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?
Ersan Ilyasova, PF, Atlanta Hawks
FanDuel Price: $5,200
After a solid start to the month of January, Ersan Ilyasova put up a dud against the Chicago Bulls two nights ago at home, and now the Atlanta Hawks are welcoming in a much tougher matchup for Ilyasova on Monday against the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz are holding opposing power forwards to 0.91 FanDuel points per minute this season, which is 10th-best, according to our defense-versus-position matchup chart. Furthermore, Ilyasova saw his minutes go down to 23 on Saturday, and with John Collins starting to see more consistent playing time, Atlanta could be headed for a timeshare at power forward. That would not be great for Ilyasova's fantasy potential tonight or going forward.
Wesley Matthews, SG, Dallas Mavericks
FanDuel Price: $5,200
Wesley Matthews has no trouble getting big minutes, but the matchup against the Washington Wizards on Monday is not as great as it may appear at first glance. The Wizards are holding shooting guards to 0.80 FanDuel points per minute this season, and Bradley Beal has a lot to do with that.
Beal is holding players he defends to 42.9% shooting this season and 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Matthews has played well versus Beal at times in their careers, including earlier this season. However, on this big of a slate, Matthews is too risky to be a cash-game option.
Willie Reed, C, Los Angeles Clippers
FanDuel Price: $4,000
When DeAndre Jordan went down, it looked like Willie Reed might get some steady run in the starting lineup. However, Reed has played 17 minutes or less in each of his last three games, so unless he is getting minutes into the 20s, he is a hard fade on Monday's DFS slate.
In addition to that, Reed will also have to square off against Karl-Anthony Towns, which is not a great matchup on either end of the court. The Minnesota Timberwolves are holding opposing centers to the eighth-fewest FanDuel points per minute.
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.