By Dimitris Minaretzis/ info@eurohoops.net
Diving into Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 5, we placed Nikola Milutinov on our EuroLeague Fantasy squad to retain him for the long run. Other tips include Oscar da Silva and Nick Calathes.
Before explaining, we will rewind to Round 4. And specifically Thomas Walkup. Presenting the Olympiacos guard as a safe Fantasy option was far from a successful tip. Limited to 1/8 three-pointers, he only produced seven Fantasy points and the win bonus.
That being said, a couple of weeks back we suggested adding Milutinov. Brilliant form for the Serbian center saw his price go up to 15.3 units. But we still think he is a nice investment. He currently ranks second in the list of players with the highest PIR, trailing only Nikola Mirotic. And he is not expected to slow down any time soon, despite Moustapha Fall gradually overcoming early-season struggles.
Olympiacos will be at home against Anadolu Efes in Round 5. We predicted a win bonus attached to his contributions and named him as team captain to double our Fantasy points. A no-brainer option here.
The Oscar da Silva benefits
Our column likes risky Fantasy options when considering economical players. Followers should understand the reasoning. This way, we keep more units to invest in expensive options, such as Milutinov.
Considering FC Barcelona’s da Silva, we can’t think of many players tagged at 6.4 units and averaging 10.73 Fantasy points. We looked it up. Just his teammate James Nnaji fits the requirement with 12.0 points but with only one appearance, in garbage time versus FC Bayern Munich.
The Brazilian-German forward has played starting minutes under head coach Roger Grimau, averaging nearly 20 minutes per contest. Far from a key influential player for Barca, tallying 7.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, and his effective shooting makes us put him in our Fantasy squad.
Nick Calathes and Gianmarco Pozzecco
Recent impressive showings for Calathes have raised his price to 10.9 units. However, we think this is a nice opportunity to pick him up. He averaged 19.5 Fantasy points per game over the last two games, dominating playmaking responsibilities at Fenerbahce Beko over Yam Madar.
Wrapping up with a tip regarding a recent entry to EuroLeague, the new head coach of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Gianmarco Pozzecco. The Italian tactician will debut facing in-form Virtus Segafredo Bologna. We bet on his immediate impact on the players leading to an improved overall approach and the first win of the season. Four Fantasy units are the charge, a low price worth the risk.