EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge guru Javier Gancedo shares his tips for the week ahead
Fantasy tips, Round 18: Enjoy unlimited trades!
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8 Mins read
This promises to be quite an eventful week in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge. First, managers can enjoy unlimited trading for the third time since the start of the season. Second, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague enters Round 18, meaning all teams have played each other at least once and scouting reports should be even more accurate now.
This time, given the circumstances, I am recommending a superstar and two high-level players on the rise as budget options plus two cheaper players to fill your roster. Here they are.
Theo Maledon, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (17.3 credits)
Theo Maledon is my superstar of choice. ASVEL is 4-1 this month and Maledon is a strong candidate for the MVP of December award. He has the numbers to back this statement, averaging 21.4 points on 35-of-38 free-throw shooting (92.1%), 4.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 6.4 fouls drawn for a PIR of 27.2. His consistency has been outstanding.
Ercan Osmani, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (7.5 credits)
Ercan Osmani was simply outstanding against Partizan in Round 17. He finished the game with a career-high 25 points, 10 more than his previous best, by making 6 of 7 two-pointers and 4 of 7 three-pointers plus 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 assists and 5 fouls drawn for a personal-best PIR of 29. Buy him now!
Terry Tarpey, AS Monaco (5.0 credits)
A coaching change has resulted in Terry Tarpey seeing extended playing time and he is definitely making the most out of it. After hardly playing in the first 13 rounds (a total of 46 seconds), Tarpey has averaged 4.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals without any turnovers for a PIR of 8.0. Not bad at all for 5.0 credits, right?
Dzanan Musa, Real Madrid (12.8 credits)
After being injured and playing in pain, Dzanan Musa started to feel better in Round 15 against Zalgiris and has been his usual dangerous self ever since. Musa has boosted his numbers to 16.3 points on 12-of-16 two-point shooting (75%) and 4-of-9 on threes (44.4%) for a PIR of 19.0 in the last three games. For 12.8 credits, he is a steal.
Isaia Cordinier, Virtus Segafredo Bologna (12.7 credits)
First things first, Isaia Cordinier comes off an outstanding performance, getting a personal-best 24 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 fouls drawn for a career-high PIR of 38 against Barca. He matches new head coach Dusko Ivanovic's winning mentality, so expect more games like this from Cordinier as Virtus hosts red-hot ASVEL this week.