Javier Gancedo shares his recommendations for Round 12 in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge
Fantasy tips, Round 12: Unlimited trades again
Fantasy Challenge
3 Mins read
This week promises to be a very interesting one in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge. Round 12 brings unlimited trades, so don't miss the chance to improve your team. We will have three turns in this round, since LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne takes on AS Monaco on Wednesday. I've made a few recommendations at different price ranges, but first, let's see how my picks worked last week.
Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball recorded 18 and 17.8 fantasy points in the double-round week, so I will call this one in my favour. Wade Baldwin of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul had 17.6 points in Round 10, but just 4.4 in Round 11. That's a bad tip. Duane Washington of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade went for 14.3 points against Monaco in Round 10; he scored 22 points, but on 7 of 17 shooting. In Round 11, Washington scored 19 points with a PIR of 12. That's a good one.
Armal Traore of ASVEL had a huge game in Milan: 19 points and 6 rebounds for a PIR of 25. He followed that up with 11 points and 4 steals for a PIR of 14. Another good one. Sailou Niang of Virtus Bologna did not keep his momentum after a career-best performance in Round 9. He had 5.5 fantasy points against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 10 and 10 points against FC Barcelona in Round 11. So that's two good ones, two bad ones and one tie. I hope to do much better in Round 12.
T.J. Leaf, Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (12.2 credits)
Slowly but steadily, T.J. Leaf is becoming one of Maccabi's pillars with good performances. In Round 11 against Baskonia, he needed less than 20 minutes to get 19 points and 7 rebounds for a PIR of 26. Over his last five games, Leaf has had a PIR of 24 or higher three times. Expect him to keep getting better.
Nick Weiler-Babb, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (11.6 credits)
Unfortunately, this one is injury-related. Shane Larkin is expected to miss some time, which means Nick Weiler-Babb should have more responsibilities and playing time. He's had double-digit PIRs in each of the last four games, averaging 18.3 in that stretch. He should have a good game against Barça.
Kenneth Faried, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (10.1 credits)
Well, this is a surprise. We were all aware of Kenneth Faried's skills, but his previous experience in the EuroLeague with CSKA Moscow was not promising. Faried delivered in the double-round, averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds for a PIR of 22.5. All of a sudden, he is a great, cheap pick at center.
Aleksa Avramovic, Dubai Basketball (8.3 credits)
Here we go again. Just like last time around, Aleksa Avramovic is a great budget option going forward due to his energy, shooting accuracy and feel for steals. In Round 11, Avramovic had 16 points, 7 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 27 in just 23 minutes. He had a PIR of 19 in Round 10. ALEKSAAAAAA!!!!
Ognjen Dobric, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (6.0 credits)
Suddenly, Ognjen Dobric is playing some of the best basketball of his career. Everything clicked for him in Round 11, when he went for 22 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting and 4 rebounds for a PIR of 26. Over his last three games, Dobric has averaged a PIR of 17.0. Right now, he is the go-to bargain forward in the game.
