3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 11/15/16
In daily fantasy basketball, finding players you want to roster is a lot easier than finding players to avoid.
You can find a ton of great information and research on guys you might want to include tonight in your DFS NBA lineups, but what about some guys you may want to lessen your exposure to, or even fade altogether?
Avoiding players whose matchups or situations aren't as great as they seem can often be just as important as finding the best targets each night. After all, it takes only one player to sink a lineup. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference from winning or losing your contests.
Hassan Whiteside, C, Miami Heat
FanDuel Price: $8,500
With the Miami Heat dealing with Goran Dragic's injury, Hassan Whiteside has had to step up more offensively than he has at any time in his career. For the most part, he is answering the call. The Miami big man has been great as an NBA DFS option, and he has improved his free-throw shooting for his yearly fantasy owners too.
However, a few things are working against him on Tuesday's short slate. The biggest is his matchup against the resurgent Dwight Howard. Coming home has apparently lit the fire inside Howard for defense and playing hard, because he has the Atlanta Hawks looking like they did two years ago on defense.
Howard is holding players he defends to only 40.7% shooting from the floor and an incredible 45.2% from inside of six feet from the basket. This has led the Hawks to being the third-best defensive team against centers this season, allowing only 0.83 FanDuel points per minute to the position.
Whiteside has dominated opposing centers this season that are good defensively, so this isn't a lock by any means. However, the two games Whiteside has failed to reach 30 FanDuel points this season were against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Sacramento Kings, two teams that rank in the top eight teams in FanDuel points allowed to centers. Whiteside might have a lower floor than most nights, especially if he gets into foul trouble against Howard.
Justise Winslow, SF, Miami Heat
FanDuel Price: $5,000
The Hawks have been fantastic on defense so far this season, posting the league's second-best defensive rating of 98.7 points allowed per 100 possessions. While they have been good at defending centers, Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha have helped the Hawks to be pretty good defensively on the wing, as well.
Justise Winslow has been improving recently. But with his price tag up to $5,000 and his recent admittance that he is playing through a bruised wrist on his shooting hand, it's a tough night to target him.
The Hawks are holding small forwards to only 0.75 FanDuel points per minute this season. Bazemore is also holding players he defends to just 40.7% shooting from the floor, so lay off Winslow tonight against a rested Hawks team.
Patrick Patterson, PF, Toronto Raptors
FanDuel Price: $4,000
With all the injuries to the Toronto Raptors big men, Patrick Patterson has been forced to play big minutes in the Raptors' frontcourt. He has done well, too, averaging over 20 FanDuel points per game in his last four games. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been sneakily good against power forwards this season, and Kevin Love is actually a big reason why.
Love got labeled as a poor defensive player early in his career, and that stigma has stayed with him. However, the Cavs are the top-ranked team against power forwards this season, allowing only 0.75 FanDuel points per minute.
Love by himself has been a strong defender so far this season, as well. He is holding players he defends to only 42.4% shooting from the floor and 45.2% from inside the arc. The tough matchup and caps Patterson's ceiling.
