Round 9 is shaped by absences. Olympiacos, Hapoel, Real Madrid and Baskonia are all missing rotation players, and that moves minutes toward a handful of cheap and mid-priced names. These EuroLeague Fantasy Round 9 tips start from our projections, then check them against what other analysts are saying.
Our optimizer builds a full 100-credit team that projects 145.5 points. The headline is a three-man Olympiacos tilt, a Real Madrid guard pairing and a Hapoel star who costs a lot but projects higher than anyone else.
Our optimal team for EuroLeague Fantasy Round 9 tips
The team spends exactly 100.0 credits. The turn column shows which part of the round each player belongs to.
| Player | Pos | Team | Opp | Turn | Credits | Proj | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Bryant | G | HTA | DUB | 2 | 18.0 | 22.9 | Sixth man |
| Tyrique Jones | C | OLY | MIL | 2 | 10.8 | 19.4 | Starter |
| Theo Maledon | G | RMB | FBT | 1 | 12.1 | 16.9 | Captain |
| Jordan Nwora | F | CZV | BAY | 1 | 13.4 | 16.7 | Starter |
| Aliou Diarra | C | VIR | BJK | 2 | 10.0 | 14.0 | Bench |
| Andres Feliz | G | RMB | FBT | 1 | 8.6 | 11.6 | Starter |
| Stefan Joksimovic | F | KBA | ASV | 2 | 4.5 | 8.0 | Bench |
| Kostas Papanikolaou | F | OLY | MIL | 2 | 4.1 | 7.0 | Bench |
| Leopold Cavaliere | F | PBB | MTA | 1 | 4.5 | 5.6 | Starter |
| Alvaro Cardenas | G | VBC | BAR | 2 | 4.1 | 5.2 | Bench |
| Georgios Bartzokas | HC | OLY | MIL | 2 | 9.9 | 14.3 | Coach |
The structure is simple. We pay up for Bryant, then fund him with four players at around 4 to 4.5 credits each. Joksimovic, Papanikolaou, Cavaliere and Cardenas are not exciting, but each projects above what a minimum-price slot normally delivers.
Why Bryant is worth 18 credits
Hapoel are thin. Timor, Blayzer, Palatin, Ennis and Blatt are listed out, and Micic, Odiase and Ginat are doubtful. That leaves Bryant as the clear creator against Dubai, and his 22.9 projection is the highest in our data. His price also rose by 0.1, and he sits fourth on our rising-price list, so waiting costs you a little.
The Olympiacos angle
Olympiacos have Milutinov, Montero, Dorsey, Fournier, Papas and Bourneles all listed as out. That is a lot of missing production. Tyrique Jones is the main beneficiary at 10.8 credits. He projects 19.4 and has the best value score on our board, tied with Joksimovic at 1.79 points per credit. Bartzokas, Papanikolaou and Jones all share the same fixture, so this is a concentrated bet on one game. If Olympiacos have a bad night, three slots suffer together.
Captain picks for Round 9
Maledon is our captain in the optimal build. His projection is only a shade above Nwora’s, so the choice is close. Both play in turn one, and both face opponents carrying injuries.
| Player | Team | Opp | Credits | Proj |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theo Maledon | RMB | FBT | 12.1 | 16.86 |
| Jordan Nwora | CZV | BAY | 13.4 | 16.72 |
| Nadir Hifi | PBB | MTA | 14.4 | 15.40 |
| Walter Tavares | RMB | FBT | 15.1 | 14.85 |
| Chris Jones | CZV | BAY | 12.8 | 13.84 |
Real Madrid have Llull, Deck, Garuba, Sarr and Nick Smith Jr listed out. Guard usage should concentrate on Maledon and Feliz. Hifi is the captain option to watch for a later turn. Paris Basketball’s Etienne, Hommes, Warren and Ntilikina are all doubtful, and Boungou-colo is out, which could leave Hifi with an outsized share of the offence.
Best bargains and value plays
| Player | Team | Credits | Proj | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrique Jones | OLY | 10.8 | 19.38 | 1.79 |
| Stefan Joksimovic | KBA | 4.5 | 8.04 | 1.79 |
| Cory Joseph | OLY | 5.5 | 8.90 | 1.62 |
| Aliou Diarra | VIR | 10.0 | 14.01 | 1.40 |
| Kenneth Faried | KBA | 9.7 | 13.56 | 1.40 |
Cory Joseph is the one bargain missing from our optimal team. He also leads our rising-role list, with Joksimovic second, so his minutes trend is strong. He loses out only because the budget is already allocated. If you cannot afford Bryant at 18.0, Joseph is the obvious route to rebuild the Olympiacos exposure more cheaply.
Coaches
| Coach | Team | Credits | Proj |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgios Bartzokas | OLY | 9.9 | 14.29 |
| Ibon Navarro | CZV | 7.2 | 9.93 |
| Tomas Masiulis | ZAL | 6.9 | 9.93 |
Bartzokas is well clear of the field, but he adds to the Olympiacos stack. Navarro is the cheaper way to diversify, and he pairs naturally with Nwora in the same Zvezda fixture.
Where we disagree with the consensus
Most of our picks line up with what other analysts are saying. Bryant, Maledon, Nwora, Feliz and Joksimovic all draw positive reads elsewhere, usually for the same reasons we see in the numbers. The differences are more interesting.
- Tyrique Jones. He is the top value play in our data, yet he barely features in the wider conversation. Attention there goes to other Olympiacos names, such as Vezenkov and Donta Hall, who gain from Milutinov being out. We think the projection is the better guide, but his low profile means you are relying on the model alone.
- Diarra. Some analysts call him one of the best budget centers. One has dropped him over fears that a crowded center rotation will cut his minutes. Our projection of 14.0 does not reflect a hard minutes cap, so that worry is the main risk to the pick. It is why we slot him on the bench.
- Captaincy. Several analysts want a center as the turn-one captain, with Kabengele and Valanciunas the usual names. Our captain table is led by guards and a forward, with no center in the top five. If you back a center captain, you are going against our numbers.
- Dan Oturu. Some analysts avoid him because he has been in poor shape all season. Our model still rates him as a productive Hapoel big. We are not putting him in the optimal team, but the gap between reputation and projection is worth tracking.
- Olympiacos injuries. Some analysts expect Fournier back and Dorsey to keep his place. Our injury data lists both as out, and also lists Milutinov out. Those sources conflict, so treat the Olympiacos backcourt as unsettled until closer to lock.
Players to monitor before lock
Several names on our list carry real uncertainty. Micic is doubtful for Hapoel, and his status directly affects Bryant. Chris Duarte and Rodions Kurucs are doubtful at Baskonia, which could help Joksimovic if minutes open up. At Zvezda, Motley is doubtful and Nedeljkovic and Medarevic are out, which supports the Nwora and Chris Jones picks.
These are items to watch, not conclusions. A late change to any of them can reshape the optimal team.
FAQ
Who is the best captain for Round 9?
Theo Maledon, projected at 16.86 against Fenerbahce. Jordan Nwora is only marginally behind at 16.72, so the choice depends on which fixture you prefer.
Who is the best budget pick?
Stefan Joksimovic at 4.5 credits projects 8.04 and ties for the top value score at 1.79. Cory Joseph at 5.5 credits is the next best option at the low end.
Should I pay 18 credits for Elijah Bryant?
Our projections say yes. He leads every player in the data at 22.9 points, and Hapoel’s guard injuries leave him with little competition for touches. The risk is Micic returning and taking some of that usage.
Check injury news before the round locks. Several players above, including Micic, Duarte and Motley, are doubtful, and a late update could change the optimal team.
For always-updated projections, the optimal team for any budget, and full player stats: see our EuroLeague Fantasy Tips & Projections page.