MTA's game cancellation against EA7 offers some low-hanging fruits fantasy-wise but this is not how we roll. We will steer away from either team's players and try to find true picks without taking the easy way out. Here we go:
G - Kevin Punter - PAR - 13.3 - @ ASV
Following a mediocre performance and the defeat by MTA at the Euroleague premiere, we expect Punter to shine against ASV and lead his team's efforts towards their first win in this season! This is one of those picks that go against momentum and may seem counterintuitive on the face them but it so often happens that a good player will take off without any obvious prior signs. Punter is exactly that! He is a volume shooter and we expect him to find nothing but net against ASV, a team that traditionally does not focus on playing strong defense!
G - Aleksa Avramovic - PAR - 6.9 - @ASV
Avramovic is one of the most popular players in the fantasy game and there is good reason for this. With one year under Obradovic guidance on his back, and a very impressive Fiba World Cup performance, he seems ready to take his game to the next level and be a cornerstone in PAR's backcourt. We were skeptical about the timing of his step-up but the first round shed enough light to convince us that time has come. He has already seen about 10% increase in his fantasy value but he still seems like a bargain for what he can offer!
G - Keenan Evans - ZAL- 13.1 - vs CZV
Last year Evans started with very low expectations but had a 2-month spell when he was the hottest name in the game. All before his disastrous injury that cast a shadow over his ability to return to the same status after his Achilles healed. Well, it seems that he is back and gunning! He posted a strong start with a 22-PIR game and a very efficient stat line and we expect him to continue with the same pace in the first Euroleague game for ZAL in front of its home crowd. PIR ≥ 23 seems doable for ZAL's leading guard!
G - Shabazz Napier- CZV - 13.6 - @ ZAL
New team, same habits! He was impressive in the second half last year with EA7 and he started equally impressively this year with CZV. Even though the game opened up quite quickly, he did manage to put up 21 points in only 20 minutes and we expect them to be more in the upcoming derby against ZAL. We expect this to be a difficult encounter for CZV and they will need Shabazz to go strong to stand a chance of winning. His performance in the ABA league match over the weekend with Cedevita is a good omen of things to come and we can't wait to see him! Looking forward to a PIR ≥ 24!
F - Isaac Bonga - PAO - 8.1 - @PAO
Not much to add here. The first round justified our pick and we expect this to continue. Bonga seems ready and there is no reason for him not to post another impressive performance. For the ones you believed this pick from the first round, thank us later, cause we think Bonga has more in store. It is not often you get players with such fantasy value to post a 17-PIR performance but we think his multi-faceted gameplay will once again make the difference. For the ones who didn't believe this pick from the start, well, there is still time to get on this train before it leaves the station! Do it now!
F - Elijah Bryant - BKN - 8.0 - vs RMB
Same as the one above. Yes, Bryant didn't shine as bright as Bonga did in the first round but we saw that he has a role to play in Efes' efforts this year. With the first home game for this season around the corner, we expect him to be there and make the difference in what we think will be a close game against the current Euroleague champions. His two-way skills are very much needed against one of the strongest F lineups in the competition and we hope they will be the ticket to a solid stat line.
F - Alec Peters - OLY - 10.1 - vs BAR
It is always very tempting to pick the MVP of the previous round and we will make no exception to that "rule"! Besides that, it seems that Peter's backup, Luke Sikma, will be on the injured list for the next 1-2 weeks which means that "Alekos" must wear his Superman cape and fly to the high PIR planet once again! His in-and-out game and strong rebounding skills will get the most emphasis in OLY's playbook. Who knows, we may even see him opening up the paint with his 3pt shooting skills through the C position!
F - Edgaras Ulanovas - ZAL - 11.2 - vs CZV
Oh Captain! My Captain! We love that Ulanovas plays a lot, and plays great especially in front of his compatriots! We expect ZAL vs CZV to be a tough, close game, which is typically the kind of games where Edgaras gives everything to win! A PIR ≥ 17 seems within reach for a player who loves doing many things on the court including scoring, rebounding, passing the ball and playing tough defence.
C - Joffrey Lauvergne - ASV - 9.0 - vs PAR
We will stick with our round 1 pick and keep Joffrey in our team! It would be hard to do otherwise for a player that scored 18 points and grabbed 6 rebounds (PIR 19) against a tough team such as CZV! In round 2, ASV is playing versus PAR in Astroballe, and we expect Lauvergne to feel comfortable against Smailagic, Leday and Kaminsky in front of the French fans. Do not get us wrong, we expect this to be a tough game for ASV. Nevertheless, Lauvergne will still do his best for ASV to win!
C - Nikola Milutinov - OLY - 14,3 - vs BAR
We will pick Milutinov for this round and the reasons seem to be similar with his teammate, Alec Peters! Nikola played great against PAO in the Greek derby (PIR 21) and looks to be in great form overall. In addition, his backup, Moustapha Fall, is on the injured list, and even if he does show up, we expect Milutinov to get heavy playtime and do most of the dirty work. With a strong extra boost from the Greek fans in his first home game since his return to OLY, we cannot see how Milu will not assert his dominance in the paint with anything less than a 25 PIR!
Comments