NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 1/13/17

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Jan 13th, 2017
Andre Drummond is coming off a back-to-back and has to face one of the league's best defenders in Rudy Gobert, which isn't exactly a recipe for success.

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 in your DFS NBA lineups, but what about 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. After all, it only takes one player to sink a lineup. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference from winning or losing your contests.

Andre Drummond, C, Detroit Pistons

FanDuel Price: $7,200

Andre Drummond was a big disappointment on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors, but even with FanDuel lowering his price a full $1,000, he still might be worth avoiding tonight.

The Detroit Pistons will play the Utah Jazz, and Drummond will be matched up against Rudy Gobert, who has been making a case for Defensive Player of the Year. He is one of the biggest reasons Utah is firmly in the playoff hunt, holding players he defends to just 40.8% shooting and 46.7% shooting within six feet from the basket.

Gobert's strong defense has helped the Jazz hold opposing centers to just 0.88 FanDuel points per minute. Drummond's price drop makes him a good tournament play, but this being the second game of a back-to-back along with a bad matchup makes him someone to avoid in cash games.

Goran Dragic, PG, Miami Heat

FanDuel Price: $6,700

Goran Dragic and the Miami Heat have a tough one on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks. While Dragic may not have to defend Giannis Antetokounmpo, who should make his return tonight, Antetokounmpo might take some turns trying to slow down Dragic.

If that's the case, it's going to be very hard for him to reach value. The Bucks are holding opposing point guards to 0.82 FanDuel points per minute and after an underwhelming performance against the Bucks in their first meeting, Dragic is due for another dud.

Even if Malcolm Brogdon is defending the Miami point guard, he's stil a landmine. The rookie is holding players he defends to just 43.5% shooting from the field, including 31.7% from deep.

Montrezl Harrell, C, Houston Rockets

FanDuel Price: $5,200

Montrezl Harrell has been a fine value play with Clint Capela injured, but with a FanDuel price above $5,000, he is no longer considered a "value."

He should be avoided completely on Friday since the Houston Rockets are facing the Memphis Grizzlies, who have limited opposing centers to 0.85 FanDuel points per minute.

With Nene Hilario eating up minutes that would usually make Harrell a fine play, it's hard to trust an undersized center in a timeshare against one of the league's best defensive teams.