NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 1/9/17

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Jan 9th, 2017
Wesley Matthews has been in a huge slump lately, and it won't get any easier on Monday against Zach LaVine and the Timberwolves.

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 only takes one player to sink a lineup. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference from winning or losing your contests.

Wesley Matthews, SG, Dallas Mavericks

FanDuel Price: $5,200

Wesley Matthews has one of the lowest FanDuel points per minute averages (0.67) of any player in the league. For a guy playing in almost 36 minutes per game, that's not something we can get excited about.

He now has to face off against a younger, much more athletic and solid defender in Zach LaVine on Monday. The Minnesota Timberwolves' high-flying two-guard has been strong on defense this season, leaving a tough matchup for Matthews to deal with.

LaVine and the Wolves are holding opposing shooting guards to just 0.75 FanDuel points per minute, and with Matthews already toward the bottom in this department, it's best to avoid him -- especially since he's on a cold streak that's included three straight games of less than 20 FanDuel points.

Joakim Noah, C, New York Knicks

FanDuel Price: $4,900

The last time the New York Knicks played the New Orleans Pelicans, Joakim Noah collected three fouls in 16 minutes and was a huge disappointment for DFS players.

Now that Anthony Davis is starting at center, Noah should be a player to avoid on Monday's short slate of NBA games. Considering Davis is holding players he defends to just 41.2% shooting from the floor and 49.2% shooting within 10 feet from the basket, Noah is a landmine waiting to happen.

Robin Lopez, C, Chicago Bulls

FanDuel Price: $4,200

From a former Chicago Bulls center to the current one, Robin Lopez is also boasting some landmine qualities against Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Adams has been making life miserable for opposing centers this season, as the Thunder are holding centers to just 0.91 FanDuel points per minute. With Lopez's minutes decreasing, it's a good time to fade the Bulls' big man.

Lopez has only seen more than 30 minutes of burn once in his last five games, and if he isn't getting the playing time, he needs to be avoided against Oklahoma City's tough interior defense, despite such a cheap price.