Limoges. What I have noticed from watching Cedevita is that they have trouble defending PF’s in the Euroleague. If you are looking for a surprise this round Daniels could be your guy.
Conclusion
There you have it guys, I’ve analysed performances of my Euroleague group A & B fantasy picks in this article. Some of them were good In the first round, and some of them should be replaced if you have them in your EFC team. Stay tuned as tomorrow will be part II of this article with player performances from groups C & D analysed as well. Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed this article please consider sharing. If you disagree with our recap or have something to add, please comment below.