3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 12/26/18
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?
Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks
FanDuel Price: $6,900
Trae Young is capable of going off with a monster performance in DFS, but over the last few weeks, he has been an uninspiring option in fantasy.
Since November 30, Young has as many games with 17.5 FanDuel points or fewer (three) as he does with 34.5 or more FanDuel points (what he needs to reach optimal value on Wednesday). During his last 10 games, the Atlanta Hawks' rookie is posting 14.4 points and 6.3 assists on 37.3% shooting from the floor and 21.6% three for an average of 26.3 FanDuel points per night. Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers is a daunting one for Young as well.
The Pacers lead the NBA with a 98.3 defensive rating over the last 10 games. Opponents are also shooting just 41.4% from the field and 28.5% from beyond the arc during the stretch, both league-low rates. Indy's defense as a whole has been tough, but point guards -- Young included -- have had an especially hard time against them in fantasy. The position is averaging just 0.81 FanDuel points per minute, the lowest in the NBA. When Young faced the Pacers back in mid-November, he posted a disappointing 16.2 FanDuel points.
Josh Jackson, PF, Phoenix Suns
FanDuel Price: $5,100
For the Phoenix Suns, Kelly Oubre's presence has started to cut into Josh Jackson’s playing time. In the last two games, the second-year forward has played fewer than 20 minutes. The reduced playing time has affected his fantasy production as Jackson posted just 15.8 and 16.1 FanDuel points, respectively, in the last two contests. He averaged 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals while sinking less than 30% of his shots in the two games.
With a surprisingly stiff Orlando Magic defense on the docket for Wednesday, Jackson is likely in for a long night, even if he can boost his playing time.
Over their last 10 games, the Magic own a top-10 defensive rating and have held opponents to 102.6 points per game, the sixth-lowest total in the league. The shooting guard spot -- where Jackson has spent 54% of his minutes -- averages just 0.84 FanDuel points per minute against them, a bottom-10 rate in the NBA.
Thomas Bryant, C, Washington Wizards
FanDuel Price: $5,100
Outside of a handful of games, Thomas Bryant has not done much in DFS since taking over as the Washington Wizards' starting center.
In his 18 games as the starter, Bryant has just 5 games with 25 or more FanDuel points while consistently (12 games) posting sub-20-FanDuel-point nights. The big man is averaging only 8.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in just 19.0 minutes for 19.3 FanDuel points per game. His big games have typically come against weak frontcourts, something he won't get the benefit of versus the Detroit Pistons.
Rebounds will be hard to come by for Bryant, as Andre Drummond leads the NBA in rebounds per game (15.5) and is in the top three in total rebound percentage (24.7%). His presence up front limits opponents to a 70% defensive rebound percentage, the fourth-lowest rate in the league this season. Opposing centers are averaging just 1.08 FanDuel points per minute, the sixth-lowest rate on Wednesday’s 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.
