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 tonight in your DFS NBA lineups, but what about some 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 each night. After all, it takes only one player to sink a lineup. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference from winning or losing your contests.
Andre Drummond, C, Detroit Pistons
FanDuel Price: $8,200
I love rostering Andre Drummond in DFS. He is usually the perfect mixture of floor and upside, which makes him a plug-and-play on almost any night he has a game. However, tonight is not one of those nights, as he runs up against the Los Angeles Clippers and DeAndre Jordan.
The Clippers have been outstanding on defense to start the season as they lead the league in defensive rating at 92.3. That is bad news for the Detroit Pistons in general, but Drummond can usually overcome a tough matchup. The problems start when he goes against centers who are either as big or athletic as he is. In Jordan's case, he is equally as big and athletic as Drummond, and he has also been great so far on the defensive end.
Jordan is holding players he defends to only 45.7% shooting from inside 10 feet this season and only 44.7% shooting overall. This has led to the Clippers being very stingy when it comes to fantasy points allowed to centers. The Clippers are allowing only 0.81 FanDuel points per minute to opposing centers, and with Drummond's price tag up above $8,000, it makes him tough to roster in what could be a slow-paced and very defensive-oriented game.
Thaddeus Young, PF, Indiana Pacers
FanDuel Price: $5,800
So far this season, Thaddeus Young has been a nice fit for the Indiana Pacers. He provides a nice contrast in the frontcourt next to Myles Turner, but he has also yet to find his place in this new-look Pacers offense. He has had a couple of big games, but in games against better defensive and slower-paced opponents like the Charlotte Hornets tonight, Young is a player you'll want to avoid.
The Hornets have looked great on defense so far this season. They also rank very highly in defensive rating to start the year, allowing only 97.7 points per 100 possessions. Marvin Williams is questionable tonight with a viral infection, but even if he doesn't play, Young likely still won't have a game worthy of being a DFS option on Monday.
The Hornets are allowing only 0.75 FanDuel points per minute to power forwards this season, and in a pace-down game for Indiana, tonight is not the night to get creative at power forward.
J.J. Redick, SG, Los Angeles Clippers
FanDuel Price: $3,900
J.J. Redick has reached a price that might be very appealing to NBA DFS players, but even his cheap price tag can make him a landmine on tonight's slate against the Pistons. One of the unheralded skills of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is his defense. With the way Redick has been struggling, tonight is not the night to take a chance on his ability to break out of his early-season funk.
Coming off a career-high 59.3% effective field goal percentage last year, Redick owns just a 48.3% mark this year, easily the worst of his career. While he could turn things around, going up against the younger and more athletic Caldwell-Pope is not going to help Redick make shots.
Caldwell-Pope is holding players he defends to 31% shooting overall and only 23.8% shooting from deep this year. He has also been great on the perimeter, allowing players he defends to shoot only 25% from beyond 15 feet. With that, the Pistons are allowing only 0.69 FanDuel points per minute to opposing shooting guards.