3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 10/31/18
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 takes only one player to sink a lineup. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference between winning and losing your contests. Which players should we avoid tonight?
Tim Hardaway Jr., SG, New York Knicks
FanDuel Price: $7,000
Tim Hardaway Jr. started the year hot, averaging over 40 FanDuel points per game. Over the last week-plus though, the New York Knicks' guard has cooled off, posting sub-30-point FanDuel point performances in three of four games. While his scoring average remains solid (24.4 points per game), Hardaway hasn't brought much else to the table this season. He has just one steal in his last four games and has posted three or fewer rebounds in five of seven games this season. Facing the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, points may be hard to come by, limiting the younger Hardaway's usefulness in DFS.
The Pacers have been grinding out wins this season, running out the slowest pace in the NBA. Their defense has been on point, allowing the third-fewest points per game this season as opponents shoot just 43.2% from the field, well below the league average of 45.7%. Victor Oladipo has helped shut down opposing backcourts too, holding those he defended to a 42.3% field goal percentage. He held top-five scoring leader DeMar DeRozan in check, limiting him to a season-low 18 points last Wednesday.
Jarrett Allen, C, Brooklyn Nets
FanDuel Price: $6,600
Another player who started the season on fire, Jarrett Allen, has taken a step back recently, especially on offense. The Brooklyn Nets' center posted consecutive 15-plus point double-doubles to start the season but has averaged just 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in his last five times out. If not for his 1.6 blocks per game during the last 11 days, Allen would have been a total bust in DFS. The big man is coming off a 24.7 FanDuel point night and is facing a stiff challenge on Wednesday in the Detroit Pistons.
Thanks to center Andre Drummond's rebounding prowess -- 15.2 per game -- the Pistons are a top-five rebounding team (52.8% rebound rate) this season. With Drummond cleaning up the glass, opposing centers have been struggling to rack up fantasy points, averaging the fourth-lowest FanDuel points per minute (1.1) of any team on Wednesday's slate. Allen, who played just 20 minutes his last time, is not worth a play, especially with the wealth of center options on Halloween.
Lonzo Ball, PG, Los Angeles Lakers
FanDuel Price: $6,100
With Rajon Rondo back from suspension the last two games, Lonzo Ball has been a disaster in DFS. Despite remaining in the starting lineup, Ball has seen fewer minutes than Rondo -- 25.3 to 30.5 per game -- and has seen his shot making ability regress. The second-year guard was shooting 48.9% from the field in his first five games but has connected on only 4-of-14 (28.6%) shots for 5.0 points per game since. Ball didn't add much else to his stat line either as he collected just three rebounds and four assists total against the Spurs and Timberwolves for an average of 7.8 FanDuel points. The struggles of Ball could lead to a demotion on Wednesday as the Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks.
For what it's worth, the Mavs are holding opposing point guards in check so far this season, allowing just 0.86 FanDuel points per minute to the position. Combine that with the struggles of Ball and possibly continued reduced minutes and you can find better point guard options on Wednesday's seven-game slate.
Dale Redman is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
