Fantasy tips, Rounds 7-8: No-risk, high-reward gems

Filling out your fantasy rosters can be rewarding. This week, Igor Petrinovic helps you find those cheap players

When putting together our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge rosters, we often zero in on picking players like Sasha Vezenkov, Kendrick Nunn, or Jordan Nwora – your likely captain selection, the one you’re counting on to carry the team.

Often, to make room for the stars, we all have to select a few of the cheap options, those players often worth minimum of credits that we use to fill out our roster and plan to keep on the bench. And more often than not, those guys are not even included on the 12-man game-day roster.

However, for me personally, there is nothing as rewarding as unearthing those hidden gems, and getting double-digit fantasy points from cheap players.

Strategically, a good performance from a player below 6 or 7 credits might not be as important as making a good choice of a team captain, however cheap players can be true life-savers. Especially when your choice of an expensive player flops, or if you are forced to put those guys in your lineup on the final night of the round and they unexpectedly deliver.

The good thing about these, there is very low risk and potentially a big reward. These guys playing well are just a bonus. However, finding those who are in better position to succeed is not an easy task.

So, with another double-round week upon us, here are a few choices for you to consider when it comes to players who might get your money's worth this week.

Arijan Lakic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, 4.0 credits

Losing Carlik Jones and having Shake Milton injured has once again put guard Arijan Lakic in a position to get significant minutes. Lakic already played more than 20 minutes last week against Paris, and he is probably set to get the same workload this week. Likely getting 15-20 minutes on the floor from a player worth 4 credits is a great start. Another Partizan player to consider is forward Aleksej Pokusevski (5.3 credits).

Stefan Miljenovic, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, 4.1 credits

Zvezda is playing well, but is still heavily depleted by injury. Which could mean an opportunity for guard Stefan Miljenovic, who is averaging 26 minutes in domestic league action and this past Saturday dropped 18 points and 5 assists. The team, and the coach, love what the 24-year-old brings. Another Zvezda player to keep in mind is its team captain, forward Ognjen Dobric (4.3 credits), who has returned from injury and will certainly have a role in the rotation.

Sebastian Herrera, Paris Basketball, 4.9 credits

Speaking of life-savers, enter Paris team captain Sebastian Herrera who exploded for a career-high 17.6 fps last week. And that was on the road in Belgrade, in one of the toughest EuroLeague environments to play. The Paris guard is averaging 18 minutes and 5.5 three-point attempts per game. So, the volume is there. This week, Paris faces Efes and Milan.

Giampaolo Ricci, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, 5.2 credits

There seems to be a theme here, because sweet-shooting forward Giampaolo Ricci is also a team captain. He is arguably the hottest cheap player because with Zack LeDay out, in the last two games he averaged north of 25 minutes, delivering 13.2 and 12.0 fps, respectively, while shooting 8-of-9 from three-point range. Given that LeDay is out for Round 7 at least, I think Ricci will keep rolling.

Kosta Kondic, Dubai Basketball, 5.8 credits

This is one of the most expensive players in this group, and another one who got his chance due to injuries on the team. But that’s how things work every season in any sport. Kosta Kondic seized the opportunity last week with 12 fps, and he led the team in minutes played this past weekend in the Adriatic League. Playing two road games in a double-round week, Kondic should get his minutes, and he is cheap enough for him to be a risk-free shot.