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.
Pau Gasol, C, San Antonio Spurs
FanDuel Price: $5,800
Pau Gasol and the San Antonio Spurs are playing host to the Memphis Grizzlies tonight in what should be a matchup that features some defense.
A healthy San Antonio frontcourt has led to limited minutes for Gasol, though -- he's played no more than 24 minutes in his last four games. With David Lee looking like he will play tonight, that trend will probably continue.
Even in a game where he will likely match up with his brother Marc Gasol some, the Grizzlies are holding opposing centers to just 0.83 FanDuel points per minute. Zach Randolph is not a great defender, but he should be enough to keep Gasol from going off tonight.
Cory Joseph, PG, Toronto Raptors
FanDuel Price: $5,000
Cory Joseph has done a nice job filling in for the injured Kyle Lowry, but after playing 43 minutes and scoring 19 points against the Chicago Bulls two nights ago, he may be a popular option on Thursday's short slate.
Going up against the Miami Heat and Goran Dragic may limit Joseph's fantasy appeal, though. The Heat are holding point guards to just 0.81 FanDuel points per minute and Dragic has been a solid defender all season -- he's limiting players to just 44.4% shooting overall, including 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Considering Joseph is coming off a dud in his last game against the Heat, it's best to look elsewhere for point guards.
Yogi Ferrell, PG, Dallas Mavericks
FanDuel Price: $4,700
Since joining the Dallas Mavericks, Yogi Ferrell has yet to have to face off against Chris Paul as the starting point guard. However, with Dallas welcoming in the Los Angeles Clippers tonight, Ferrell has one of the toughest assignments of any player.
The Clippers are holding opposing point guards to just 0.86 FanDuel points per minute this season, and with Ferrell's minutes trending down, it's not a great time to target the Mavs' point guard considering he will likely have to also defend Paul.
On the year, Paul is holding players he defends to 45.6% from the field, which includes 35.6% shooting outside of 15 feet from the basket. If Paul is glued to Ferrell, he is certainly a player to avoid against the Clippers' veteran point guard.