Javier Gancedo shares five recommendations for this week's games in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge
Fantasy tips, Round 6: Unlimited trades, unlimited opportunities
Fantasy Challenge
5 Mins read
It is a game-changing week in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge for two reasons.
First, there are unlimited trades for the first time since the season started. That's right – you can trade all 10 players and your coach if that is what you need. It is a perfect opportunity for a fresh start!
Second, Round 6 marks the start of the Trophy Cup, one of our new features this season. The top 128,000 teams at the end of Round 5 automatically qualified to this competition, which features 8,000 groups of 16 teams each, facing each other in head-to-head challenges. Only the Top 2 teams in each group and the best 384 third-place teams will advance to the knockout rounds, starting in Round 21.
Before I reveal my picks for this week, let's take a look at the players Frankie Sachs suggested for Rounds 4 and 5. Donatas Motiejunas of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade earned 0.3 credits, playing really well in Round 4 (20.9) but not so well in Round 5 (3.3). Andreas Obst of FC Bayern Munich had a fantastic week, scoring over 16.0 fantasy points in both games, earning 0.7 credits. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz earned 0.4 credits in the double round. Dan Oturu of Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv had a really solid Round 5 with 31.9 fantasy points. Even when he lost some value in Round 4, this was a good pick. Finally, Tomas Satoransky of FC Barcelona underperformed in Round 5 and that made fantasy managers lose 0.3 credits.
So I would say it is a record of 4-1 for Frankie. Well done! That puts a lot of pressure on me. Like Frankie, I am not recommending five players under 12.0 credits. Not looking for easy wins here.
Codi Miller-McIntyre, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (10.7 credits)
All of a sudden, Zvezda seems to be one of hottest teams in the EuroLeague. Codi Miller-McIntyre has had to do a lot with that, especially after his stellar performance against Real Madrid with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and a PIR of 22. He is playing against his previous team, too, which always helps.
Nate Reuvers, Valencia Basket (8.4 credits)
Valencia faces Milan, which is still without injured Josh Nebo and Zach LeDay. It could be a good opportunity for a good rebounder like Nate Reuvers, who has been Valencia's X-factor until now. In Round 5, Reuvers collected his first double-double, getting 10 points and 10 rebounds against Monaco. A rock-solid player in good momentum.
Tamir Blatt, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (8.4 credits)
Maccabi hosts Real Madrid on Wednesday, and I can't stress enough how important it is to have at least one player from that game to get three captain options. Tamir Blatt has had some solid games until now, getting a PIR of 20 in Round 3 against Hapoel and a PIR of 15 in Round 4 against Barca. A great, affordable option at guard.
Isaac Bonga, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (9.7 credits)
You don't need to be James Naismith to predict an up-and-down, run-and-gun game between Partizan and Paris. That is the type of game in which Isaac Bonga fits perfectly. Bonga averaged a PIR of 15.0 in the opening three games and did not have the best double-round week, so he should be ready to deliver.
Hamidou Diallo, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (11.6 credits)
It has been a rough week for Baskonia, which lost Markus Howard and Trent Forrest to injuries and is also without Rodions Kurucs, while it was without Luka Samanic this past weekend due to the flu. All things considered, Hamidou Diallo is a perfect fit for a physical game against Zvezda, averaging a PIR of 17.4 this season.