Fantasy Challenge guru Javier Gancedo shares his recommendations ahead of Round 30
Fantasy tips, Round 30: Riding the wave
Fantasy Challenge
6 Mins read
It is arguably the closest race for the EuroLeague Playoffs and Play-In Showdown ever. If you look at the standings, AS Monaco ranks fourth with a 17-12 record, and Real Madrid is 12th at 15-14. That's right, there is a two-win gap between having the home-court advantage in the playoffs or being eliminated.
There are a lot of good options for you, EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge managers, but one player stands out right now.
Shavon Shields, EA7 Emporio Armani (12.5 credits)
There is an early game in this round as Paris hosts Milan on Tuesday. Having a star player in all three turns should help you get a good score. My T1 choice is Shavon Shields, who had a PIR of 29 against Paris earlier this season. Shields comes off a good game against Zvezda: 14 points, 5 rebounds and a PIR of 22. A safe choice early in the week!
Kevin Punter, FC Barcelona (14.9 credits)
After missing two games due to injury, Kevin Punter returned to action against Partizan, his former team, and had a great performance. He finished the game with 25 points, missing only four shots, and adding 4 assists, 1 steal and 7 fouls drawn for a PIR of 29. Barca is now sixth in the standings and has two more home games coming up.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (14.6 credits)
"We are basically in playoff mode right now," Shane Larkin said after this team's win against Bayern. He proved that with a huge performance: Larkin had 25 points on 4-of-6 two-pointers, 4-of-8 three-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 5 fouls drawn and a PIR of 33. Expect him to keep leading Efes, as he always has.
Johannes Voigtmann, FC Bayern Munich (10.1 credits)
It took Bayern some time to figure it out but without injured big man Devin Booker, Johannes Voigtmann is his team's new go-to man in the frontcourt. He has had a double-digit PIR in the last six games and stood out against Efes last week, getting 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a PIR of 25. At just 10.1 credits, Voigtmann is a bargain.
Roman Sorkin, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (10.9 credits)
Roman Sorkin is seeing extended playing time at center as Jasiel Rivero is set to miss some time. He has posted a PIR of 12 or higher in each of his team's last six games. In Maccabi's last three showdowns, Sorkin averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 fouls drawn and a PIR of 18.7. Maccabi is on a three-game winning streak, too.