DraftKings European League Basketball Picks January 5th

Olympiacos is back in action tonight to kick off round 15! (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images) /

DraftKings European League Basketball Picks January 5th

Guards:

As far as I’m concerned, you have to use either Alexey Shved or Luka Doncic. Both are around the game price. Doncic has the better matchup and higher upside, but Shved actually outscored him by a couple of DraftKings points in the first meeting between tonight’s opponent. There are other good guard options, like Brad Wanamaker, that you could pair with one of them if you plan on punting forwards. I tried to build a lineup with both Doncic and Shved, but I was too weak everywhere else to place, I think. Fading both of them is too big of a risk for me. I will have at least one of them. The step down to Wanamaker from either of them is going to be at least 10 DraftKings points.

In the next tier, there are a few good options. I would go with Feldeine over Taylor Rochestie not only to save money, but Feldeine has performed better lately. Spanoulis has a great matchup against Milan, but I still think that paying up for one of the Belgrade guards is a better option.

You could argue that Facundo Campazzo doesn’t really belong in the bargain tier at $7,200, but he isn’t really in the middle tier either. The drop off after Campazzo is rather steep in terms of matchup and opponent with the exception of Daniel Hackett. So we can leave Hackett and Campazzo in their own tier for those that choose to fade both the stars and build a more balanced lineup. I’m a bigger fan of Hackett at this point, but Campazzo has the better matchup.

Ah, the bargain bin. An essential place for this slate. Janis Strelnieks is back in play for me today. He put up 26 DraftKings points in the first meeting against Milan. Strelnieks has faded lately, but for the most part, the minutes are still there.

If you need cheaper yet, there isn’t much left. However, I to like Maodo Lo. Lo has scored 34 points in the last three games, putting up 59 DraftKings points in the process. He looks like a good bargain even against Khimki. Jaycee Carroll is second in scoring for Real Madrid behind Doncic, but only plays about half the game. Think of him as the Euro League’s Jordan Clarkson with the same risks involved.

With the injury to Norris Cole, either Deandre Kane or John DiBartolomeo will get the start. DiBartolomeo looked really good last game in his 14 minutes, the high mark on the season for him. Kane is the safe pick, but I find myself a big fan of DiBartolomeo’s upside despite the fact that he likely wont start.

TAMPA, FL – MARCH 19: Tyler Honeycutt #23 of the UCLA Bruins reacts against the Florida Gators during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at St. Pete Times Forum on March 19, 2011 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Forwards:

There are all kinds of top options at forward, but I find it really difficult to move off of Tornike Shengelia. Shengelia has back to back 40+ DraftKings points performances, and has a pretty good matchup against Istanbul tonight. Jan Vesely outdid him in the first meeting, but Shengelia has been the better player lately. The only one in the upper tier I would consider fading them for it Paulius Jankunas. He put up 30 DraftKings points in the first game against Belgrade and is a nice pivot off of the inconsistent Dorell Wright.

.In the middle tier at forward, we have a lot of former value plays, such as Trey Thompkins. HIs salary no longer makes him a value, but his consistency is enticing. Here you can also find the surging Tyler Honeycutt and Jonah Bolden, both of whom have been hot lately. I also find myself gravitating towards the consistency of Edgaras Ulanovas and James Nunnally when building a balanced lineup. Perhaps my favorite in this tier though is Vincent Poirier. Poirier has four straight games with 24 or more DraftKings points, and you can even stuff him in a lineup with Shved and Shengelia.

There are a lot of good bargains at forward even though Real Madrid now offers few of them. I still like Felipe Reyes for the price, but that’s about it. I find myself leaning towards Aaron White, who has been in double digits in DraftKings points over the last nine rounds. That kind of consistency can be hard to find in this price range.

If you need to go super cheap, and you will with any combination of Doncic/Shved/Shengalia in your lineup, there is still hope further on down. Nemanja Dangubic has played 18-22 minutes in each of the last six games, and has produced at least 12 DraftKings points in all of them. I also like Brandon Davies and his matchup. Davies is a risk because he has not played more than 18 minutes in a game all season, but he has also not been below 12. He has a consistent backup role, and is always in double figures in DraftKings points. That’s about all you can ask for here.

Even further down the spiral is Sergey Monia, who has 52.5 DraftKings points over his last three games and a solid matchup against Brose Bamberg. About the cheapest I would go is Artsiom Parakhouski, who has had two really good games in a row and gets to attack the injured Real Madrid frontcourt.

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