Fantasy tips: Some big suggestions

Here are five players we recommend that you consider for your EuroCup Fantasy Challenge teams this week.

This is it, EuroCup Fantasy Challenge managers. The regular season is about to finish and our main contest comes to an end, too. Remember our regular season winner gets an official EuroCup Spalding basketball, a voucher for 1,000 EUR to spend on Turkish Airlines airfare, three EuroCup jerseys of his choice and a EuroLeague TV subscription for the 2022-23 Season. If we take a look at the standings, Daniel Gomes of Portugal is ahead of everyone else with 3,062.73 points, followed by three Italian managers: Raffaele Zocchi (3,051.99), Riccardo Bernardini (3,049.73) and Stefano Manzoni (3,039.53). It is not realistic to think anyone else can win, so good luck to the four contenders for the Grand Prize!

Even after the Round 18 games, the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge will continue. There is more content for the playoffs and the finals. All teams will be reset and start from scratch. So even if you didn't have a great season, you can start over and have a chance to win! The playoffs and finals winner gets two EuroCup jerseys of his choice, an official EuroCup Spalding basketball and a EuroLeague TV Subscription for next season. Not bad at all!

First thing's first - we have one round left and it is our duty to recommend some players that can help challenge for your private league title or just to climb a few spots in the overall standings before it is all over. This week on our list we have four very different yet very efficient big men as well as a well-rounded veteran.

Without further ado, here are our EuroCup Fantasy Challenge recommendations for Round 18:

Kevarrius Hayes, Frutti Extra Bursapor (11.5 credits) - He earned MVP of the Round honors for the first time in his career last week after posting 25 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocked shots in a victory over ratiopharm Ulm. Such a huge performance should give Hayes plenty of confidence in his team's game against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, which will probably be without Willie Reed. The man of the moment in the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge right now!

Nicolas Bretzel, ratiopharm Ulm (4.0 credits) - Ulm has been without Cristiano Felicio and Philipp Herkenhoff recently and has only Bretzel available at center. He is making the most of his extended playing time. In Round 17, Bretzel had 10 points and he was even better in the German League this weekend (18 points, 19 PIR). All for just 4.0 credits. The main setback is going against Mike Tobey, Bojan Dubljevic and Jasiel Rivero.

Mitchell Watt, Umana Reyer Venice (12.6 credits) - Watt has been one of Reyer's pillars since he joined the team in 2017. He knows it is do-or-die time and has been very consistent lately. In the last three games, Watt has averaged 11.0 points on 14-of-21 two-point shooting, 5.3 rebounds and a PIR of 15.3 in less than 21 minutes per night. Reyer wants to rank as high as possible and should go all-in against Gran Canaria.

Jasiel Rivero, Valencia Basket (11.2 credits) - Rivero has been in good form lately and Valencia goes against Ulm, which has been struggling with frontcourt injuries. Valencia needs to win to finish second in Group B, but Rivero needs no extra motivation. He has averaged 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and a PIR of 16.0 in the last three games. Expect 'El Papi' to keep dominating in the paint.

Zoran Dragic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (10.0 credits) - Dragic needed no adjustment period when he joined Cedevita. Born in Ljubljana, he has played with most of his former teammates in the past. He is delivering, too, averaging 13.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and a PIR of 16.0 in his team's last three games. Dragic comes off his first-ever double-double in the EuroCup with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Round 17 against Valencia.