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: $8,800
The matchup between Hassan Whiteside and Andre Drummond is going to be a good one as the Detroit Pistons play host to the Miami Heat. Even with the Pistons struggling of late, Detroit has become a tough place to play, with the Pistons allowing just 100.9 points per 100 possessions at home this season.
Whiteside has also struggled against Drummond. In his last three games against Drummond dating back to last season, Whiteside is averaging only 9.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. In their eight career games against one another, Whiteside is barely shooting better than 50% from the floor.
The Pistons are limiting centers 0.95 FanDuel points per minute. When you add all that together, it makes Whiteside a tough player to target in DFS tonight with his price nearly $9,000.
Alex Len, C, Phoenix Suns
FanDuel Price: $4,600
Alex Len is still effectively in a timeshare with Alan Williams at center for the Phoenix Suns. Williams outplayed Len in the Suns' last game, and now has a tough matchup with the Atlanta Hawks.
Dwight Howard is having a nice season defensively in his first season in Atlanta. His team is holding opposing centers to just 0.89 FanDuel points per minute, and Howard himself is holding players he defends to just 44.7% shooting from the floor and less than 50% shooting within 10 feet of the basket.
With the danger of splitting minutes with Williams and the bad matchup, our models don't expect much from Len tonight, projecting him for just 18.6 FanDuel points.
Noah Vonleh, PF, Portland Trail Blazers
FanDuel Price: $3,800
Noah Vonleh has been playing pretty well since joining the Portland Trail Blazers starting five. The third-year pro is averaging a respectable 6.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game in the month of March, but he runs up against a matchup issue tonight against the Denver Nuggets.
Because of the Nuggets starting both Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, Vonleh might have a hard time staying on the floor trying to guard one of those guys. Vonleh is not a bad defender, allowing players he defends to just 44.0% shooting from the floor. However, as more of a low-post guy who is 6'9" and 245 pounds, Vonleh might find it difficult to stay with Gallinari or Chandler on the perimeter.
Al-Farouq Aminu is probably much more suited to defend either of those Nuggets' wing players, and Portland coach Terry Stotts may use Aminu much more in this game, limiting Vonleh's fantasy outlook.