NBA

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

Points have been few and far between for Josh Richardson recently, leaving him as a player to avoid in DFS. Who else joins him for Wednesday?

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?

Josh Richardson, SF, Miami Heat

FanDuel Price: $6,800

Over the last week-plus, Josh Richardson has been a bust in DFS. In his previous four games, the Miami Heat guard has been held to 25.1 FanDuel points or fewer in each contest for an average of 22.3 FanDuel points per night. That's a far cry from his average of 32.1 on the year. During the slump, his jumper has been his downfall as Richardson is shooting 24.0% from the field on 12.5 attempts for 10.0 points in 35.0 minutes per game. With the Heat backcourt finally getting healthy, Richardson could start to lose minutes too, further hurting his fantasy value. Add on a potential low-scoring affair on Wednesday and Richardson should not find his way into your lineup.

The Utah Jazz are holding opponents to fewer than 108 points per game this season, the seventh-fewest in the NBA. Miami is also carrying one of the lowest implied totals on the packed Wednesday slate with just 102.0. To make matters worse for Richardson, the Jazz hold small forwards to the fifth-fewest FanDuel points per minute, 0.80.

Jonas Valanciunas, C, Toronto Raptors

FanDuel Price: $5,300

Jonas Valanciunas has posted one of his more productive fantasy seasons, as he is averaging 25.6 FanDuel points in just 19.2 minutes per game. The big man is capable of monster performances but, typically only when he starts, which has been in 10 out of 29 games.

In those 19 games that Valanciunas does not start, the Toronto Raptors' center averages only 17.2 minutes per game. In that limited action, he ends up with 11.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks for 23.3 FanDuel points per game. Facing the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, JV is not expected to be in the starting lineup once again. The last time Toronto played the Dubs, November 29, Valanciunas came off the bench for 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 18.8 FanDuel points in just under 16 minutes.

Its a common theme for the Warriors to keep centers in check as the position has averaged just 1.09 FanDuel points per minute against Golden State, the ninth-lowest mark in the league. With former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green healthy, expect those numbers to drop too.

Nicolas Batum, SF, Charlotte Hornets

FanDuel Price: $5,000

Nicolas Batum is capable of posting big games. He went off for 18 points 7 rebounds, and 8 assists for 41.4 FanDuel points last week. However, the Charlotte Hornets' forward has tended to disappoint more often than not.

In five of his last seven games, Batum has posted 18.3 or fewer FanDuel points while being unable to eclipse 7 real-world points in those games. Over his last four games, the 41.4-point explosion included, Batum is shooting just 30.3% from the floor on 8.3 shots per game. Known to stuff the stat sheet, the former Portland Trail Blazer is struggling in part due to a reduced ball-handling load in Charlotte. He is posting a 14.1% usage rate, the lowest mark since his rookie season in 2009. Facing the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, don't count Batum for much fantasy production.

The Pistons rank tops in the NBA by limiting opposing small forwards to 0.76 FanDuel points per minute.



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.