NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 3/31/17

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Mar 31st, 2017
Evan Fournier has a tough matchup in Avery Bradley tonight that's worth avoiding. Which other players should you keep off your NBA DFS lineups on Friday?

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 only takes one player to sink a lineup. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference from winning or losing your contests.

Evan Fournier, SG, Orlando Magic

FanDuel Price: $5,600

Evan Fournier is coming off a big game on Wednesday, where he dropped 24 points and 35.7 FanDuel points. That performance could make him a popular target tonight, but he'll be facing one of the NBA's better on-ball defenders in Avery Bradley.

As a team, the Boston Celtics are holding opposing shooting guards to just 0.76 FanDuel points per minute.

While Bradley has yet to show that strong defensive upside yet this season, Fournier owns just a 40.0% shooting clip from the floor in eight career head-to-head matchups. He posted a shooting percentage higher than 43.0% just once.

Otto Porter, SF, Washington Wizards

FanDuel Price: $5,100

Otto Porter has been a huge fantasy asset at times this season, but he has a ton working against him as the Washington Wizards travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz on Friday.

The Jazz are holding opposing small forwards to just 0.66 FanDuel points per minute, while Gordon Hayward is limiting players he defends to 42.5% shooting from the floor, including 33.1% from beyond the arc.

It also doesn't help Porter's case that he's struggled against Hayward in the past -- in seven prior meetings, the Washington small forward has never reached double figures, combining to shoot just 11 for 30 from the floor.

Willy Hernangomez, C, New York Knicks

FanDuel Price: $5,100

Willy Hernangomez has been a nice find for the New York Knicks -- he is a skilled big man with a ton of talent, but will be tasked once again with defending Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat. This time, the matchup will take place in South Beach.

Hernangomez was limited to just 23 minutes and 21.3 FanDuel points in his most recent matchup against Whiteside, and it could be more of the same tonight.

The Heat are holding opposing centers to 0.93 FanDuel points per minute this season, while Whiteside himself is limiting opposing shooting to a field goal percentage of just 45.9%, which includes an impressive 50.3% from within six feet of the hoop.