Fantasy tips: Guards and centers

Here comes a busy, double-round week in which Zvezda, Zalgiris, Baskonia, Barcelona, CSKA and Real play back-to-back at home while ASVEL, Maccabi, Monaco, Zenit, UNICS and Olympiacos hit the road for both contests.

Congratulations to Guerschon Yabusele of Real Madrid for becoming the EuroLeague MVP for the Month for January. Los Blancos were one of three undefeated teams in January joining AX Armani Exchange Milan and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul - which only played twice due to COVID-19. It should be a pivotal week for all the teams in the playoff race; FC Bayern Munich has won four of its last five games and is eighth overall and there are many powerhouses looking to bounce back and fight to keep playing past the regular season.

As for EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge recommendations, there are a plethora of good choices at guards and centers before this two-round week. Let’s have a look at two different guards who were teammates in the past and can help their teams in many ways. Among the top choices at center are a EuroLeague champion, a dominant rebounder and a young veteran who is back in the competition and doing a great job flying under the radar.

Here are some recommendations for Rounds 24 and 25:

Wade Baldwin IV, Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (11.7 credits) - Still a cheap option at guard. Baldwin has been sensational in his team's last five games, averaging a PIR of 24.8 and not getting less than a PIR of 17 in any of those showdowns. In Round 23, Baskonia was limited to just 63 points but Baldwin still had a PIR of 24. A really solid choice.

Bryant Dunston, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (9.8 credits) - Dunston has stepped up big for Efes in recent games with a PIR of 15 or higher in his team's last five games. Dunston has been posting strong numbers in rebounds (5.6 rpg.) and blocks (1.8 bpg.) and has also made 21 of 27 two-point shots (77.8%) in that time. He’s in great shape right now.

Nikola Milutinov, CSKA Moscow (13.7 credits) - Slowly but steadily. Milutinov is finding his rhythm and showing his best version as a dominant center and outstanding rebounder he has always been. In Round 23 against UNICS, Milutinov needed less than 20 minutes to get a PIR of 28. That may be a turning point for him, too.

Donatas Motiejunas, AS Monaco (10.0 credits) - In his first EuroLeague season in 10 years, Motiejunas is proving to be right at the prime of his career. He is averaging 10.1 points and his scoring average has risen to 16.2 in Monaco's last six games. In that time, he’s made 39 of 58 two-point shots (67.2%). In Round 23, he had his first double-double of the season.

Nick Weiler-Babb, FC Bayern Munich (7.8 credits) - Weiler-Babb has done a little bit of everything for Bayern lately. Over the last couple of games, Weiler-Babb has averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 5.5 steals and 1.0 blocks for a PIR average of 15.5. Bayern won both games, too. Expect him to keep taking care of all the small details that add up.