This article is part of our EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Picks series.
A tipsy-turvy Round 25 lies ahead in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, as players will be afforded the opportunity to swap out all 11 spots on the roster. Additionally, the Round will be spread across three days, so it would be wise to include captain options for all of T1, T2 and T3.
Looking ahead to Round 26, for the second time this season nine games will be played in T1 and only one contest -- a matchup between ASVEL and Virtus -- will take place in T2. As such, it would behoove players to roster a captain option from either of those two teams. Otherwise, you're taking a lot of risk in T1.
All in all, your roster could look a lot different in Round 25 and again in Round 26.
If you have any questions or comments about strategy or the picks below, feel free to drop those at the bottom of this article or reach out on X via @RotoWireEuro.
Good luck on your EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge journey!
Guard
Sylvain Francisco, Zalgiris Kaunas (17.7 credits)
It might feel like we talk about Francisco over and over, but it's tough not to. In the Round 22 edition of this article we detailed how he fares better on the road, and markedly better when backcourt mate Nigel Williams-Goss -- listed on RotoWire's EuroLeague Injury Report -- is unavailable.
Francisco is currently the priciest backcourt option in the game, which obviously hurts the budget a bit. However, specifically for Round 25, players going with Sasha Vezenkov as the T2 captain can't go wrong having Francisco as the fallback option in T3. Baskonia has fared better against opposing guards in recent weeks, but they are still ceding the second most fantasy points to players at those positions on the season, and backcourt players have been particularly effective against them in the scoring column. Expect Francisco to keep on rolling.
Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid (15.2 credits)
Real Madrid and Paris will play the only game in T1, and the Spanish squad has two tantalizing captain options in Campazzo and Walter Tavares.
Campazzo had a couple quiet nights recently, but he turned in a double-double against Monaco his last time out, and he could be busier than usual in Round 25 with Theo Maledon sidelined.
Paris is never afraid to pick up the pace, and they are ceding the most assists and second most points to opposing guards. If you hold off on Tavares, Campazzo is the ideal captain in T1.
Codi Miller-McIntyre, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (12.9 credits)
In another recent piece we discussed how the addition of Jared Butler disrupted the flow for both Miller-McIntyre and Jordan Nwora, leading to a noticeable drop in performance for the duo. This period was hardly ideal for Red Star on the whole, as they only won twice between Rounds 14 and 21 and appeared to be falling out of the playoff race.
Starting in Round 22, though, everything flipped, and they emerged from a three-game road trip with three wins. The hype even reached tennis star Novak Djokovic, a well-known Red Star supporter who said Sunday, "I'll buy the Final Four tickets."
Butler remains involved for Red Star, but he averaged only 16 minutes over the last three Rounds compared to Miller-McIntyre's 29. The latter has reclaimed control of the backcourt for Red Star, and the production has followed suit.
Saben Lee, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (7.1 credits)
This is a bit of a risky choice, but there is also a need for a bit of loyalty.
Since joining Efes following a stint with Olympiacos, Lee has been outstanding in four of his five EuroLeague appearances. The one off night resulted in a particularly poor -6 PIR, but we can overlook that -- particularly at this price.
Lee has been with Efes long enough to get up for Thursday's matchup with rival Fenerbahce, and he is plenty familiar with them from his previous stint in the Turkish league. Efes has a crowded backcourt, but Lee has gotten at least 18 minutes in all five EuroLeague games he has appeared in for the club, which shows he has secured a regular role.
Forward
Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus (20.3 credits)
Vezenkov who has now firmly set his sights on another MVP award, and he has become almost indispensable for EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge players.
Building a top-tier team without him is extremely difficult, and the only real reason someone might avoid him is his massive price tag. Still, considering the peace of mind that comes with locking in your captain without hesitation, he's worth every penny.
Vezenkov averaged 29.13 fantasy points over his last 10 appearances and 32.58 over his last five, so there's really no need to say more. However, he could have some extra motivation in Round 25, as he and his club will be looking to avenge a Round 15 loss to Barcelona in which he put up 25 PIR but did not walk away with the win.
Braian Angola, LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne (9.6 credits)
There's uncertainty about whether his stats from Round 24 — his first EuroLeague outing with ASVEL — will be uploaded, and if they are not, it would really be a shame. This is due to a minor system glitch: Angola, who was supposed to be registered in the EuroLeague roster for Round 24 before the games started, unfortunately did not appear as an option in the EuroLeague Fantasy game. As a result, the 27 PIR he produced against Barça is not reflected in his stats for now. Still, we witnessed firsthand what he's capable of; even in his debut, he drew 9 fouls and showed how aggressively he can attack the rim. Highlighting Angola's name for the Panathinaikos matchup could be a gamble worth taking for managers who enjoy a little element of surprise.
Justinian Jessup, FC Bayern Munich (8.3 credits)
Over the last six games, Jessup has formed an ideal duo with Andreas Obst, almost like Bayern's Batman & Robin, and it's pretty clear that he will be one of the key pieces for head coach Svetislav Pesic in the remaining weeks of the EuroLeague season. Having become one of the main options in the forward rotation alongside Vladimir Lucic and Isiaha Mike, the biggest reason Jessup stands out compared to that pair is the consistency he has been showing on a game-to-game basis. There is just one red flag that needs to be mentioned: five of those last six games were played at home with only one coming on the road and that was away at Olympiacos, which could be widely accepted as one of the toughest matchups in the EuroLeague for forwards. Even in Greece, he still managed a solid outing and finished with 10 PIR. In Round 25, Bayern travel to Israel to face Hapoel and for Jessup and his team, who have not played an away game in quite some time, we will see whether that ends up being an issue or not.
Tarik Biberovic, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (7.3 credits)
In derby games, we usually see local players step up more than usual and one of the reasons might be that they understand the importance of these matchups better through the eyes of the fans. As a Fenerbahce academy product, Biberovic has faced Efes many times in both the domestic league and the EuroLeague, and considering that experience despite his young age, along with his rising form in recent weeks, he will certainly be one of coach Saras' most important weapons in the Efes matchup, which will be played on home court.
Center
Walter Tavares, Real Madrid (15.4 credits)
The best center in EuroLeague over the last 10 years versus the worst center defense in the EuroLeague this season — that's the situation in a nutshell. Even though it seems like he has lost his throne this season to Nikola Milutinov, this is still Tavares and you never really know; he might simply be saving his energy for the playoffs at the end of the season. He still knows perfectly well what to do in games where he needs to be productive, and when you add the fact that he has finished below 15 PIR in only two of his last 10 games — both of them against Milan — it's fair to say that Tavares is actually in pretty solid form. The only truly scary scenario against Paris would be the game turning into a blowout, in which case head coach Sergio Scariolo might choose not to take any risks with Edy and give him some extra rest. That's all.
Josh Nebo, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (12.0 credits)
The news of Devin Booker's absence hit the timeline very early and has undoubtedly caused plenty of confusion when it comes to center decisions for Round 25. Milan has a major fixture advantage with four straight games against Partizan, Baskonia, ASVEL and Dubai, and the common denominator among all four opponents is their serious issues with defending the center position. It's uncertain when Booker will return, but if his injury ends up costing him EuroLeague action, this could turn into the kind of opportunity where you'd want to keep his replacement locked into your team for all four of those Rounds without hesitation.
Head Coach
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (8.2 credits)
After the away loss to Maccabi, serious doubts have started to emerge about whether Panathinaikos can finish in the top four and secure home-court advantage for the playoffs. The main reason for this is their record over the last five games, which were relatively moderate in difficulty — and most likely none of the opponents will make the playoffs — yet they only managed to win two of those matches. The away game at ASVEL is a case where mistakes are absolutely unacceptable for the Athens side, as they will not want to fall further behind in the race for the top spots.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (8.2 credits)
Having won eight of their last 10 games, the duo currently in the best form both as a team and in terms of coaching performance is definitely Jasikevicius and Fenerbahce. Even though they are favorites against their Istanbul-based rivals, who are in the exact opposite form, this is still a derby match, and extreme caution is needed. That's why some managers might shy away from picking Jasikevicius due to the derby tension, but there are also EuroLeague followers who believe that a Fenerbahce riding this wave won't show any mercy to Efes. It's clear a hotly-contested game awaits.
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