NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 3/5/19

In the midst of a shooting slump and facing a stingy Orlando Magic defense, JJ Redick is in for a long night on Tuesday. Who else are we avoiding in NBA DFS?

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?

Jayson Tatum, PF, Boston Celtics

FanDuel Price: $6,300

While Jayson Tatum can light up the scoreboard - 20 or more points in 19 games this season -- the young Boston Celtics' forward has been quiet since the All-Star break.

In his past five games, Tatum has failed to score more than 14 points, averaging 11.8 points a night on 43.1% shooting from the floor and 20.0% from three. His other contributions have been limited as well, posting just 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He finished with fewer than 20 FanDuel points three times and would have ended up with fewer than 24 in all five games if not for a five-steal performance against the Washington Wizards.

Tuesday's matchup against the Golden State Warriors is not one screaming "bounce-back" for Tatum either. The Dubs have limited opponents to a bottom-five field goal percentage (44.8%) this season while posting an above-average defensive rating. Kevin Durant, who could guard Tatum a good portion of the time, has been tough on those who he has defended too, allowing just a 40.7% field goal percentage -- 5.4 percentage points fewer than expected.

Kris Dunn, PG, Chicago Bulls

FanDuel Price: $5,900

Kris Dunn has had his fair share of struggles over the past month. The Chicago Bulls' point guard has dealt with multiple injuries, and the issues have affected his performance on the court. In three of his last six games, Dunn has finished with fewer than 17 FanDuel points. The problems have largely come on the offensive end as Dunn has posted single-digit points in five of his last seven contests. Since Otto Porter joined the team, Dunn has been pushed further down the scoring pecking order as he has taken more than 9 shots in a game just three times in the last month.

While Dunn bounced back a bit the last two games, averaging 14.0 points against the super soft Atlanta Hawks defense, he will have a much harder time staying on track tonight against the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers lead the NBA as they limit opposing point guards to just 0.83 FanDuel points per minute. They also play at the fourth-slowest pace in the league, allowing them to give up just 103.8 points per game, the second-fewest in the NBA.

J.J. Redick, SF, Philadelphia 76ers

FanDuel Price: $5,700

J.J. Redick has been in one awful shooting slump. Over his last five games, the Philadelphia 76ers' sharpshooter has gone 15-for-60 (25%) from the floor while hitting just 9-of-36 (25%) of his three-pointers. Tossing up bricks has left Redick averaging only 10.8 points per game. For someone whose fantasy value is built around his scoring, the results in DFS have been disastrous, with Redick averaging 20.4 FanDuel points per game, with two games of fewer than 15.4 FanDuel points.

The shooting struggles have coincided with Joel Embiid’s current absence. Redick has a 46.9% effective field goal percentage when Embiid is off the court this season compared to a 58.2% mark when the big man plays. Embiid will remain out for Tuesday against the surprisingly tough D of the Orlando Magic.

Over their last 15 games, Orlando leads the NBA in defensive rating (103.7) and opponent’s three-point percentage (30.8%). They sit second in the NBA by allowing just 103.7 points and 9.3 three-pointers per game, putting another damper on Redick's outlook Tuesday.


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.