3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 10/23/18
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?
Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Sacramento Kings
FanDuel Price: $7,400
After blowing up for 46.4 FanDuel points in the Sacramento Kings' season opener, Willie Cauley-Stein has regressed, posting consecutive sub-30 FanDuel-point nights. While he has taken a step forward offensively, averaging 18.7 points per game, his pedestrian showing on the glass -- 7.0 rebounds per game on a 12.9% rebound percentage -- limits his potential in DFS. When he has off shooting nights, WCS struggles to reach optimal value.
The Kings are facing a Denver Nuggets defense that has been playing out of their mind so far this season. They lead the NBA in defensive rating (92.9) and points allowed (95.7) per game. Denver and Nikola Jokic have clamped down on centers, too, surrendering 0.87 FanDuel points per minute to the position, the second-lowest mark in the NBA. Add in a pair of primo options at center in the three-game slate (Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond) and Cauley-Stein is best left out of your lineup on Tuesday.
Jamal Murray, PG, Denver Nuggets
FanDuel Price: $6,400
Jamal Murray is coming off his worst performance of the young season, missing on all nine of his field goals attempts as he finished Sunday's win over the Golden State Warriors with 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists for 8.4 FanDuel points in 26.9 minutes. It was his second dismal shooting night in three games this season -- Murray went 3-for-12 with 7 points in the season opener. With the word he is nursing a leg contusion, things may not get better on Tuesday, even in a matchup with the Kings.
The Nuggets are 11.0-point favorites, and if the score gets out of hand, Murray could find himself resting his injury. Denver has already been hit with one long-term injury to Will Barton, so they could ill-afford another. With more reliable point guards -- De'Aaron Fox, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Jackson -- in a similar price range on Tuesday , Murray should be avoided on a three-game slate.
Stanley Johnson, SF, Detroit Pistons
FanDuel Price: $4,800
After missing opening night with a toe injury, Stanley Johnson struggled in his season debut on Saturday. He shot 4-for-13 (30.7%) from the floor against the awful Chicago Bulls' defense. He finished with just 20.4 FanDuel points in a prime matchup. In a much more difficult affair on Tuesday, don't expect much from the Detroit Pistons' small forward.
He faces off with the Philadelphia 76ers in the lowest-projected game of the night, with the Pistons' carrying the lowest implied total (107.00) of the slate. His matchup against Robert Covington leaves a lot to be desired as the Sixers hold the small forward position to just 0.81 FanDuel points per minute, the seventh-lowest mark in the NBA this season. In his three games played against Philly last season, Johnson averaged only 9.3 points on 39.1% shooting in 29.0 minutes per game, so it's best to stay away on 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.
