NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 12/16/16

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Dec 16th, 2016
Hassan Whiteside has been talking trash about DeAndre Jordan, and that could make him a player to avoid on Friday. Who else should you keep off your DFS NBA lineups?

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.

Hassan Whiteside, C, Miami Heat

FanDuel Price: $9,200

The Miami Heat have been getting healthier, but the constant for this club is Hassan Whiteside. However, Whiteside went on the record to trash his counterpart in DeAndre Jordan earlier this morning, and it appears Whiteside is forgetting about the best part of Jordan's game; his defense.

Jordan is holding players he defends to just 44.5% shooting from the floor and less than 50% shooting within 10 feet from the basket. This has led the Los Angeles Clippers to allow only 0.92 FanDuel points per minute to opposing centers.

Whiteside is a really talented player, but he also has taken advantage recently of two teams who don't defend centers well in the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards. Whiteside is going to likely get Jordan's best attribute, making him a landmine on this Friday slate.

Jimmy Butler, SG, Chicago Bulls

FanDuel Price: $9,000

Jimmy Butler got locked down on Thursday by the 22-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now on the second half of a back-to-back, it might be another rough night for the Chicago Bulls' franchise player.

Anteokounmpo has been amazing on both ends this season, but his defense tends to get overlooked because he's constantly stuffing the stat sheet on offense. Anteokounmpo is holding players he defends to just 41.1% shooting from the floor and 42.3% shooting from within 10 feet from the basket.

Butler has had some big games against the Greek Freak before, but playing on consecutive nights and the general lack of shooting for the Bulls has limited Butler's upside. If the Milwaukee Bucks continue packing the paint in Chicago, it's going to be a rough night for Butler, who is taking over 40 percent of his shots within 10 feet this year.

Jonas Valanciunas, C, Toronto Raptors

FanDuel Price: $5,500

Another center who has a tough matchup is Jonas Valanciunas, who has to face the revitalized Dwight Howard for the second time this season.

Howard is making a case to return to the All-Star Game and it's happening on the defensive end for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Valanciunas put up only 10.5 FanDuel points the last time he faced off against Howard due to foul trouble, so with the tough matchup and a higher potential for foul issues, look elsewhere for help at center.