G - Sterling Brown - BER - 9.8 - vs EA7
After a slow season start, Sterling Brown has finally started showing some of his scoring ability. In the last two games Brown has achieved 14 and 20 PIR respectively and to be honest with you we were expecting nothing less for a player who has ~ 300 games played in his NBA career! BER has started the 2023/24 season bad and has not managed to win a game yet. On the other hand, EA7 has not won a game away yet...We expect this to be a tough game between two teams fighting to win their first one, and for BER to come on top their first scorer so far (yes, this is Brown) will have to step up!
G - Thomas Walkup - OLY - 11.5 - vs EFS
It is always an easy choice to pick a player that plays 35 min. per game, scores double digit points in every game and takes on avg 12 shots! Yes, this is the 2023/24 version of Thomas Walkup! And OLY fans love that...so we expect him to do his best and give back some of this love at the home game against EFS. If you are looking for another good reason to pick Thomas, let us tell you that in the last home game against PAR, Thomas had 1/8 3FG and 7 PIR...well...we find hard for Thomas to have another mediocre performance at home. For 11.5 crd this a great choice that can pay you back with PIR ≥ 17.
G - Nick Calathes - FBB - 10.9 - @ BAY
His best days are behind him but last week Calathes reminded us why he is the only player with a triple double Euroleague game in the recent history of the competition. Two back to back rounds with over 20 PIR and significantly more playtime that his usual. Despite the offseason rumours about not being on the best terms with coach Itoudis, Tyler Dorsey absence has brought him once again in the forefront and he hasn't shied away from showing his quality. He has our vote of confidence for one more round, or until Dorsey's return at least.
G - Rodrigue Beaubois - EFS - 9.0 - @ OLY
We will stick with him once more. OLY is not an easy prey in their homecourt but Beaubois has a good track record the last two seasons against them (average regular season PIR = 18.5, albeit heavily skewed in favour of the home games). OLY's strong peripheral defence will have to focus their attention on multiple fronts (Larkin, Clyburn, Thompson), leaving room for Beaubois to stand out if he manages to shoot efficiently. He has rewarded us for our trust the last two rounds and we think he will do once more.
F - Edgaras Ulanovas - ZAL - 11.0 - vs VBC
It is time to write the sequel of Walt Whitman's poem and call "O Captain! my Captain!" one more time! Do not let Edgaras' mediocre performance in the last two games mislead you. There is something unique in this guy's mentality that makes him perform better against tough teams like VBC and especially when he plays at home. In the last home game Ulanovas achieved a PIR of 19. The fact that he had back to back rounds away from home with single digit PIR and poor FG% (2/7 against RMB and 0/5 against BKN) is not discouraging us! In contrary, it strengthens our view that it is time for him to come back home and shine again!
F - Alec Peters - OLY - 10.0 - vs EFS
Alec Peters has become a very popular choice for many Fantasy players out there and there are many good reasons for that! Luke Sikma is expected to be absent for one more round which means more playtime for Peters (avg 27.5 min so far)! But spending more time on the court would mean nothing if not accompanied by a strong performance. Well...Alec has showed nothing but strong performance in the start of the 2023/24 season (avg 15.5 PIR, 11.8 pts, 5.2 reb, 2.5 ast with 57% 2FG and 50% 3FG). OLY at home is expected to play at a high tempo and this is in favour for a sharp shooter like Alec. We expect him to achieve a PIR higher than 15.
F - Dinos Mitoglou - PAO - 9.0 - vs BKN
Oh the passion and the effort....Mitoglou is back after a very long absence but it feels like he didn't miss a day! PAO is struggling and it is going to look at its big man for some comfort. The team has high hopes for this season but hasn't started on the right foot so far. Coach Ataman is still looking for the right balance and Ioannis Papapertou's long term absence doesn't help. Moving Juancho Hernangomez in SF position in the second half of the game against MTA seemed to aid materially and we expect to see more of this in the coming rounds. All the more playtime for Mitoglou in his natural position where he can make a difference with his rebounding, long range shooting and hustle plays.
C- Damien Inglis - VBC - 9.9 - @ ZAL
We will stick with Inglis once again. He managed to post PIR ̴ 15 in both games of his first Euroleague double week and, as already noted, shows exceptional stability for a rookie. ZAL frontcourt lacks the muscle to threaten him and we expect him to cause some damage from the paint either by scoring or by rebounding. There are not many players that offer that much certainty of 15 PIR out there, let alone for such price tag.