3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 11/26/18
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 takes only one player to sink a lineup. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference between winning and losing your contests. Which players should we avoid tonight?
Andrew Wiggins, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves
FanDuel Price: $6,500
Andrew Wiggins is in one nasty shooting funk. Over his last four games, the Minnesota Timberwolves' wingman is making just 27.1% (16-for-59) of his field goal attempts and 17.6% (3-for-17) of his three-point shots. That includes a horrific 0-for-12 performance against the soft Chicago Bulls defense on Saturday. During the slump, Wiggins is averaging just 9.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 31.7 minutes, for only 14.1 FanDuel points per game. Facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday may seem like a get right matchup for Wiggins, but the Cavs have picked up their defense in the last few weeks.
In their last nine games, Cleveland has limited opponents to 105.1 points per game and 32.2% shooting from three -- both top-seven marks in the league. They are also running at the third-slowest pace in the league, which will limit Wiggins’ opportunities on Monday. He also plays a good chunk of his minutes at small forward, where Cleveland has given up just 0.82 FanDuel points per minute.
Wendell Carter Jr, PF, Chicago Bulls
FanDuel Price: $6,500
With the Chicago Bulls scoring just 99.6 points per game in their last 10 contests and carrying a slate-low 103.5 implied points on Monday, they are a team to avoid on Monday. The first player on their roster we are staying away from in fantasy is Wendell Carter Jr.
The rookie big man has been an unreliable DFS weapon lately, posting just one game with more than 24 FanDuel points in his last six contests. Carter has been limited by foul trouble -- playing fewer than 22 minutes in two of his last three games. He is averaging an uninspiring 10.5 points, 5,5 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks since November 14. Squaring off with LaMarcus Aldridge of the San Antonio Spurs on Monday will not help Carter’s line either.
The Spurs’ center is holding opponents to less than 44.8% shooting on shots less than 10’ away from the basket, over 11 percentage points lower than expected. He also holds a top-15 offensive rebound percentage (11.2%), limiting Carter’s chances for boards and fantasy production on Monday.
Nicolas Batum, SF, Charlotte Hornets
FanDuel Price: $5,100
Nicolas Batum has been a fantasy disappointment this season (with 24.0 FanDuel points per game), but in recent weeks, his struggles have gotten worse.
In his last nine games, Batum has posted 20 or fewer FanDuel points in five games, while eclipsing 22.3 just twice. He is averaging 19.6 FanDuel points per game since November 6, making him unsuable in DFS. During the stretch, the Charlotte Hornets' small forward is posting an average line of 8.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while being limited to just a 14.5% usage rate in 27.7 minutes. That’s a far cry from his line of 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists the past three seasons. Facing the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday won’t likely give him the boost needed to turn his season around.
Milwaukee has held opposing small forwards to 0.79 FanDuel points per minute, the fifth-lowest rate in the league this year. Overall, the defense of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Company have the Bucks posting a top-six defensive rating (104.9) and limit opponents to 43.8% shooting, the second lowest accuracy this season.
Dale Redman is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
