NBA

3 Daily Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 2/12/18

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Feb 12th, 2018
Danny Green draws a tough matchup against the Jazz. Which other NBA players are worth avoiding in DFS?

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: $7,100

Dario Saric is still sitting at a record-high price from FanDuel right now at $7,100. That, among other things could make him a big-time landmine on Monday night’s short NBA DFS slate.

According to NBA Wowy, with Joel Embiid off the court, Saric is averaging 1.03 FanDuel points per minute with a 24.7% usage rate. However, with Embiid on the court, those numbers drop to a 17.4% usage rate and an average of only 0.83 FanDuel points per minute. With Embiid expected to play on Monday, Saric is not worth the risk at his price tag.

Pau Gasol, C, San Antonio Spurs

FanDuel Price: $5,400

Pau Gasol has lost his starting spot for the San Antonio Spurs, which has somewhat put a cap on his fantasy upside. Even against a tired Utah Jazz team tonight, Gasol does not provide a lot of excitement for DFS purposes.

Rudy Gobert is holding players he defends to just 47.0% shooting this season and has also been great in the painted area, limiting players he defends to less than 48.0% shooting within 10 feet of the basket. Even though Gasol is not starting, he'll likely matchup with Gobert some, which is a situation you'll want to avoid.

Editor's note: Since publication, LaMarcus Aldridge has been declared out for the Spurs, which means Gasol will likely get moved to the starting lineup, drastically altering his DFS outlook.

Danny Green, SG, San Antonio Spurs

FanDuel Price: $4,400

With a total of 197.5 from Las Vegas and with the Spurs owning an implied total of just 96.5 according to our Matchup Heat Map on Monday, there are pleny of players to fade from this game, with Danny Green being one of them.

The Spurs' shooting guard has a tough matchup against a strong Jazz defense, which is allowing opposing shooting guards to average only 0.78 FanDuel points per minute. Even though Green had nearly 25 FanDuel points in his last game against the Jazz, it was at home. This one is on the road where Green is shooting only 38.2% from the floor this year.


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.