New season - New challenge!

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Intro

Power Rankings

Prior to going into the fantasy sports side of the game, lets take a moment to point out that last regular season was the most competitive we have seen since the new Euroleague format was introduced (play-in tournament included). So here are some key figures:

1.  In the top 6 (direct playoff qualification) the 1st position was just 3 wins away from the 6th one!

2. The 2nd position was just 1 win away from the 1st one!

3. Positions 3 & 4 were tied with the same record (24-14)

4. Positions 5 & 6 were tied with the same record (23-15)

5. Positions 7 & 8 were tied with the same record (22-16)

6. Positions 9 & 10 were tied with the same record (21-17)

     Welcome our 2026-27 Euroleague Fantasy Challenge season pre-view! to A new Euroleague Fantasy season is days away from tip-off. Before we get into picks, valuations & rosters, here is why this column is worth following.

Last season, more than 585,000 teams took part in the Euroleague Fantasy Regular Season. We finished in the 14,641st spot, which places us inside the top 2.5% of the entire field! This means we were beating about 97.5 out of every 100 teams in the competition! That was not one good week or a single lucky pick. It was a full-season result, built round by round, the same way we will build this column!

What we try to do differently in Real Hoopers Hub, is not strictly to play this game by looking at stats. We primarily try and have a solid basketball view on each team by watching as many games as time allows us and follow actual reporting & analysis on teams, coaches and players. Of course we do take into account the statistical side of the game but we firmly believe that a balanced approach makes a big difference!

The above indicates that teams that are chasing the playoffs will probably be aiming at the 23-24 win mark! So lets attempt to make some early season Power Rankings ahead of the basketball season that is fast approaching! We have classified the teams in 5 tiers based on their current roster and dynamic. Teams are put in random order within each tier and are not an absolute prediction for table classification! Of course our rankings are subjective and no safe conclusions can be made in a league that is expected to be even more competitive this season!

Now lets go through each team on the above table and analyze their rosters as constructed the moment these lines are being written! We are also taking current long term injuries into account, an aspect that shifts the rotaions in each team. There are definitely standout players who are expected to lead the way for their teams with their performances but we will be focusing on the "under the radar" players. This is defined by:

1. Their price in the Euroleague Fantasy Challenge game

2. The competition they are facing in their respective positions within their team

3. The possibility of them having a breakout year 

Under the radar players

Having invested a massive budget this summer the greens are aiming for nothing else than the Euroleague throne, now guided by the legendary Z. Obradovic. There are no under the radar players in this roster which is as deep & versatile as the league has ever seen! The only reason we are able to pick some, is the current injuries on the 2 superstars of the team, Nunn and NHD! Brancou Badio (8.3 CR) is now expected to shoulder more minutes as is Nikos Rogkavopoulos (4.5 CR) who at this price is basically a risk-free pick! 

These reigning Euroleague champions have massively upgraded their backcourt by adding 2 of the best guards from last years' competition in Codi Tyree Miller-McIntyre and Jean Claudio Montero. Both players are expected to fit in nicely and "unlock" another level of play for Olympiakos. Despite the depth in that backcourt we will go with McIntyre (11 CR) who -after the way the Thomas Walkup situation developed- is expected to start and play the main ball mover role. Our 2nd player will be Tyson Ward (7.5 CR) who is ridiculously underpriced and is expected to have a bigger role as Papanikolaou will probably see less minutes given his age and McKissic leaving the club.

Wrapping up our TIER 1 contenders is Fenerbahçe. The Turkish team has brought in 3 very experienced players in Shane Larkin, Shavon Shields and Will Clyburn, as well as an excellent Trent Forrest making their depth truly formidable! However as the performances of Braxton Key (8 CR) during the Valencia post season run did not seem to boost his price, he will be our first pick. Alongside Key, we are going with Marcus Bingham Jr. (11.3 CR) who has been brought in to lead the blue & yellow frontline, an area that was an Achilles-heel last year for the 2025 Euroleague champions.

How is it possible to loose your star guard and your starting center and still have an excellent offseason? Well the Lithuanians did an excellent job this summer, bringing in THE transfer of the season, the iconic Jonas Valanciunas who is definitely expected to be an anchor player! He could end up being a mentor to our first pick Azuolas Tubelis (11.1 CR), who not only had a great 2025-26 season, but also looked really good during his recent appearances with the national team . This might well be a breakout year from him! In addition Zalgiris added solid players in the wing areas, bringing back Marius Grigonis (6.3 CR) who can prove to be a very good sleeper pick.

The last season's runners-up have surprisingly parted ways with Sergio Scariolo and went in a new direction by hiring coach Pedro Martinez who shattered all expectations last year with his Valencia team! We expect his playstyle of coach Martinez to benefit certain players and Theo Maledon (9.8 CR) seems like a very intriguing pick at this price and will be expected to have a much better 2nd season at Madrid! We will also be looking closely at Andres Feliz (6.2 CR) who ended last season with very solid performances, as well as as Jaime Pradilla (8.7 CR) who had a solid season at Valencia under coach Martinez, forcing los blancos to acquire him! 

The Israeli team is another one that does not shy away form spending but they do at the moment seem like a puzzling team to breakdown due to the high number of players in their roster, a claim exemplified by their 12 guards! A low risk selection might be Tai Odiase (6.3 CR) as he is expected to complement Oturu at the center position! Another interesting player is Antonio Blackeney (9.6 CR) who already has an established solid role at Hapoel and has proved that he can have some explosive games.

After a rather forgettable season and a very confusing head coach situation, the Turkish team had a busy offseason restructuring the roster. Pablo Lasso know has a much more balanced team in each position and his newly acquired star Mike James will be handed the keys to unlock the rest of the team's potential. We believe one of these players might be Kai Jones (8.8 CR) who has already shown promising parts in his game, while Matthew Strazel (10.3 CR) -who followed James from Monaco to Efes- has shown constant improvement, might also be on the verge of a breakout season

This is probably one of the most difficult rosters to figure out! With a new experienced coach in Xavi Pasqual rotations are still unclear especially in the forward positions where Dubai currently have 8 players! With Kabengele, Wright and Musa expected to have the biggest roles and most minutes, the rest of the roster does not seem to have an under a radar player, maybe aside Justin Anderson (6.5 CR) who had some valuable contributions last year. We would hold any further advise once we have a broader game sample.

Last season's revelation Valencia has seen a massive roster overhaul after loosing coach Pedro Martinez and almost all their key players in Jean Montero, Brancou Badio, Braxton Key and Jaime Pradilla (8.7 CR). With last years' assistant coach Albert Xavier taking over a similar style of play might be in line for us here we might find several really intriguing sleeper picks, thought the Spaniards might still be on the market to enhance their roster. First at the guard spots Armoni Brooks (10.3) and Omari Moore (8.5 CR) are both expected to play significant roles with the latter propbably seeing an increased role compared to last year. It is definitely worth mentioning Mario Saint Supery (4.7 CR) and Alvaro Cardenas (4.5 CR) who are expected to have complementary roles in the rotation and at such low price could prove excellent filler-pickes for fantasy managers. Lastly, with just 2 centers on the roster, both Neil Sako (8.8 CR) and Sima Yankuba (6.5 CR) are expected to play important minutes and could well be the backup center should you choose to invest many CR on a heavy fitter (like Kabengele or Valaciunas for example)! 

After a rollercoaster season that ended in disappointment Red Star is now looking to a fresg begining under exciting coach Ibon Navarro. Roster roles will be defined as the season progresses but what is crystal clear is that Jared Buttler (10.1) is expected to be the focal point in the perimeter -after the departure of McIntyre- and his rather low fantasy valuation looks very much like a mistake from the game developers! Another intresting pick is Tyson Carter (6.8 CR) who could prove to be a bargain. In the reds' frontline another 2 players catch the eye due to their price. Both Ebuka Izindu (9.4 CR) & Semi Ojeleye (7,5 CR) are expected to play complementary roles and depending on form and injuries their roles are expected to increase as Red Star is not a team 4-players deep in each spot! 

Our tier prediction on Maccabi relies quite a lot on the possibility of the team eventually playing their home games back in Israel. The heated atmosphere from the fans boosts players and performances and with a quite short squad (for the moment at least), Katash's team is one to keep an eye on! Their primary four backcourt players all warrant some attention, with Iffe Lundberg (8.3 CR) catching the eye given his last year's good fit wit the team. This is one of the teams that are most expected to add some more quality to their roster over the next period, so we will be revisiting them at some point. 

Another tough team to figure out is Milano! The team had a positive stint last year under coach Poeta but their roster was not well balanced and their performances eventually faded! This year Milano has added some solid players so they will be expected to do better! With several players in the backcourt, rotations are still undefined but the fact that all of the Milano guards are priced below 10 CR makes them worthy of consideration. In addition Devin Booker (9.7 CR) is expected to complement the frontline in both positions so he will get for sure some attention.

A nightmare season full of turmoil, saw Partizan's coaching legend Z. Obradovic resign with coach Penaroya replacing him and actually doing a respectable job during the last part of the season! The heated serbian crowd demands improvement, so with no heavy name acquisitions and Jabari Parker half-way out of the door, local forwards Mario Nakic (5.5 CR) and Arjan Lakic (4 CR), do appear as risk free options for filler picks! We are also keeping tags on Joffrey Lauverne (9.1 CR) who aside being a fan favorite is expected to play significant minutes despite his rather worrisome injury past.  

Probably the biggest riddle of the upcoming season, Bayern is placed in this tier mainly due to having a history of punching above their weight in most campaigns! There are several players that are unproven so our eyes turn towards Rokas Jocubaitis (8.6 CR) who was acquired to play an important role last season but fell victim to an early season-ending injury. Another good possibility is Oscar Da Silva (7.3 CR) who had some solid performances last season and with the German team spread thin in the forward spots, he is expected to find some proper playing time. 

Barcelona appear to be moving towards a major rebuild project after the previous year's disappointment. Shifting from veteran, established players to  younger and more athletic role players, in order to complement Kevin Punter. Many question marks surround this roster as well as the coaching approach! For our fantasy game we are looking at Stanley Umude (9.1) CR, a risky but highly anticipated rookie who is efficient on both sides of the court! We also believe that complementary players like Joel Parra (7 CR) and Dario Brizuela (6.4 CR) could also be solid filler picks. 

We are wrapping up Tier 4 with the Turkish team who are joining the top level of European basketball instead of Eurocup champions Bourg, bringing another fiery crowd into the Euroleague. A healthy established player like Scottie Wilbekin (7.5 CR) appears very undervalued and is definitely worth the risk. Furkan Korkmaz (8.3 CR) could also prove to be a good pick due to his scoring prowess from the wings while Wenyen Gabriel 8.4 CR could also provide some solid minutes!

Entering Tier 5, we will start with Paris, a team that every year is giving us some surprise performers. Since loosing Justin Anderson to Barcelona it remains to be seen who will be complementing Nadir Hifi in terms of usage and while some things are still to be defined, we see Jared Rhoden (9 CR) as a solid option with a significant role and currently at a very inticing price. Paris is looking weakest at the center spot and though Allan Dokossi (8 CR) is not the traditional no5 he could prove to be a good option. though we would probably wait to see how the rotations will be developing.   

These past couple of months must have been quite the rollercoaster for ASVEL fans. From leaving the Euroleague, to almost signing top players with a very big budget and eventually ending up with an in-between project! It would be a big omission not to mention Joel Bolomboy (10.4 CR) as he is the only clear center in the roster, even though he is not strictly an "under the radar" player. Another player worth mentioning is Both Gach (8.7 CR) who had a very solid campaign last year with eventual Eurocup champions Bourg.

A team that always provides new exciting players is expected to do so again this year! Currently the Bask country team appears to have an incomplete roster and still being on the market. In a very similar situation with Bolomboy, Keneth Farried (9.5 CR) is the only clear center in the roster. We will also keep an eye on Matteo Spagnolo (6.4 CR) who had a good stretch last year and might see proper playing time while the numerous newcommers settle into the team and rotation gets established.

Probably the weakest roster in the Euroleague for the upcoming season, in a total rebuilding year Virtus is to us the biggest riddle of the 2026-27 campaign! We will signal out 2 players, each for different reasons each. Firstly Mouhamed Diouf (9.3 CR) who is expected to be a starter for the Italians and play significant minutes and secondly last season's mid-year promising acquisition Francesco Ferrari (5.2 CR). The young Italian could well end up getting solid minutes & role and at this price he could well deserve a place as a filler pick in your fantasy team.

So this is our analysis for across all teams for "under the radar" players. The above picks are just a preliminary breakdown to spice up your game. Taking some calculated risks is what the game is about especially early on, in order to build up your fantasy budget! Here is a selection of "under the radar" players.

We will be back with our Round 1 piece, updated news on teams & rosters, as well as some additional input to kickstart your season! We will also be explaining strategy and and budget management options! 

We hope that you enjoyed the read and that you' ll stick around for more! 

These fantasy picks are for entertainment only. No crystal balls, no insider info—just our best guesses. Sometimes we’ll look like geniuses; other times, like we drafted blindfolded. Trust your own instincts, play for fun, laugh at the misses, and celebrate the wins!

Your Fantasy GM - The RHH team

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