Last thing: Always remember to trust yourselves instead of some random internet website right? Have fun

Signed: Mid-range Maven

Round 18

Searching for the breakthrough

Welcome to our weekly Euroleague - Eurocup Fantasy weekly column. If you want to  check our Fantasy Approach please click on the following link 

     Another Round left us with the feeling of underperformance. Round 17 was a peculiar one, as several popular players had a no show, such as JONES and YEBO, while others like PERRIN and RUSSELL underperformed. As a result, many teams struggled to post decent scores. Adding to the frustration, it seems that the fantasy administrators this season could not be bothered to properly update player statistics, leading to misinformation that ultimately spoils the experience. It is quite telling that our team, despite scoring only 142.5 points, still managed to improve its position in the global ranking, now sitting at position 282. Our Forward selections paid off, as NOUA and WHEATLE met expectations, but once again the coach choice proved costly.

For Round 18, we decided to make significant changes by replacing two key players, JONES and PERRIN. JONES is dealing with an injury and he did not appear in his domestic league game, so most probably he wont be available for this week match. PERRIN was also injured on Sunday so we will need to switch him while our other center, YEBO, faces a very difficult matchup against Turk Telekom, who possess one of the strongest frontcourts in the tournament. Along with them, we will also change the coach and move on from WHEATLE, who has already served his purpose.

To replace our departing Center, we selected Ante ZIZIC (16.1 CR), arguably the best Center in this year’s Eurocup. He faces Panionios, a team against whom he recorded his season-high performance in the first-round matchup.

For the coach position, we selected Massimo Cancellieri (6.0 CR). Although Trento’s top scorer, JONES, seems to be injured, we believe Trento must win this game against Ulm and still have enough quality to succeed even without him.

For the remaining two positions (Guard and Forward) we tried different combinations, in most of them involving FLYNN. However, the remaining budget for the Forward was not satisfactory so in the end we decided to select Tarik PHILLIP (12.2 CR), who has a streak of 3 good performances and he is playing against Lietkabelis which is weak in defending Guards. In the first Round, PHILLIP has achieved his season high and we hope for a similar performance. Finally, for the Forward position, we selected a newcomer to the competition, Matthew HURT (10.4 CR). Our reasoning is twofold: we need players competing in Turn 1, and HURT has been performing very well in both domestic league and Eurocup games so far. Additionally, with only 0.4% ownership among fantasy managers, he offers strong differentiation potential. Along with THOMASSON, he gives us two Forwards with high upside, while NOUA remains a solid alternative for Turn 2.

ZIZIC will be our captain for Turn 1, with HARPER ready to take over in Turn 2 if ZIZIC scores fewer than 20 points.

Round 18 is shaping up to be decisive following major roster changes, carrying the potential for a strong breakthrough—though not without risk. Our team has maximum of flexibility and potential underperforming of players in Turn 1 can be covered. Lets hope that the coach will deliver and the new comers will contribute accordingly, implementing the first scenario.