Euroleague basketball first round recap – part II

Top 16 Round 5 Euroleague Fantasy Challenge tips

We continue with our review of Euroleague fantasy tips given to you last week with a second part of the Euroleague round 1 recap. In case you missed it, first part where groups A and B were analysed is available here. Now lets move on; in this article we give you Euroleague fantasy tips for teams in groups C and D.

Euroleague Round 1 fantasy recap – group C

Barcelona Lassa

Justin Doellman: Still under priced at 65.6 credits. Barcelona is playing Zielona Gora in Blaugrana and you still have a great opportunity to grab him at low price. Get this American scoring machine until it is too late. If you already have him, do not let him go.
Alex Abrines: He started the game in Izmir pretty good, but eventually he sunk along with the whole Barcelona’s team. Barcelona should have a much better game at their house this week and I expect Abrines to be ready. His current price is 38.3 and I expect his performance to be much better then his price suggests. Abrines stays too.
Carlos Arroyo: I’m sticking with Arroyo too for this round. I expect him to dish a lot of assists and hit some long range shoots in Blaugrana. His price crashed down to 54.4 and it will take a monster performance to recover some of his lost value, but I’m keeping him for now. I hope to get some PIR from him this round and wait for the big game against PAO in the third round for him to rise his price. Arroyo stays too.

Panathinaikos Athens

Miroslav Raduljica: One of the best centers in Europe at the moment, especially when it comes to offense. PAO is playing against Pinar Karsiyaka at OAKA and I expect Raduljica to have great numbers, especially when it comes to scoring. Karsiyaka’s centers are undersized and hardly any of them have the power to contain Raduljica. He should dominate with his size under the rim and I expect him to be one of the top performers of this round. If you haven’t got him already, go get him right now. You will need 72 credits.
Sasha Pavlovic: He was the fourth most bought player, but he disappointed a lot of people because he lowered his already low price, with a PIR 1. He can do much better, of that I’m sure. I’m keeping him for now and hoping he will show his skill at OAKA this Thursday.

Dimitris Diamantidis – out, James Feldeine in

Good old Dimitris did his job for me in the first round by having 19 PIR. Still I decided to sell him. he now stands at 76 credits and I doubt he will have another performance that will back his price. I expect his price to go down now, so I decided to get the max credits I can. For only 38.3 credits you can get James Feldeine. Player who could easily be having a much better performance then Diamantidis for just the half of his price. Feldeine is a great scorer and I think he is undervalued at the moment. He is a great choice for Euroleague round 2.

Zalgiris Kaunas

Olivier Hanlan: As expected from the Lithuanian powerhouse, they have brought a good player from across the Atlantic once again. 14 points, 13 PIR against Zielona Gora. He can do even better in Kaunas against Lokomotiv. He stays with me.
Brock Motum: Another good first round choice. Australian big man looks very good on this team. He had 15 PIR, despite the fact he got fouled out. The way I see it he is still a little bit under priced and could be a good choice for this round for 52.9 credits.
Lukas Lekavicius: I’ll hold on to the young Lithuanian PG too, although I did not get what I wanted from him in the first round. He only played for 3 minutes, so he was not able to do much anyway. I expect him to get at least 10 minutes in Kaunas against Lokomotiv. I have a feeling he could be one of Euroleague second round surprises, so I’m keeping him for one more round. Kuban’s coach Bartzokas could be focusing his defense on the experienced guards in Zalgiris back court, which could give young Lekavicius the chance to get under the radar.

Lokomotiv Kuban

Victor Claver: Most bought player of round one is still hugely under valued at 34.5 credits. 17 984 people bought him before the first round and I don’t think a lot of them will be selling him this round. He had 14 PIR in the first round, not bad for a player of his price. He should stay on everyone’s team and continue to raise his price. I don’t know the situation with Anthony Randolph yet, but if he is out, Claver is definitely a keeper.
Chris Singleton: Another hugely undervalued player on this team, that payed of in the first round. He had 21 PIR in the first round and he is looking great in this team. His price is now 51.75, if you have him, hold on to him and if you don’t have him yet – get him in now!

Anthony Randolph – out, Malcolm Delaney – in

As I already said his status is uncertain, but I’m cutting him loose at the moment. Instead you could reach for Delaney. He is a great guard with a price of 66 credits, but I expect him to have great game in Kaunas. He is good scorer and his team will need his buckets in Kaunas.

Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir

Juan Palacios – out, Colton Iverson – in

I’m trading big men in this team, because Iverson seams to be in better shape at the moment. He has fitted into this team like a glove and dominated the paint against Barcelona. If you can cover the price difference between these two players, I suggest you to make the swap. I already said that Raduljica should dominate the paint against Karsiyaka and still think so, but… I see both players dominating offensively. Raduljica has got more power, while Iverson has got the speed and good positioning when it comes to rebounding. He plays a great “pick and roll” with his guards and he really could be a factor for the Turkish team in Athens.
Kenny Gabriel: Gabriel was one of my best picks from the first round and he deserves to stay with me. He had 17 PIR and I think he could have another good performance in Athens. His price is 51.8 at the moment and I’m hopping for some more.

Josh Carter – out, Joe Ragland – in

Ragland is Karsiyaka’s primary option on the PG position, but he was having some injury problems before round one, so he was not on my radar. He eventually played and had 11 PIR. He has shown that he will be a decent replacement for Bobby Dixon this year. He had some amazing performances in the Turkish league. His current price is 44 and I fell he is pretty much under-priced and could soon become one of the top performers when it comes to PG’s. Josh Carter is a very good player, but Ragland’s role on this team is much bigger.

Stelmet Zielona Gora

Mateusz Ponitka: He was having a good game up until the last minute when he missed a couple of free throws and denied his team a chance to open the 2015-2016 Euroleague season with a home victory. Ponitka is full of potential and I’m not giving up on him yet. There is a tough trip to Barcelona in front of the Polls, so there are probably better choices for 42 credits then Ponitka, but If you already got him you should be patient with him. His time will come.
Demarquis Bost: One of my biggest disappointments of the first round. He Killed me with his -3 PIR performance. But… I’m willing to try him out one last time in Blaugrana. Big opponents tend to bring out the best from good players. Is Bost good enough? If he should fail again, he is definitely out that’s for sure.

Przemyslaw Zamojski – out, Vlad Moldoveanu – in

Zamojski’s performance did not satisfy me at all in the first round, so I’m suggesting you Vlad Moldoveanu. With an 18 PIR game behind him and a price of 46 credits, is this Romanian stretch 4 the steal of the round? Many will shake their had in doubt, because Zielona Gora is playing Barcelona at their house, but to quote Derek Trotter: “He who dares, wins!”. Moldoveanu could have another good performance in Barcelona. Why not!?

Euroleague Round 1 fantasy recap – group D

Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv

Jordan Farmar: He was practically the only player on Maccabi’s team that has put some kind of a fight in Moscow. No doubt he is the go-to-guy for this team I expect only great performances from him. He had 17 PIR in Moscow and dropped his price from 70 to 68, but don’t worry he will son be raising it over 70. Maccabi has got a serious home game in front of them and Farmar should be at the top of his game. He is an excellent player and an excellent choice for your fantasy team.
Dragan Bender: Maccabi is having some injury problems so Bender could get extended playing time against Unicaja. Coach Goodes seems to have a lot of faith in him. He could have a good performance in Tel Aviv and for a player that costs only 23.8, he could be getting a lot of playing time. I can’t wait to see Bender perform at home.
Arinze Onuaku: Onuaku started the game pretty well in Moscow, but but slowly sunk much like his whole team. He grabbed as much as 7 rebounds in Russia and if he should continue playing like that, he could be a great choice for only 28.9 credits. Onuaku is one of the most powerful big men in Europe at the moment. He could be a handful for any defense that lets him get close enough to the rim. Stay tuned for more info on the injuries on Maccabi’s front court.

CSKA Moscow

Kyle Hines: I’m staying with Hines although his performance in the first round was way below my expectations. I would not advise you to add him at the moment, because he does not look to be in such a great shape, but if you already have him on your team he is worth keeping for at least one more round. CSKA is playing Sassari and need I remind you that whatever center plays against them, usually has a great performance. Semih Erden scored only 3 points against them last round, but that did not keep him from having 20 PIR. Enough said.
Nando De Colo: He came into the game firing on all cylinders, practically playing Maccabi on his own. They way he played in the first half I was hoping to get at least 30 PIR from him. The trouble was that CSKA have destroyed Maccabi too soon, so De Colo played only 20 minutes. It was enough for him to get 19 PIR and to score 17 points. He is definitely one of the best players in Europe right now. If you have him on your team, I can’t see a reason to sell him. De Colo is in on fire.
Aaron Jackson: Another one of my good picks for round 1 was Aaron Jackson. He had 22 PIR from the shadow of Milos Teodosic. He may seem like a player to move, because of his high price of 63.3 credits, but I would advise you to wait for one more round. CSKA is playing Sassari and Jackson is a guy that really likes to run. I expect him to have another good game on Sardegna.

Unicaja Malaga

Richard Hendrix: Hendrix will be travelling to Israel to face his former team. That fact often brings out the best of players. I like Hendrix’ role on the team, his minutes and finally his performance against Brose Baskets. Maccabi’s front court is suffering some injury problems, Hendrix could exploit that fact.

Will Thomas – out, Mindaugas Kuzminskas – in

Tomas did what I asked of him bringing me 13 PIR and now I can move him and get 52.9 credits. If you got some extra credits, you should definitely get Kuzminskas. He seemed to be rather expensive before the first round, but after his performances at the start of this season, it seems to me that there is no such thing as a too high price for the Lithuanian forward. He is playing in great shape and finally looks ready to be the “top gun” of this team. His price is now 66.7 and I don’t think it is too much to give for him. Unicaja is playing Maccabi in Tel Aviv. Expect Kuzminskas to lead his team against not so convincing Israeli team at the moment.
Edwin Jackson: I’m willing to give the French shooter one more chance to impress me. You can’t earn much by selling him, so I decided to see if he is really fantasy material for the future.

Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari

David Logan – out, MarQuez Haynes -in

Arguably the best player of this team, performed horribly in the first round. PIR -3 says it all. His price is now 45.9 and Sassari is playing CSKA. Coach Itoudis could be awarding him a special defender so his struggles could continue. Instead of Logan you should consider adding MarQuez Haynes. He costs 5 credits less, but looks to be in great shape, especially when it comes to shooting. I think Haynes could explode against CSKA.

Christian Eyenga – out, Brent Petway in

I really like Eyenga as a player and I’ll be coming back to him eventually, but I don’t feel his time is right now. He is physical guy, but it is tough to out-muscle CSKA’s players. Instead I would recommend you to take Brent Petway. At 45.9 credits he will cost you 6 credits more then Eyenga, but I think he has a much better chance to have a good game against the Russian powerhouse. He has the experience of big games and he could be one of the leaders for Sassari in such a tough game.
Rok Stipcevic: Stipcevic was the only player from this team that delivered for me in the firts round. He is playing the best basketball of his career at the moment and I don’t think his 15 PIR game from Turkey was an exception.

Brose Baskets Bamberg

Bradley Wanamaker: This team has 4 players that top all other: these 3 that I’ve chosen for my Euroleague Fantasy Challenge tips along with Nikos Zisis. They all did good in the first round with 15,17 and 14 PIR. The one from whom I expect the most is Wanamaker. American PG is a legitimate MVP candidate for this round, if you ask me. Bamberg is playing at home against Darussafaka and they will need him to step up.

Janis Strelnieks – out, Nikos Zisis in

Strelnieks did very good in Malaga having a 17 PIR game, but I’m trading him for another PG from this team. Of course his name is Nikos Zisis and he also had a 17 PIR game. The difference is Strelnieks now costs 63.3, while you can get Zisis for just 48.3. You will get some “free” credits and a player who should have another great game. His experience could prove to be crucial for the German team in their attempt of getting the first home victory of the season.
Niccolo Melli: Still under-priced considering the role that he has on this team. Coach Trinchieri trusts him and I think he should continue to deliver. My choices from this team proved to be great, lets continue in that fashion.

Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul

Luke Harangody: Hrangody started the game against Dinamo Sassari great, scoring 8 points in the first quarter and getting a few rebounds. I was very surprised and disappointed to see that he ended up playing just 12 minutes!? From now on, I’m taking a very cautious approach when it comes to adding players from Darussafaka to my fantasy team. The team is full of players of similar quality and it is tough to predict their numbers in a given game. Their front court is especially overcrowded with: Erden, Savas, Slaughter, Harangody, Bjelica and currently injured Dudley. You could leave Harangody on your team and hope he will get more playing time, but I’m really disappointed because I expected Harangody to be one of my main guys. Coach Mahmuti’s rotations are forcing me to reconsider.
Semih Erden: What to say about a player who scored only 3 points, but had 20 PIR!? He pulled down 12 rebounds and that is the main reason for such a good performance. As I said I’m skeptical about taking players from this team, but you could hold on to Erden after such a performance. All in all he the center with the biggest reputation on this team.

Oguz Savas – out

Another the stated the game in the staring lineup, scored 6 points, got pulled out of the game after 5 minutes and never came back!? What to do with such a player now!? Sell him, of course. He has the potential to perform well on this team, but he is a major gamble with Mahmuti’s rotations.

Euroleague basketball first round recap – part II Conclusion

This was our second part of the first round Euroleague Fantasy Challenge recap. We gave you our early thoughts for handful of players to transfer out and who to get instead. Hope you liked it and please check back prior the Euroleague round 2 starts for more EFCEuroleague basketball first round recap – part II tips. Please connect with me on twitter – @corbenDallasEFC