3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 2/23/17
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.
Jrue Holiday, PG, New Orleans Pelicans
FanDuel Price: $8,100
The acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins will do a lot of things to the New Orleans Pelicans -- a lot of which we don't know yet.
Cousins had a usage rate of 37.5% with the Sacramento Kings, while Anthony Davis' is at 32.5% so far this season. While both of these numbers stand to drop since they'll be playing together, Jrue Holiday's usage rate (24.6% so far this year) may take the biggest hit with Cousins taking so many shots.
With a price tag over $8,000, the point guard will have to get cheaper before becoming a viable DFS option again.
Making matters worse, tonight isn't a great matchup for him anyway. According to our DvP Matchup Chart, the Houston Rockets and Patrick Beverley are holding opposing point guards to 0.87 FanDuel points per minute. Holiday is averaging just over one FanDuel point per minute this season, but given the matchup and situation, he should be avoided until we see how the offense gets distributed.
Nicolas Batum, SG, Charlotte Hornets
FanDuel Price: $7,200
The Charlotte Hornets really struggled down the final stretch before the All-Star break, so hopefully they got enough rest in order to try reviving their playoff hopes. However, Nicolas Batum has one of the night's tougher matchups against the Detroit Pistons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Batum and Caldwell-Pope have played nine career games against one another, and while Batum has a couple of big games against the young swingman, he has struggled overall with his shot. In those nine games, Batum is averaging just 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and shooting just 34.7% from the floor.
Caldwell-Pope and the Pistons are holding opposing shooting guards to just 0.75 FanDuel points per minute this season. Considering Detroit has an overall defensive rating of 101.4 at home this year, it's a good opportunity to fade the Hornets altogether.
Kyle O'Quinn, C, New York Knicks
FanDuel Price: $4,300
Kyle O'Quinn has been one of the better per-minute fantasy options this season when Joakim Noah is sidelined. Since Noah is out again on Thursday, he stands to get a bump.
However, Guillermo Hernangomez is going to start and likely the better DFS option against the Cleveland Cavaliers. O'Quinn still has value, but he will also be seeing a lot of Tristan Thompson, which isn't great for him.
The last time the New York Knicks and O'Quinn were in this spot before the All-Star Break, O'Quinn came off the bench and was somewhat ineffective in just 12 minutes. Given their situation, it makes sense for New York to give Hernangomez more minutes, but that will hurt O'Quinn's fantasy appeal on Thursday.
