NBA

3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 12/17/18

Marc Gasol has been battling injury and a shooting slump in recent weeks and is in a tough spot against the Dubs Monday. Who else are we leaving out of our DFS lineups tonight?

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?

Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies

FanDuel Price: $8,500

Since the calendar flipped to December, Marc Gasol has not been himself, battling through an ankle injury and struggling to produce on the court and in fantasy.

In the Memphis Grizzlies' big man’s last eight games, he has posted sub-30 FanDuel point performances five times, averaging just 29.4 per game. His scoring has plummeted (11.1 points per game) as Gasol’s shot has been off the mark. He is shooting 35.1% from the field and 28.6% from three. Also hurting his case in DFS on Monday is his tough matchup with the Golden State Warriors, where Memphis has an implied point total of just 99.25.

Over their last five games, the Dubs have found their defense, posting a top-10 defensive rating (105.0). They are holding opponents to sub-30% shooting from three and are posting a top-seven rebound rate (51.4%) -- two of Gasol’s best qualities. Opposing centers are scoring just 1.1 FanDuel points per minute, the fifth-lowest rate on Monday’s eight-game slate. When Gasol played the Warriors back on November 5, he was a terrible value -- 3.66 points per $1,000 of salary -- as he amassed just 31.5 FanDuel points.

Ricky Rubio, PG, Utah Jazz

FanDuel Price: $6,600

Ricky Rubio has been a mediocre DFS option over his last 10 games, reaching 5-times value -- 5.0 FanDuel points per $1,000 of salary -- just one time. Since November 26, the Utah Jazz point guard is averaging 12.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 39.7 minutes for 26.7 FanDuel points per game. During the stretch, he is shooting just 39.5% from the field and 26.2% from beyond the arc. With plenty of point guard options on Monday’s slate, it’s best to leave Rubio and his unimpressive stat line out of your lineups, especially with the Houston Rockets next on the docket.

Over the Rockets last eight games, they have given up 105 or fewer points six times while holding opponents to just 21.4 assists per game, the second-lowest average in the league. Thanks to Chris Paul, Houston is giving up the third-lowest FanDuel points per 48 minutes to point guards too. In the two games Rubio has played against the Rockets this year, he has averaged just 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists for 20.5 FanDuel points per game.

Wendell Carter Jr., PF, Chicago Bulls

FanDuel Price: $6,000

The Chicago Bulls frontcourt is fully healthy with Bobby Portis and Lauri Markkanen back in the fold over the last week. Their presence has limited Wendell Carter Jr.’s minutes, leaving the rookie averaging just 20.6 over his last five games. As expected, his numbers and DFS usefulness have plummeted during the last two weeks with Carter averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks for 16.1 FanDuel points per game. One of those games came against Monday’s opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder. In that game, Carter posted just 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks for 18.4 FanDuel points.

With Steven Adams averaging 9.8 rebounds and posting a 15.2% rebound percentage, the Thunder rank in the top-seven in both categories. That helps limit opposing centers to a bottom-five FanDuel points per minute rate for the season. Add in the Bulls carrying an implied point total of just 100.0 and it’s best to stay away from Carter on Monday.

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.