NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 4/5/17

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Apr 5th, 2017
Cody Zeller has been playing well, but he has a difficult matchup against Hassan Whiteside and the Heat. Who else should you avoid in NBA DFS on Wednesday?

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.

Chris Paul, PG, Los Angeles Clippers

FanDuel Price: $9,500

Based on price alone, you have to at the very least question whether Chris Paul has the ability to get the 45-plus FanDuel points you need from him to reach value tonight -- our models project him to post 40.1 FanDuel points.

In addition to that, based on some of his performances against the Dallas Mavericks, it might be wise to lay off the Los Angeles Clippers' point guard tonight. Over his last nine games against the Mavs, dating back over the last three seasons, Paul is averaging just 35.5 FanDuel points per game.

It's not just Paul who has trouble with the Mavericks. Dallas has been the best team this season at slowing down opposing point guards, limiting them to just 0.79 FanDuel points per minute.

All this adds up to Paul being a player to avoid tonight.

Cody Zeller, C, Charlotte Hornets

FanDuel Price: $4,900

Cody Zeller has been playing strong minutes for the Charlotte Hornets as they fight to try to make the playoffs. He has been a nice cash-game option overall since coming back from injury, averaging 26.1 FanDuel points per game over his last 10. However, he has posted a few duds during that stretch, and he may be susceptible to a poor stat line tonight against Hassan Whiteside.

This is going to be a hotly-contested game between the Hornets and Miami Heat. Both teams trail the Indiana Pacers for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, and a win tonight would really help the either team's playoff odds. Because of this, this contest will likely be treated like a playoff game, with key guys like Whiteside possibly logging more minutes than usual.

The Heat are holding opposing centers to 0.95 FanDuel points per minute this year, and Whiteside is a huge part of that. He is limiting players he defends to 46.0% shooting overall and 48.2% shooting within 10 feet of the basket. All this makes Zeller a potential landmine.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Detroit Pistons

FanDuel Price: $4,600

Another game with big playoff implications is the clash between the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors. Detroit is in must-win mode at home tonight as their playoff odds are dwindling.

Despite the extra incentive, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is tough to trust tonight. He has really struggled with his shot lately, and he hasn't fared well in his previous matchups with DeMar DeRozan. In his career, Caldwell-Pope has a 43.6% shooting mark in 10 games against DeRozan, and it's been even worse lately, with Caldwell-Pope shooting 14 for 44 in his last three against the Raptors' two guard.

As a squad, the Raptors are holding shooting guards to just 0.71 FanDuel points per minute this season. This makes Caldwell-Pope a difficult player to target tonight, especially since he shot only 37.8% during the month of March.