NBA

3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 1/28/19

Dale Redman  —  @DTRedman Jan 28th, 2019
Jarrett Allen has struggled to score lately and faces an elite defense in Boston on Monday. Who else are we staying away from in DFS 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?

Jarret Allen, C, Brooklyn Nets

FanDuel Price: $6,500

Jarrett Allen’s presence in the middle has been a critical cog to the recent Brooklyn Nets surge (19-5 over their last 24 games), but over the previous few games, his offensive (and fantasy) production has taken a step back.

Over his last four games, Allen has scored eight or fewer points in each game. He has been an afterthought in the offense, taking just 5.0 shots per game. Thanks to the scoring decline, his FanDuel points have dipped, too, with Allen posting 24.2 or fewer points in each of his last three games. The big man has averaged just 18.1 FanDuel points during the stretch despite snagging over nine boards per game. A matchup with the Boston Celtics on Monday won’t help boost his offensive output either.

Boston’s D ranks in the top five in points allowed (105.9), opponent field goal percentage, and defensive rating (104.9). Despite not being one of the best rebounding teams, the C’s limit opponents to the fifth-fewest points in the paint and give up below average second-chance points (13.0). Overall, centers score the fifth-fewest FanDuel points per minute against Boston, leaving Allen best left on the bench when building your DFS lineup.

Jaern Jackson Jr., PF, Memphis Grizzlies

FanDuel Price: $6,500

Despite posting two sub-20 FanDuel points performances in his last four games, Jaren Jackson Jr. has seen his price tag rise to $6,500, the highest in nearly two weeks. Over his last eight games, Jackson has failed to reach 32.5 FanDuel points -- the total he needs on Monday to reach optimal value (5.0 FanDuel points per $1,000 salary). The fantasy slump comes even with Jackson scoring in double figures in six consecutive games (16.0 per game). The issue has been rebounding.

Jackson has gone 13 straight games with single-digit boards and has averaged just 3.8 per game in the last three weeks (10 games). The Memphis Grizzlies' rookie has been lacking on the defensive end as well, collecting only three blocks in his previous five games, despite averaging 1.5 per game for the season. Monday’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets will make it hard for Jackson to get back on track as he faces the best rebounding team in the NBA.

Nuggets’ opponents average the fewest rebounds per game (41.6), while Denver owns by far the best rebound percentage (53.4%). They also are posting a top 10 defensive rating (107.7) this season and leave the Grizzlies with the lowest implied point total (101.0) of the 10 teams playing on Monday.

Marcus Smart, SG, Boston Celtics

FanDuel Price: $5,100

Over his last four games, Marcus Smart has not done much in fantasy. The Celtics’ guard is averaging just 7.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in over 26 minutes per game. That has left Smart with 20.6 or fewer FanDuel points in each game while averaging a disappointing 16.6 FanDuel points per game. In fact, since Christmas (16 games), Smart has just three games with more than 24 FanDuel points. He is posting 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists during the stretch.

Monday’s matchup with the Brooklyn Nets will likely extend the fantasy slump for Smart as the Nets hold opposing shooting guards to 0.79 FanDuel points per minute, the second-lowest rate in the NBA this season. Brooklyn has also stepped up their overall game lately, posting a top-three defensive rating (105.9), while holding opponents to 44.0% shooting from the field and 31.9% shooting from three over their last 10 games, placing the Nets in the top four in both categories.

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.