';
?>
We feel devotion
DataCenter
PICK YOUR CAPTAIN
Here we go again!
Another Euroleague and Fantasy season begins, and the captains column reminds you of the directions for choosing our captains efficiently!
Published: 29/09/2025 20:29
Everything is ready for the start of Euroleague ’25–’26 and, of course, the Fantasy Challenge. Most people already know the game from previous seasons. There are also many who may want to test their knowledge and their… “luck” for the first time.
Through this column, as well as generally on BasketStories.net, we will try every gameweek to provide as much information and as many suggestions as possible for Fantasy players, so that, on the one hand, they enjoy the game and, on the other, they are competitive—since the winners’ prizes are anything but negligible, both from Euroleague Fantasy and from BasketStories.
The new Euroleague season is awaited with great interest, since this summer again there was a significant number of player and coach moves, resulting in many teams strengthening with faces that have been starring for years on the competition’s courts.
Several teams, then, will appear with a very changed look. There are, of course, some that kept their core. This year we are especially looking forward to the appearance of new participants in the competition: EuroCup winner Hapoel and Dubai. Let us also note the increase in the number of teams to 20, which automatically increases the number of regular-season rounds.
All of the above compose a very promising mosaic for this year, which is expected to bring great competition and many thrills for all of us—both on the competition’s courts and on the Fantasy “front,” which is preparing for its 22nd season!
The Fantasy organizers have prepared some additions/changes again this year which, according to their thinking, will make the game even more competitive and interesting. Those of us who have been involved with Fantasy for years, however, rather disagree, as we see the game moving away year by year from its original philosophy. Our main objection is that the “philosophy” of building teams and the long-term calculation of player value is undermined by the frequent and total changes the game allows. In fact, this year, due to the increase in the number of teams, we will have one additional gameweek of unlimited changes!
I understand that those in charge of the game tried to find a way to keep the majority of players warm and engaged throughout the season. The model they pushed last year and continue this year, however, completely alters the very logic of Fantasy, which—let’s not kid ourselves—is advertised as a manager game.
I do understand there may be a rationale to prevent the “gap” between the Fantasy standings leaders and those who perhaps made some unfortunate choices in the first rounds from opening too quickly, so they don’t lose interest and quit early. But whom do you reward and whom do you “punish” this way? In other words, someone who dedicates time and effort to build their squad and chooses players with the best prospects—how is that rewarded by the game? At least regarding this column’s subject—i.e., the captain’s score—it seems the game’s managers realized last year’s “misstep,” and this year they restored the bonus of doubling the captain’s performance…
It’s reasonable, then, for someone to wonder why we continue to deal with Fantasy! The answer may lie in the love all contributors at BasketStories.net have for basketball.
Perhaps also in the fact that for many years now the audience’s response to our writing has been great and constantly growing. Maybe this interactive experience intrigues us to keep going, even though involvement with the game acquires more and more traits of… masochistic tendencies each year!
As for this column’s “front,” the selection of team “captains” in Fantasy, the interest still exists and returns to where it belongs! Surely, besides the veteran players, we also have newcomers who will be engaging with Fantasy for the first time. So let’s say some useful things to the “new” players (and remind some things to the “old” ones)!
As mentioned, the “captain” will be scored with a total equal to the ranking he achieves in the game multiplied by 2. The presence in the game of “Game Turns” and the internal changes allowed between matchdays within the same round gives Fantasy players the chance to “correct” the initial captain pick—either aiming to improve their score after a “bad” choice on the first matchday, or chasing something extra on the second day.
Here, clearly, a fair amount of risk assessment is needed from game lovers, both before each round begins and in between. It also requires consistent monitoring and engagement with the game, readiness, and composure so that our choices, over time, prove beneficial in terms of points.
The goal each gameweek must be that the captain choices lead us to win/win situations, but caution and prudence are needed because there is always the risk that our “corrective” move destroys us…
The basic elements we take into account in this column concern how we try to approach the games in order to end up with our captain suggestions—that is, factors that guide us—and we can roughly divide them into general and specific.
In the general factors we consider a player’s quality/value, the competition he has on his team, his consistency in performance, and his overall effectiveness at home compared to away (sometimes… the reverse!).
In the specific factors we look for the player’s form, the ease/difficulty of his team’s upcoming game, and the possible personal opponents he will be called to face. We could also take into consideration the motivation, which may be increased or decreased—especially toward the last rounds or in games between teams with friendly relations or intense rivalries.
Surely, choosing a quality player, with heavy minutes on his team, with consistent performances, and in a theoretically favorable game, is the ideal captain choice for our Fantasy team. How often will we have such choices? Surely, as the game progresses, the pool of candidates will fill up.
Something we must not forget, of course, is personal instinct, which in many cases can prove more decisive than “blind” obedience to the criteria we mentioned above. We should also note that our goal is not to find the MVP of each round, but to improve our team’s score by choosing as captain a player who will deliver a high ranking compared to the rest of our ten.
Here we will usually refer to a few names that we propose to occupy the captain’s spot, trying to cover as wide a range as possible of the Fantasy players’… financial capabilities!
Clearly, the above is binding for no one; it constitutes, however, a relatively safe and sensible way to approach things, so that each round we improve our performance and our team’s budget.
The “old” and experienced players know the game’s data and demands. For the “rookies,” however, the BasketStories advice and directions will surely be more than useful! Already, there is an excellent approach to the game’s data for this season in the first general articles. Also, don’t forget that the extremely detailed and always up-to-date team & player statistics you can find in the BasketStories Data Center tables are very important for your “study” and your final decisions.
As every year, so this year too, for Round 1 our data is certainly limited, and our approach will clearly go toward moves with the smallest possible risk. So far, the information we can use comes mainly from preseason games, various countries’ super cups, and at most one or two league games where those have started.
Clearly, as the season goes on, we will be able to collect more information and make our choices under more favorable conditions.
With all the above in mind, for the premiere we will outline our options briefly. As we go, we will surely have the time and space to talk more analytically!
If conditions require it, we may also have an update between the two days of each round, so that we are as competitive as possible.
Let me also inform you that there will be rounds where our suggestions will be presented in a strictly concise manner due to time pressure (e.g., the well-known “double weeks”). This does not mean those suggestions will be “random”; I think veteran readers know this well!
So, for Round 1, we will go with (I estimate) low-risk choices, and the “captain’s armband” will go to the following players:
Nikola Mirotic of Monaco,
Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos,
Wade Baldwin of Fenerbahce, and
Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos.
The selection of the above was made mainly due to their teams’ image so far in preseason and first official games, as well as due to their recognized quality and their impact on their teams’ play. Finally, the opponents’ current form and certain roster issues also played a role in our final decision.
For those who want to move out of the box, to less “classic” and safe names, an interesting option may prove to be Dzanan Musa of first-time participant Dubai, while the case of Antonio Blakeney of Hapoel, also a rookie to the competition, is intriguing.
That’s it for the start. Have a great beginning—both for Euroleague and for Fantasy—and good luck with your choices, whatever they may be.
Through this column, as well as generally on BasketStories.net, we will try every gameweek to provide as much information and as many suggestions as possible for Fantasy players, so that, on the one hand, they enjoy the game and, on the other, they are competitive—since the winners’ prizes are anything but negligible, both from Euroleague Fantasy and from BasketStories.
The new Euroleague season is awaited with great interest, since this summer again there was a significant number of player and coach moves, resulting in many teams strengthening with faces that have been starring for years on the competition’s courts.
Several teams, then, will appear with a very changed look. There are, of course, some that kept their core. This year we are especially looking forward to the appearance of new participants in the competition: EuroCup winner Hapoel and Dubai. Let us also note the increase in the number of teams to 20, which automatically increases the number of regular-season rounds.
All of the above compose a very promising mosaic for this year, which is expected to bring great competition and many thrills for all of us—both on the competition’s courts and on the Fantasy “front,” which is preparing for its 22nd season!
The Fantasy organizers have prepared some additions/changes again this year which, according to their thinking, will make the game even more competitive and interesting. Those of us who have been involved with Fantasy for years, however, rather disagree, as we see the game moving away year by year from its original philosophy. Our main objection is that the “philosophy” of building teams and the long-term calculation of player value is undermined by the frequent and total changes the game allows. In fact, this year, due to the increase in the number of teams, we will have one additional gameweek of unlimited changes!
I understand that those in charge of the game tried to find a way to keep the majority of players warm and engaged throughout the season. The model they pushed last year and continue this year, however, completely alters the very logic of Fantasy, which—let’s not kid ourselves—is advertised as a manager game.
I do understand there may be a rationale to prevent the “gap” between the Fantasy standings leaders and those who perhaps made some unfortunate choices in the first rounds from opening too quickly, so they don’t lose interest and quit early. But whom do you reward and whom do you “punish” this way? In other words, someone who dedicates time and effort to build their squad and chooses players with the best prospects—how is that rewarded by the game? At least regarding this column’s subject—i.e., the captain’s score—it seems the game’s managers realized last year’s “misstep,” and this year they restored the bonus of doubling the captain’s performance…
It’s reasonable, then, for someone to wonder why we continue to deal with Fantasy! The answer may lie in the love all contributors at BasketStories.net have for basketball.
Perhaps also in the fact that for many years now the audience’s response to our writing has been great and constantly growing. Maybe this interactive experience intrigues us to keep going, even though involvement with the game acquires more and more traits of… masochistic tendencies each year!
As for this column’s “front,” the selection of team “captains” in Fantasy, the interest still exists and returns to where it belongs! Surely, besides the veteran players, we also have newcomers who will be engaging with Fantasy for the first time. So let’s say some useful things to the “new” players (and remind some things to the “old” ones)!
As mentioned, the “captain” will be scored with a total equal to the ranking he achieves in the game multiplied by 2. The presence in the game of “Game Turns” and the internal changes allowed between matchdays within the same round gives Fantasy players the chance to “correct” the initial captain pick—either aiming to improve their score after a “bad” choice on the first matchday, or chasing something extra on the second day.
Here, clearly, a fair amount of risk assessment is needed from game lovers, both before each round begins and in between. It also requires consistent monitoring and engagement with the game, readiness, and composure so that our choices, over time, prove beneficial in terms of points.
The goal each gameweek must be that the captain choices lead us to win/win situations, but caution and prudence are needed because there is always the risk that our “corrective” move destroys us…
The basic elements we take into account in this column concern how we try to approach the games in order to end up with our captain suggestions—that is, factors that guide us—and we can roughly divide them into general and specific.
In the general factors we consider a player’s quality/value, the competition he has on his team, his consistency in performance, and his overall effectiveness at home compared to away (sometimes… the reverse!).
In the specific factors we look for the player’s form, the ease/difficulty of his team’s upcoming game, and the possible personal opponents he will be called to face. We could also take into consideration the motivation, which may be increased or decreased—especially toward the last rounds or in games between teams with friendly relations or intense rivalries.
Surely, choosing a quality player, with heavy minutes on his team, with consistent performances, and in a theoretically favorable game, is the ideal captain choice for our Fantasy team. How often will we have such choices? Surely, as the game progresses, the pool of candidates will fill up.
Something we must not forget, of course, is personal instinct, which in many cases can prove more decisive than “blind” obedience to the criteria we mentioned above. We should also note that our goal is not to find the MVP of each round, but to improve our team’s score by choosing as captain a player who will deliver a high ranking compared to the rest of our ten.
Here we will usually refer to a few names that we propose to occupy the captain’s spot, trying to cover as wide a range as possible of the Fantasy players’… financial capabilities!
Clearly, the above is binding for no one; it constitutes, however, a relatively safe and sensible way to approach things, so that each round we improve our performance and our team’s budget.
The “old” and experienced players know the game’s data and demands. For the “rookies,” however, the BasketStories advice and directions will surely be more than useful! Already, there is an excellent approach to the game’s data for this season in the first general articles. Also, don’t forget that the extremely detailed and always up-to-date team & player statistics you can find in the BasketStories Data Center tables are very important for your “study” and your final decisions.
As every year, so this year too, for Round 1 our data is certainly limited, and our approach will clearly go toward moves with the smallest possible risk. So far, the information we can use comes mainly from preseason games, various countries’ super cups, and at most one or two league games where those have started.
Clearly, as the season goes on, we will be able to collect more information and make our choices under more favorable conditions.
With all the above in mind, for the premiere we will outline our options briefly. As we go, we will surely have the time and space to talk more analytically!
If conditions require it, we may also have an update between the two days of each round, so that we are as competitive as possible.
Let me also inform you that there will be rounds where our suggestions will be presented in a strictly concise manner due to time pressure (e.g., the well-known “double weeks”). This does not mean those suggestions will be “random”; I think veteran readers know this well!
So, for Round 1, we will go with (I estimate) low-risk choices, and the “captain’s armband” will go to the following players:
Nikola Mirotic of Monaco,
Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos,
Wade Baldwin of Fenerbahce, and
Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos.
The selection of the above was made mainly due to their teams’ image so far in preseason and first official games, as well as due to their recognized quality and their impact on their teams’ play. Finally, the opponents’ current form and certain roster issues also played a role in our final decision.
For those who want to move out of the box, to less “classic” and safe names, an interesting option may prove to be Dzanan Musa of first-time participant Dubai, while the case of Antonio Blakeney of Hapoel, also a rookie to the competition, is intriguing.
That’s it for the start. Have a great beginning—both for Euroleague and for Fantasy—and good luck with your choices, whatever they may be.
