“Why is this guy still on the floor?!”
“He scored 10 points in the first quarter and the coach hasn’t put him back in!”
“This guy can’t grab a rebound.”
“He shouldn’t have the ball in his hands this much. Too many turnovers.”
Those are the kinds of comments you’ll hear from the average fan watching their favorite team – or pretty much any EuroLeague game. Of course, when emotions take over, the language can get a little more colorful, but we’ll keep things civilized here.
Now, all of us get the chance to be coaches.
How well can we predict who’s going to perform? And, more importantly, how good are we at building the best possible roster on a limited budget?
Yes, we’re talking about Fantasy EuroLeague.
The rules, in short: you have 100 credits to build a team consisting of nine players and a head coach.
Your starting five and sixth man receive the full number of fantasy points based on their performance, while the points scored by players on the bench are cut in half.
We know who the best players in the EuroLeague are. We know that Sasha Vezenkov is basically the Fantasy GOAT.
But who are the players flying under the radar?
Good players who won’t destroy your budget.
Here are a few names we think are worth considering. And let’s underline considering – don’t send us angry emails if these picks don’t work out.
Andres Feliz – Real Madrid, 6.2
Feliz had his share of both great nights and frustrating ones for Fantasy players last season.
Still, at only 6.2 credits, he might be worth the risk – especially because his price allows you to spend big elsewhere on your roster.
Nikos Rogkavopoulos – Panathinaikos, 4.5
Yes, the competition for minutes at Panathinaikos is fierce, but Rogkavopoulos is capable of putting up a respectable number of Fantasy points even in limited playing time.
Is it a sure thing? Far from it.
But at 4.5 credits, there’s only so much that can go wrong.
Alex Len – Baskonia, 7.6
Baskonia don’t have many options at center.
At first glance, Len might not seem like a natural fit for Baskonia’s style of play, but he should get somewhere around 15–20 minutes per game.
He’s capable of scoring much more than he showed during his time with Real Madrid, and by now he’s had some time to adjust to European basketball.
At 7.6 credits, he might be worth a shot.
Luca Vildoza – Partizan, 7.7
For the first time in a while, Vildoza should have a little more room to express himself at Partizan.
He’s also the kind of player who feeds off the energy of the crowd. And when he gets going, he’s capable of producing numbers that significantly outperform his 7.7-credit price tag.
A Few More Gambles
There are several other potentially good-value risks: Gabriele Procida (Real Madrid, 4.1), Arijan Lakić (Partizan, 4.0), Ognjen Dobrić (Crvena Zvezda, 5.0) and Kai Jones (Anadolu Efes, 8.8).
For now, however, I’d stay away from EuroLeague newcomers.
Let’s watch the first few rounds, see how they’ve adapted to the competition and what their roles actually look like. Then we can start taking some chances.
Coach Pick: Dušan Alimpijević
For Round 1, our coaching recommendation is Dušan Alimpijević.
He costs only 6.0 credits, and why shouldn’t Beşiktaş beat a completely new-look Valencia team at home?
One thing is certain: the atmosphere will be absolutely wild.