Friday’s Shootout on FanTeam is a three-game slate with a 74-credit budget, and our EuroLeague DFS picks for 9 October start in an unexpected place: the road underdog. Zalgiris supply three of our top eight projections at Barcelona. Olympiacos are the biggest favourites on the board, but their stars sit at prices that cap their value. Efes provide the cheapest route into the top tier.
Games and pace
All three games carry totals above 170. That is a healthy environment for a short slate.
- LAB vs BJK (178.5): The highest total of the night and the tightest odds, 1.82 against 2.15. Both team totals sit at 88.5 or higher. Our projections still find little value here, and that tells you how the salaries have been set.
- BAR vs ZAL (174.5): Barcelona are modest favourites at 1.78 with an 88.5 team total. Zalgiris are implied for 86.5 at 2.18. A close game keeps the starters on the floor late, which helps their minutes.
- OLY vs EFE (171.5): Olympiacos are 1.20 favourites with a slate-high 91.5 team total. Efes are at 5.10 and implied for 80.5. The spread points to a possible blowout, and a blowout can cut the favourite’s starters’ fourth-quarter minutes.
Top plays
| Player | Pos | Team | Opp | Salary | Proj | Ceiling | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Valanciunas | C | ZAL | BAR | 13.4 | 30.0 | 32.0 | 2.2 |
| Azuolas Tubelis | PF | ZAL | BAR | 13.0 | 28.3 | 36.7 | 2.2 |
| Sasha Vezenkov | PF | OLY | EFS | 15.6 | 27.7 | 32.0 | 1.8 |
| Jean Montero | PG | OLY | EFS | 14.5 | 25.8 | 29.6 | 1.8 |
| Kevin Punter | SG | BAR | ZAL | 12.2 | 24.5 | 32.1 | 2.0 |
| Carsen Edwards | PG | ZAL | BAR | 11.8 | 24.5 | 29.6 | 2.1 |
| Matthew Strazel | PG | EFS | OLY | 9.9 | 23.6 | 29.5 | 2.4 |
| Dario Saric | PF | EFS | OLY | 10.8 | 22.5 | 23.6 | 2.1 |
Zalgiris frontcourt
Jonas Valanciunas leads the slate at 30.0 projected points for 13.4 credits. That is 2.2x, and his 32.0 ceiling sits close to the projection. In cash games that steadiness is the appeal. Azuolas Tubelis matches the 2.2x at 13.0 credits, and his 36.7 ceiling is the highest on the board. He is the tournament version of the same bet.
Playing both is viable. Together they cost 26.4 credits, just over a third of the budget, and the 174.5 total supports two Zalgiris bigs. Carsen Edwards at 11.8 and 2.1x completes a stack if you want full exposure to this game.
Olympiacos at a premium
Sasha Vezenkov at 15.6 and Jean Montero at 14.5 both project at 1.8x, below our cash threshold. The 91.5 team total is the best on the slate, but the 1.20 price raises the chance of a lopsided score and shorter nights for the starters. Use them in tournaments for leverage, not as the base of a cash lineup.
Efes are underpriced
Matthew Strazel is the best value among the top plays: 23.6 projected at 9.9 credits, 2.4x, with a 29.5 ceiling. Dario Saric at 10.8 is a safe 2.1x, but his ceiling is only 23.6, so his case rests on cash games. Efes have the lowest team total on the slate. Their prices already reflect that, which is why they still project well.
Value plays for the EuroLeague DFS picks
| Player | Pos | Team | Salary | Proj | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJ Stewart | SF | KBA | 6.3 | 18.9 | 3.0 |
| Daron Russell | PG | EFS | 5.4 | 14.2 | 2.6 |
| Matthew Strazel | PG | EFS | 9.9 | 23.6 | 2.4 |
| Chris Duarte | SF | KBA | 8.0 | 19.1 | 2.4 |
| Joel Parra | PF | BAR | 7.2 | 17.1 | 2.4 |
| Olivier Nkamhoua | PF | BAR | 5.7 | 13.5 | 2.4 |
| Marius Grigonis | SG | ZAL | 5.1 | 12.1 | 2.4 |
DJ Stewart is the standout. At 6.3 credits he projects for 18.9, a 3.0x return that clears our tournament bar easily and suits every format. Daron Russell, at 5.4 credits and 2.6x, also clears 2.5x and is the cheapest way into an Efes stack with Strazel.
Chris Duarte comes in at 19.1 projected for 8.0 credits, slightly ahead of Stewart’s raw total. Joel Parra and Olivier Nkamhoua give you cheap Barcelona exposure in the 174.5 game, and Marius Grigonis at 5.1 is the minimum-salary way to stack Zalgiris. Every name in this table is above 2.0x, so any of them can fill a cash lineup.
Fades
| Player | Team | Salary | Proj | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikola Milutinov | OLY | 10.5 | 11.3 | 1.1 |
| Cameron Payne | EFS | 12.0 | 16.1 | 1.3 |
| Codi Miller-McIntyre | OLY | 12.5 | 18.9 | 1.5 |
| Scottie Wilbekin | BJK | 12.8 | 21.2 | 1.7 |
Nikola Milutinov is the clearest fade. He projects for 11.3 at 10.5 credits, barely a point per credit. Cameron Payne costs 2.1 credits more than his teammate Strazel and projects 7.5 points fewer.
Codi Miller-McIntyre at 12.5 credits projects for 18.9, the same as DJ Stewart, who costs 6.3. Scottie Wilbekin is the hardest to leave out, because he plays in the 178.5 game. Even so, 21.2 projected points at 12.8 credits is 1.7x. Valanciunas costs 0.6 more and projects almost nine points higher. None of these are bad players. They are badly priced tonight.
How to build
For cash, start with Valanciunas and fill in with Strazel, Stewart and Russell. The savings from the value tier let you add Tubelis or Edwards. For tournaments, Tubelis’s 36.7 ceiling and Punter’s 32.1 give you the most upside, and a single Olympiacos star works as a lower-owned pivot if you think the favourites will win comfortably without the starters sitting.
FAQ
Who is the best value play on Friday’s slate?
DJ Stewart. He projects for 18.9 points at 6.3 credits, a 3.0x return and the highest value in our data.
Should I play Olympiacos in a 1.20 favourite spot?
In tournaments, yes, selectively. Vezenkov and Montero project at 1.8x, which is below our 2.0x cash threshold, and a blowout could reduce their minutes.
Why fade Scottie Wilbekin in the highest-total game?
A good game environment does not fix his price. At 12.8 credits he projects for 21.2, and several cheaper players project higher.
Check confirmed lineups and late injury news before lock. One scratch can change the value plays on a three-game slate.
For the always-updated slate numbers and full player stats: see our EuroLeague DFS Projections page. Playing the official game? Check our EuroLeague Fantasy projections.