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.
Eric Bledsoe, PG, Phoenix Suns
FanDuel Price: $8,600
The last time Eric Bledsoe faced off against the Memphis Grizzlies, he shot just 3-for-11 from the floor and scored just 26 FanDuel points. His price is still inflated while having to once again face Memphis' tough defense and fellow point guard Mike Conley.
Taking a look at our DvP Matchup Chart, the Grizzlies rank ninth-best against the position this season, allowing just 0.86 FanDuel points per minute.
There is also a noticeable dip in Bledsoe's shot attempts lately -- after averaging 17.3 shot attempts per game in January, that's dipped to 13.5 through four games in February.
David Lee, PF, San Antonio Spurs
FanDuel Price: $5,300
The San Antonio Spurs are 11-point favorites against the Philadelphia 76ers, and while David Lee could easily bust out a double-double, he could also play fewer than 20 minutes and be a complete dud.
Lee has seen his minutes decrease over the last few games as Dewayne Dedmon has emerged as one of the better defenders in the league. Dedmon is averaging 21 minutes per game over his last three, compared to Lee's 18.3 minutes in that same stretch.
With the Spurs not really needing Lee for this one, his playing time could decrease even more. They are in the midst of their rodeo road trip and with the All-Star break approaching, it makes since to give Lee a break in what should be a blowout win for the Spurs.
Luol Deng, SF, Los Angeles Lakers
FanDuel Price: $4,000
The Los Angeles Lakers look to be finally making the shift towards developing their young talent, which means Luol Deng is about to see his minutes plummet.
Brandon Ingram got the start over Deng on Monday and played 33 minutes compared to Deng's 24. Since the veteran just signed a four-year deal with L.A. and already has a ton of miles on his legs from his days with the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, this trend should continue for the rest of the season. There's no sense to waste him in another lottery-bound season.
His matchup against the Detroit Pistons is also not very good. Detroit is allowing less than 0.7 FanDuel points per minutes to small forwards, so it may be worth avoiding the Lakers completely at this position.