NBA

3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 1/23/19

Dale Redman  —  @DTRedman Jan 23rd, 2019
Coming off an injury and likely facing limited minutes, Ricky Rubio in is in a tough spot on Wednesday night. Who else makes our 'do not play' list in DFS?

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?

Lou Williams, SG, Los Angeles Clippers

FanDuel Price: $6,500

After missing a pair of games with a hamstring injury, Louis Williams was in action on Tuesday, racking up 23.5 moderately productive minutes against the Dallas Mavericks. The Los Angeles Clippers' guard was a bit rusty, hitting just 5-of-16 shots for 15 points. He ended the night with only 20.2 FanDuel points. The performance was his third game out of his last five with 25 or fewer FanDuel points.

While Williams was on a minutes limit, he typically does not log heavy court time as he is averaging just 25.5 minutes per game. It is unclear if the guard will still be restricted on the second half of a back-to-back against the Miami Heat. What is clear though, is that he will have a difficult time scoring points against a stout Heat defense.

Miami ranks sixth in the NBA with a 106.3 defensive rating. They hold opponents to 44.0 % shooting from the floor, the second-lowest rate in the league. The Heat give up just 15.8 points per game and have limited 13 of their last 18 opponents to 106 or fewer points. Shooting guards specifically have struggled, averaging only 0.83 FanDuel points per minute against Miami, the seventh-lowest rate in the league this season.

Ricky Rubio, PG, Utah Jazz

FanDuel Price: $6,300

Wednesday will be Ricky Rubio’s second game back after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury. In his return on Monday, the Utah Jazz guard came off the bench and played just 13.6 minutes. Rubio did well, finishing with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal for 16.4 FanDuel points. Despite his impressive efficiency, we care more about volume in DFS. Rubio is likely to remain on a minutes limit (even if he starts) versus the Denver Nuggets tonight. The uncertainty on playing time alone makes us wary of playing the Spaniard, but add in an unfavorable matchup against the Nuggets and its best to stay away.

Over their last seven games, the Nuggets have tightened up on the defensive end of the floor, limiting five of their opponents to 105 or fewer points. Denver has also been playing at the slowest pace in the NBA during January, leaving helping make up for some of their shortcomings defensively. The over/under of 216.0 is one of the lower totals on the 10-game slate as well.

If that wasn’t enough to scare you away from Rubio, this will, the Nuggets surrender the fourth-lowest fantasy points to point guards, just 0.86 FanDuel points per minute.

Paul Millsap, PF, Denver Nuggets

FanDuel Price: $5,500

Paul Millsap is coming off a pair of solid performances in which he averaged 28.1 FanDuel points a night. Against two of the worst teams in the NBA -- the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers -- Millsap dominated down low, averaging 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in only 24.2 minutes per game. However, in the previous two games -- against much stiffer competition in the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers -- the Nuggets forward averaged just 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in the same amount of time on the floor. He finished with fewer than 20 FanDuel points both nights -- 19.6 and 16.2 respectively. With a trip to Utah to face the Jazz on tap for Wednesday, Millsap will find it hard to replicate his efficient performances versus the Bulls and Cavs.

Over the last 10 games, the Jazz have been the best defense in the NBA, allowing a league-low 101.1 points per game while carrying a league-best 100.7 defensive rating. Utah also owns the third-best rebound percentage (53.6%) while limiting opponents to 42.6% shooting from the field, the second-lowest mark in the league. Overall, power forwards score the seventh-fewest fantasy points per minute against Utah, likely making this a long night for Millsap.

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.