NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 1/5/18

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Jan 5th, 2018
It would be wise to avoid Kelly Olynyk tonight, as he matches up with Kristaps Porzingis. Which other players should you fade on Friday?

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 takes only one player to sink a lineup. Searching for the landmines could mean the difference between winning and losing your contests. Which players should we avoid tonight?

Kelly Olynyk, PF, Miami Heat

FanDuel Price: $7,000

Kelly Olynyk put up a monster game against the Detroit Pistons two nights ago, but with James Johnson and Hassan Whiteside both in the mix as well, Olynyk could see his minutes reduced some if he's not knocking down shots like that again.

There's also tonight's matchup to be concerned about. The New York Knicks are holding opposing power forwards to 0.88 FanDuel points per minute, and Olynyk might be matched up against Kristaps Porzingis.

Porzingis is holding players he defends to just 42.5% shooting overall this season and 47.6% shooting within six feet of the basket.

Gary Harris, SG, Denver Nuggets

FanDuel Price: $6,800

Gary Harris has been putting up big numbers recently, but he has not played great against the Utah Jazz so far this season. Harris is shooting a respectable 17-for-35 against the Jazz, but he is averaging only 24.8 FanDuel points in three games against Utah.

Now Harris has to travel to Salt Lake City, and with the Jazz holding shooting guards to just 0.76 FanDuel points per minute, it's not a great night to target the Nuggets' shooting guard.

Markieff Morris, PF, Washington Wizards

FanDuel Price: $4,900

Markieff Morris has seen his minutes start to trend upward over the last two games, and his fantasy production has followed. Morris is averaging just under 25 FanDuel points across 28 minutes per game over his last two games.

However, he did that at home, and now Morris and the Wizards are on the road against the Grizzlies, who are giving up just 0.89 FanDuel points per minute to power forwards.

JaMychal Green has only played in 23 of Memphis' 38 games, but his defense could really limit Morris tonight. Green is holding players he defends to just 45.9% shooting overall this season, so Morris might struggle to score tonight.


Jordan Sharp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jordan Sharp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username TEHSHARP. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.