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.
Marcus Morris, SF, Detroit Pistons
FanDuel Price: $6,100
Last night, the Detroit Pistons were destroyed by the Indiana Pacers, and now on no rest they have to travel back to Detroit where the Cleveland Cavaliers are rested and waiting.
That is going to spell bad news for the Pistons' defense, and it could hurt the overall fantasy value of their guys, as well. Detroit has a 105.75-point implied total tonight, and no one has a tougher matchup than Marcus Morris.
Morris will almost certainly be matched up with a rested LeBron James, and in the past that has not been good for Morris' fantasy value. In their 15 career meetings against one another, both in the regular season and playoffs, Morris has only eclipsed 25 FanDuel points once. With his price pretty high, he is certainly a landmine candidate tonight against one of the game's best.
Steven Adams, C, Oklahoma City Thunder
FanDuel Price: $5,200
With Dewayne Dedmon on the court this season, the San Antonio Spurs' opponents have an offensive rating of just 98.2 points per 100 possessions. Dedmon is tied with Rudy Gobert and Andre Drummond with a league-leading defensive rating of 98, and tonight Steven Adams will run head first into the Spurs' defensive wall.
Dedmon is holding players he defends to just 39.9% shooting overall and just 42.7% shooting within 10 feet from the basket this season. Plus, as a team, the Spurs are holding centers to just 0.86 FanDuel points per minute.
With several centers owning better matchups, don't force the issue by rostering Adams against one of the league's best defenders.
David Lee, PF, San Antonio Spurs
FanDuel Price: $4,500
Last night, David Lee went off against the Sacramento Kings with 18 points and 10 rebounds. However, the Spurs were resting both Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, which made Lee's minutes skyrocket.
Both of those guys should be back in uniform tonight as the Spurs take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Lee should see his playing time regress back down to his normal sub-20 minutes. This makes Lee a landmine tonight simply for those who are trying to chase points.
In addition to likely seeing less run, Lee is facing a tough matchup tonight. The Thunder are holding opposing power forwards to just 0.84 FanDuel points per minute this year, and Lee will likely have to square off a lot against Taj Gibson.