3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 11/30/18
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?
Tristan Thompson, C, Cleveland Cavaliers
FanDuel Price: $7,100
After a strong run of fantasy performances -- four games with at least 32.0 FanDuel points -- Tristan Thompson flopped hard against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
Thompson saw extensive run, playing 35.0 minutes, but was not able to muster anything more than 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He finished with a season-low 9.4 FanDuel points as he was dominated inside by Steven Adams. With the Boston Celtics on the docket for Friday, expect another dismal performance for the Cleveland Cavaliers' big man.
Boston owns the second-best defensive rating in the league and holds opponents to just 104.3 points per game. Their stingy D combined with the Cavs sluggish pace (28th) leave Cleveland with a horrific implied point total of 97.75 on Friday. The lack of points combined with the C’s dominance over opposing centers -- 0.99 FanDuel points allowed per minute, the second lowest-rate -- will leave Thompson out of our lineups on Friday.
Harrison Barnes, SF, Dallas Mavericks
FanDuel Price: $6,000
Just like Thompson, Harrison Barnes is coming off a terrible performance on Wednesday. Despite a Dallas Mavericks win over the Houston Rockets, Barnes struggled to get going, shooting 5-for-14 from the floor. He finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist for 17.1 FanDuel points in 29.3 minutes. The bad shooting night was not an anomaly either as just two games prior, Barnes went 3-for-14 (1-for-7 from three) for 10 real-world points and 11.7 FanDuel points against Memphis . Facing LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, another off night appears to be on the horizon for Barnes.
Over their last 10 games, the Lakers own a top-five defensive rating in the NBA and are holding opponents 42.5% shooting from the floor, the second-lowest rate in the league. Add on the harassing defense of James, which has held opposing small forward to just 0.79 FanDuel points per minute (fouth-lowest in the league), and Barnes should not be in consideration on Friday.
Wendell Carter Jr., PF, Chicago Bulls
FanDuel Price: $5,800
Like most rookies, Wendell Carter Jr. is currently going through some growing pains as he adjusts to the speed of the NBA game. In his last six games, the Chicago Bulls' big man has failed to surpass 24.0 FanDuel points in a game. Since November 17, Carter is averaging just 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game. That comes out to only 20.8 FanDuel points per night. Facing rebound machine Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons on Friday -- who held Carter to just 15.9 FanDuel points back on October 20 -- don’t expect much from the rookie.
Over their last five games, the Pistons have dominated the boards. They rank fourth in the NBA with a 53.0% rebound percentage while limiting opponents to just 41.6 rebounds per game, the third lowest total in the league. With a top-12 defensive rating and a pace of play that ranks in the bottom of the league, the Pistons are expected to hold the Bulls down offensively on Friday. Chicago caries an implied point total of just 103.8.
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.
