3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 1/22/19
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?
De'Aaron Fox, PG, Sacramento Kings
FanDuel Price: $8,000
De'Aaron Fox is enjoying a breakout sophomore season, averaging 17.4 points and 7.3 assists per game. Over the last week-plus, though, the Sacramento Kings' guard has been in a bit of a slump.
In four of his last six games, Fox has scored 14 or fewer real-world points while shooting 36.6% from the field. His usage rate of 25.0% from the first half of the season (41 games) has taken hit, dropping to 23.1% since January 10. The reduced workload and shooting woes have limited Fox to 31 or fewer FanDuel points in three of the last six games. Facing a Toronto Raptors squad with Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard both expected to be in the starting lineup on Tuesday, Fox’s downturn is likely to continue.
The Raptors own a top-nine defensive rating (107.0) and have held four of their last seven opponents to under 105 points. Toronto is also limiting point guards to 0.88 FanDuel points per minute, the seventh-lowest rate in the NBA this season. That includes holding Fox to just 22.2 FanDuel points in 36 minutes when the Kings and Raps played back in November. Not coincidentally, Lowry and Leonard each started in that game.
Serge Ibaka, PF, Toronto Raptors
FanDuel Price: $6,700
Serge Ibaka’s matchup with the Kings on Tuesday -- even with the blowout potential -- is one to target. So why stay away from him on a four-game DFS slate? The big man has trouble racking up FanDuel points in recent games, especially when Kawhi Leonard is in the starting lineup.
In 11 games without Kawhi this season, Ibaka has been a beast, averaging 35.7 FanDuel points per night, making it easy to justify his $6,700 price tag. However, with Leonard playing, the big fantasy nights haven't been there as he's posted an average of 28.0 FanDuel points in the 33 games they have played together. That includes an average of 28.9 the last two games, both with Leonard sitting out.
In fact, over his last five games, Ibaka has failed to surpass 27.0 FanDuel points three times as he has averaged a modest line of 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game in that span. That is not a bad line for most, but with a price tag of $6,700 on a limited slate, we should expect more.
Andrew Wiggins, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves
FanDuel Price: $6,100
Andrew Wiggins' scoring production has left a lot to be desired over the last five games, with the Minnesota Timberwolves' wing posting 18 or fewer real-world points in all five games, including a dismal 10 points on 3-for-14 shooting his previous time out. In that game, he finished with 15.2 FanDuel points, his fourth straight game with 26 or fewer FanDuel points.
With over 60% of his fantasy points coming from scoring -- due to his lack of contributions in other counting stats -- Wiggins will continue to struggle in DFS with his shot off and Derrick Rose around soaking up the backcourt scoring.
Making matters worse for Wiggins' fortunes on Tuesday is a rematch with the Phoenix Suns, who held him to his lowest scoring output in nearly two months on Sunday. The Suns also surrendered just 25.7 FanDuel points to Wiggins back in their December 15th meeting. Despite a struggling defense -- 113.8 defensive rating over their last 10 games -- the Suns have held their own against shooting guards, limiting the position to 0.81 FanDuel points per minute, the third-lowest rate in the NBA.
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.
