G - Vanja Marinkovic - BKN - 6.2 - vs VIR
After two solid performances against FBB and VBC, Vanja took a pause against CZV, in a game that turned out more difficult for BKN than originally expected. This slowdown was followed by two victorious games in ACB against Tenerife and Palencia. In these two games Marinkovic scored 25 and 16 points respectively, proving that the CZV game was just a slip and confirming that he is in great form. And older fantasy players should know by now that momentum is everything for Marinkovic. In the tought matchup against VIR, we expect him to be among the go-to guys for BKN when the italian defence closes in and with Howard drawing Hackett's full attention, Vanja should have enough space to inflict considerable damage.
F - Mario Hezonja - RMB - 10.7 - vs BAY
This season has had a few ups and downs for super Mario. After a rought start with little to no playtime and what appeared to be a particularly shaken relationship with Chus Mateo, Yaabusele's injury gradually brought Hezonja in the front and Mario didn't let the opportunity go to waste. The transformation he has gone through the second half of last season is remarkable, with his presene in the final four and his performance over the last month solidifying his position as one of the best forwards in the league. Don't forget, we are talking about a guy that belongs to the 50/40/90 club this season and that's no small feat. His take-off fantasy-wise has already started and we think the game against BAY will be just another step in the same direction.
F - Ercan Osmani - EFS - 4.2 - @ MTA
Ok this is a bargain. A totally situational pick that has come afloat after EFS' numerous injuries forced the team to consolidate. And while everyone is righfully focusing on Larkin's newly rediscovered BEAST MODE (resulting mainly from Clyburn's absence we may say but enough with the speculation), we can hardly call that an insighful pick. Instead we have targeted our attention to the much less glamorous but ridiculously valuable Ercan. 6 pts and 5 rebs against PAO, 3 pts and 6 rebs against BER. And all of this followed by a monstrous (for his standards) 14 pts and 8 rebs in almost 30 mins against FBB for the Turkish league. Given the team's absences and the 4.2 crds cost this is bordering a "robbing me blind" type of pick. Don't lose this one.
F - Luka Mitrovic - CZV - 11.6- vs BER
You may have noticed by now that we love picking against BER. This is nothing more than following a pattern that has generally paid off so far. The pattern of versatile scoring forwards. This is just another chapter in the same story. After a pause against VBC (somewhat expected as VBC's frontcourt doesn't mess about when it comes to choking its opponents), Mitrovic continued against BNK from where he left off in his previous two games. With three 20+ PIR performances in the last four games (vs EA7, vs EFS, @ VBC, @BKN), it is BER's turn to attempt to contain him. We don't think they will be particularly successful...
C - Bryant Dunston - VIR - 7.1 - @ BKN
This is an injury play with what we think is a decent risk-reward profile for this round. Mickey is expected to be out (again) for a month, calling Bryant to the front row once again. Ok the years have passed and Dunston's peak is long gone but every now and then he shows up to remind us how his dynamism made him one of the most dominant centers in the last decade. He has posted only two 15+ PIR performances this year (@ BAY, vs EFS) and we think this game offers a chance to extend this record. BKN has a relatively weak defence in the paint despite its two overachiever forwards (Sedekerskid and Moneke) and with some extra playtime guaranteed, we think Dunston will be a tough matchup with meaningful impact.
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