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?
Dario Saric, PF, Philadelphia 76ers
FanDuel Price: $6,400
Dario Saric has been a machine lately, scoring 30 or more FanDuel points in four straight games. But on the road against the San Antonio Spurs, the Philadelphia 76ers have one of the lowest implied totals of the night according to our Matchup Heat Map. Saric also has one of the tougher individual matchups.
The Spurs are holding power forwards to 0.84 FanDuel points per minute, which is second-best in the league. The last time Saric played the Spurs at home, he scored only 23.9 FanDuel points. It doesn't help him that LaMarcus Aldridge has been strong defensively this season, holding players he defends to just 44.1% shooting from the floor.
Kent Bazemore, SG, Atlanta Hawks
FanDuel Price: $5,300
The Atlanta Hawks are messing around with their starters' playing time, which has led to Kent Bazemore playing no more than 26 minutes in three straight games. That alone might make him a fade, but his matchup on the road against the Charlotte Hornets adds fuel to the fire.
The Hornets rank inside the top 10 in defensive rating at home, allowing 103.4 points per 100 possessions when they play at the Spectrum Center. Charlotte is also holding opposing shooting guards to just 0.81 FanDuel points per minute this season, all of which makes Bazemore a player to keep off DFS lineups tonight.
J.J. Barea, PG, Dallas Mavericks
FanDuel Price: $4,700
The Dallas Mavericks are another team with a low implied total (103.5) tonight, and J.J. Barea looks like a guy that could suffer the worst in their game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers are holding opposing point guards to 0.84 FanDuel points per minute, and Barea has just watched as Dennis Smith and Yogi Ferrell have received 30-plus minutes over the past two games. If that continues, he might not receive enough playing time to be viable on this big Friday slate.
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.