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.
Carmelo Anthony, SF, New York Knicks
FanDuel Price: $6,900
Carmelo Anthony would be a tough player to target tonight in any circumstance against the Utah Jazz. However, with the New York Knicks only playing for pride the rest of the way, the team announced recently that they plan on limiting Anthony's minutes over the final 12 games, starting on Wednesday.
This almost certainly eliminates Anthony from DFS consideration. Even though he could only see his minutes dwindle a little, he is still going against one of the NBA's toughest defensive teams -- the Jazz are holding opposing small forwards to just 0.66 FanDuel points per minute. With Anthony potentially logging under 30 minutes tonight, it's better to completely fade him on Wednesday.
Greg Monroe, C, Milwaukee Bucks
FanDuel Price: $6,400
Greg Monroe's price has shot up over the last 10 games or so, but it has not led to a huge increase in production despite continuing to get decent run. In 10 games of having a salary of at least $6,400, he's hit 5x value on just three occasions.
He has to square off against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, a team that has a couple of adequate defenders to throw at Monroe no matter when he takes the court. Kosta Koufos is allowing players he defends to shoot 48.1% from the floor, and that number has dropped to 45.8% with Willie Cauley-Stein on the floor.
On the year, the Kings are limiting opposing centers to 0.94 FanDuel points per minute. With Monroe coming off a game on Tuesday, it might be best to avoid him this evening since he's failed to reach even 4x value in his last four games on no rest.
Garrett Temple, SG, Sacramento Kings
FanDuel Price: $4,200
Garrett Temple has been a great fantasy asset lately for Sacramento. He contributes in a number of different ways and is averaging a respectable 20.8 FanDuel points over his last four games.
However, the Kings may be getting some bodies back in their backcourt, which could throw their rotation off enough to negatively impact Temple. Buddy Hield seems almost guaranteed 30 minutes per game, but with Ben McLemore and Malachi Richardson potentially making their returns tonight, Temple's minutes could take a hit.
The matchup isn't great for him anyway. The Milwaukee Bucks are holding opposing shooting guards to just 0.74 FanDuel points per minute.