This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
In recent weeks, we have observed that the teams seriously contending for the Final Four have started to recover and are on winning streaks. On the other hand, the most suprising team and the leader at the half of the season,Paris Basketball, is diminishing in a significant way. Even Asvel, who is still in 15th place in the league, has a chance to make the playoffs this season. It's likely that, over the next 3-4 weeks, there will be a larger gap developing between the teams. The most anticipated matchup of the week will definitely be between Monaco, who is on the rise under their new headcoach, and Barcelona who desperately needs a win.
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Here we go!
Guard
Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (16.7 credits)
Recently, the legendary former coach of the Athens side, Zeljko Obradovic, made a shoutout calling him the best player in the Euroleague which reignited the MVP race. As some may remember, in Round 14 during the game at Partizan's court, K. Nunn lost his temper in the final moments and was ejected from the game due to a violent protest towards the referees. After serving a one-game suspension, he has returned with top form, averaging 30 PIR over the last 4 games. He will surely be eager to get revenge for his team and himself after the heavy loss to Partizan in the first match.
Sylvain Francisco, Zalgiris Kaunas (12.5 credits)
Despite his team facing one of the in-form teams, Real Madrid, S. Francisco has been in good shape himself. At the last 6 matches, he has produced 15 PIR or more for his team, but Zalgiris has not been able to win in the last 3 games. However, it should be noted that his playing time has significantly increased in recent weeks; while he was getting around 20 minutes in the early weeks of the season, he has reached nearly 30 minutes in the last 5 matches.
Devon Hall, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (8.1 credits)
Despite producing a solid 19 PIR in the previous week's game against Efes, the star of the night was definitely Marko Guduric. Now, it's Devon Hall's turn. Especially for Alba Berlin who have been struggling with perimeter defense, Fenerbahçe's steady shooters, Tarık and Devon Hall, can be considered hot prospects for this game. In addition to these factors, with the ongoing injuries on the guard rotation at Fenerbahçe, expectations are that Hall will play around 30 minutes as similar to the last week.
Alessandro Pajola, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (7.0 credits)
At the last 5 games, he has averaged 11.06 fantasy points which can be evaluated as very good performance for a player considered a role player on his team. On top of that, with the injuries of Virtus's star players, it's now time to rely more on local players who will step up against Baskonia. Considering on coach Ivanovic has given him an average of 25 minutes per game since his arrival, Pajola is definitely one of the promising players in Round 20.
Forward
Chima Moneke, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (17.4 credits)
With the addition of Luka Samanic to the team, too many Forward players have been registrated by Baskonia on the team. Regardless of this, Moneke's playing time has significantly increased and his performance over the last 4 weeks has been dazzling, especially considering that 3 of those games were against teams which are fighting hard for a playoff spot for this season. Although it remains uncertain whether Sedekerskis will play or not in the Virtus away game, same as Virtus who are missing some of their key star players in the forward position, the Spanish representative will again rely heavily on the Nigerian player as their main asset for victory.
Juancho Hernangomez, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (12.0 credits)
Just as Mitoglou represented for Panathinaikos last year, this season Juancho is in the same position; it's almost as if their identities have switched. Following this strong performance, rumors have flied around that Juancho and Panathinaikos are working on an extension of his contract. In last week's victory over Virtus, the Spanish forward produced 24 PIR and this positive atmosphere will definitely boost his morale.
Achille Polonara, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (6.8 credits)
According to the statement made by Virtus, Clyburn will be out for approximately 10 weeks due to injury. In recent weeks, the Italian side has also been without Shengelia, which will create a significant gap at the forward position. To fill this void, they will likely give Polonara at least 25 minutes similar to what happened in the domestic league game. A potential red flag in this situation is if Toko Shengelia returns from injury, naturally the dynamics may change and Toko will be strongly considered as a favorite pick.
Tarik Biberovic, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (6.0 credits)
Although in Round 19 he logged 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, producing 11 PIR was not impressive particularly and certainly could have been better. However, the young star is recommended on thinking of a two-game period and this week his scoring potential against Alba Berlin is still having high chance via hoping for a more efficient performance this time.
Center
Joel Bolomboy, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (12.6 credits)
After missing totally 11 games due to injury, he has returned and seamlessly continued from where he left off last season. He played a crucial role in his team's vital Spanish away wins by producing 17 and 19 PIR, contributing significantly to the perfect record. With Round 20 coming up, Crvena Zvezda will play three consecutive games in Belgrade, and against teams like Paris Basket who attempt a lot of three-pointers, it is expected that Bolomboy will probably grab plenty of rebounds just like in the last domestic league game where he collected 12 rebounds.
Neal Sako, LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne (10.2 credits)
In the last two games, Lyon's side has been without their experienced center Lauvergne and his status for the upcoming game against Milano is still uncertain. In Lauvergne's absence, Sako played 28 minutes in the last game and produced 20 PIR despite the loss to Virtus. If he remains the only center in the rotation against Milano, there is no reason not to consider him a good option.
Head Coach
Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko (6.9 credits)
They stopped the run with a derby victory and that win has somewhat boosted their morale. What's more is Fener did not even need Nigel Hayes' outstanding performance to achieve it. In their upcoming home games their opponent will be Alba Berlin and we can safely say that this is one of the most reliable exhibition of Round 20. The Istanbul side will likely look to put on a show in front of their fans before their away game against Crvena Zvezda.
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus (8.2 credits)
Recent difficult away wins against Zalgiris and Milano, the championship chants have started again in Piraeus. They have been flawless over the last 4 games and will now face Bayern at home. Oly is the favorite side and no one expects them to make any mistakes.
Drop Candidates
Isaac Bonga, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (7.5 credits)
In Round 18, he was unavailable due to injury and last week against Maccabi, he did not seem to find his rhythm. A player who has spent many games on the court for over 30 minutes this season, Bonga was only on the floor for 15 minutes in the Maccabi game, leaving some questions about whether he is still in his recovery process. Additionally, as one of the toughest matchups of the season away at Pana, it's unlikely that a player who is out of form will perform well.
Nadir Hifi, Paris Basketball (10.4 credits)
Despite showing good performances in the domestic league, the matchups in Belgrade will be extremely tough facing strong defensive players like Canaan & Codi-Miller. These types of players can turn your night into a nightmare and for a player like Hifi who needs to take many shots to find his rhythm, this will likely be a challenging game that goes against his usual style of play.
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