NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 11/28/16

Karl-Anthony Towns and Minnesota draw a slow, tough matchup against the Jazz. Who else should you avoid?

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 tonight in your DFS NBA lineups, 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. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference from winning or losing your contests.

Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves

FanDuel Price: $8,600

Karl-Anthony Towns has put up some impressive performances as of late, but a deeper look into his recent game log tells us he was doing it against either fast-paced or poor defensive teams. Towns' last four games have come against teams that either rank in the bottom 12 in defensive rating or the top 10 in pace. Now he gets neither of those things against the Utah Jazz.

Utah is averaging a league-low 91.5 possessions per game, and the Minnesota Timberwolves aren't far behind at 95.7. If this game turns into a halfcourt battle with Towns going up against Rudy Gobert all night, it could be hard for Towns to get back to the 40 FanDuel point threshold.

Gobert and the Jazz are allowing opposing centers only 0.92 FanDuel points per minute, and Gobert is holding players he defends to just 40.6% shooting overall and 47.1% shooting from within six feet.

Cody Zeller, C, Charlotte Hornets

FanDuel Price: $4,800

Another big man who may be in for some regression from his recent play is Cody Zeller. The big man has played well over his last two games, but the logjam in the Charlotte Hornets' frontcourt limits his upside tonight.

Zeller only played 23 and 25 minutes, respectively, in his last two games against the New York Knicks, but New York is also allowing the 10th-most FanDuel points to centers this season, while the Memphis Grizzlies are allowing the fewest.

Marc Gasol and company are giving up only 0.84 FanDuel points per minute to centers this season, and with their slower pace and solid defense allowing only 102.3 points per 100 possessions, I could see Zeller dropping back under 20 FanDuel points tonight if he only receives minutes in the low 20s again.

Gerald Henderson, SG, Philadelphia 76ers

FanDuel Price: $3,900

Gerald Henderson is coming off one of his better games of the season against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that is just another reason why he may be a landmine tonight. If he starts, Henderson is going to have to go up against a bigger and more athletic DeMar DeRozan, which could set him up for trouble in a number of ways.

The biggest has been the Toronto Raptors' defense against shooting guards, allowing 0.68 FanDuel points per minute to the position.

DeRozan is by no means a strong defender, but the Raptors' swingman is holding players he defends to just 31.3% shooting from beyond the arc and 34.6% shooting from outside 15 feet. Henderson isn't going to get by DeRozan at this stage of his career, so even at a cheap price and coming off a strong game, leave him off your rosters tonight even if you need a value guard.