NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 2/24/16

Finding players you want to roster is a lot easier than finding players to avoid. Here are three players based on their price and matchups that could be landmines for your rosters tonight.

Finding players you want to roster is a lot easier than finding players to avoid. Here are three players based on their price and matchups that could be landmines for your rosters tonight.

You can find a ton of great information and research on guys you might want to include in your DFS NBA lineups tonight, 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.

With a large slate of NBA games on tonight, searching for the landmines could mean the difference from winning or losing your contests.

DeMarcus Cousins, C, Sacramento Kings

FanDuel Price: $10,900

One of the big name players on tonight’s slate is DeMarcus Cousins, who comes into this game after scoring an average of nearly 58 FanDuel points over his last three games. However, with a tough matchup against the Spurs awaiting Cousins, as well as coming off the back-to-back, it may be wise to lay off the Kings’ big man tonight for better options.

Cousins has never had much success against the Spurs throughout his career. He is averaging only 37.4 FanDuel points in his last four meetings with the Spurs, and outside of one game over two years ago where he had 29 points and 14 rebounds, Cousins has failed to reach 40 FanDuel points in eight of his last nine meetings with the Spurs.

With Tim Duncan back in the lineup for San Antonio, he and the rest of the Spurs defense might do enough to limit Cousins enough to make him a landmine tonight. Duncan is limiting his opponents to only 41.6 percent from the floor this season, and in his last four games against Duncan and the Spurs, Cousins is shooting below 40 percent from the floor.

The back-to-back really hurts Cousins tonight as well. Outside of a big game against the Hawks, who rank 21st against centers, and a game against the Jazz where they were missing their entire frontcourt, Cousins has not performed well on back-to-backs this season. Cousins has scored fewer than 60 combined FanDuel points in his last two games on no rest, and with the tough matchup in front of him tonight, it might be wise to spend salary elsewhere.

Taj Gibson, PF, Chicago Bulls

FanDuel Price: $5,000

Taj Gibson was supposed to come into the Bulls' starting lineup after injuries to Nikola Mirotic  and Joakim Noah and pick up where he normally does when he starts. However, for some reason, Gibson has not been as effective this season as a starter as he was in seasons past. Tonight, Gibson and the Bulls are playing host to the Wizards, and while Washington is not the greatest defensive team, they have been stingy this season when it comes to giving up points to power forwards,

Washington ranks as the 10th best team in defending power forwards this season, giving up 0.86 FanDuel points per minute. On top of that, Gibson has been splitting time with Bobby Portis at power forward recently and has only averaged 27 minutes per game in his last six games. Portis, on the other hand, has been averaging about 24 minutes per game during that same stretch and, in fewer minutes, has been out producing Gibson over the last six games. Gibson is on pace to have some of his worst averages in points per game and free throw shooting since 2011-12, and if this is the new normal for Gibson, it may be wise to avoid him in daily fantasy tonight.

D’Angelo Russell, PG, Los Angeles Lakers

FanDuel Price: $4,900

D'Angelo Russell has finally been in the starting lineup for the Lakers over the last few games, and after a tough start to his NBA career, the Lakers’ rookie has shown flashes of why the purple and gold took him with the second overall pick. While he still has a lot to work on, Russell has shown he is capable of running the Lakers’ offense well, but tonight against the Grizzlies and Mike Conley, the rookie may not be the best option in daily fantasy hoops.

For starters, the Grizzlies play at a pace of only 93 possessions per 48 minutes, which should really slow down the Lakers offense tonight and limit their chances to get shots off on offense. On top of that, Memphis ranks as the sixth best team defending point guards this season. In their prior meeting, Russell had 13.5 FanDuel points in 24 minutes. Even at his price point tonight -- and even if he starts -- Russell may be a good player to fade tonight, or at the very least limit your exposure to. His price is very fair, but his landmine risk is greater than value of his bargain price.