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?
Dwight Powell, PF, Dallas Mavericks
FanDuel Price: $7,100
It may be tempting to plug in Dwight Powell after his 52-FanDuel-point outburst versus the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. However, the performance should be considered an outlier, and with a daunting matchup against the Miami Heat on tap for Thursday, it is best to stay away.
In two of his last four games, Powell has finished with fewer than 22 FanDuel points as he struggled in matchups versus Golden State and Portland. In those contests, he averaged just 4.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, and he played 25.8 minutes per game. Powell was a non-factor on offense as he took a total of seven shots in the two games. If the inconsistent nature of his game isn’t enough to make you shy away from the Dallas Mavericks' big man, today's matchup will.
With the Heat owning a top-10 defense (107.4 defensive rating) and playing at a sluggish pace (second-slowest since the All-Star break), points will be hard to come by on Thursday. Dallas owns a lowly 102.0-point implied total while the game sits with the second-lowest over/under (211.0) of the eight games on this slate. Combine that with the Heat’s impressive rebounding ability (51.0% rebound rate), and Powell is in for a long night on Thursday.
Jamal Murray, PG, Denver Nuggets
FanDuel Price: $7,000
While Jamal Murray has had a breakout season in Denver -- posting career highs in points, rebounds, and assists -- the Nuggets' point guard has struggled when facing Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets this season.
In two previous games versus Houston, Murray averaged just 14.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 21.1 FanDuel points in 31.9 minutes per game. He was bad from beyond the arc in those contests, going 0-for-6 from three. The point guard ended up with a 49.6% true shooting percentage and 3.0 turnovers per game, with both marks being worse than his season averages.
Murray hasn't been the only point guard to flop against Houston this season as the Rockets allow just 0.90 FanDuel points per minute to the position, the fifth-lowest mark in the NBA. Overall, Houston has been playing some tight D lately, allowing 106 points or fewer in 11 of their last 13 games.
Murray has had some inconsistent play lately, as well, with two games with fewer than 17 FanDuel points across his past five, making him a risky play on Thursday.
DeAndre Jordan, C, New York Knicks
FanDuel Price: $6,800
With the New York Knicks doing their best to land the top pick in the NBA draft, veteran center DeAndre Jordan has fallen victim to the tank as his minutes have taken a hit, making him an unreliable DFS option.
In three of his last four games, Jordan has played 22.2 or fewer minutes. In those contests, he averaged a modest line of 6.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks for 20.6 FanDuel points per game. One of those matchups came against Thursday’s opponent, the Toronto Raptors.
On March 18, he racked up just 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 18.7 FanDuel points in 19.9 minutes against Toronto. In that game, the Knicks were run out of the building, losing by 36. Tonight is not expected to be much better, with the Knicks 11.0-point underdogs, likely limiting Jordan’s minutes again.
Even if the veteran center gets a shot at significant action, the Raptors have been stout against opposing big men, limiting centers to 1.09 FanDuel points per minute, the fifth-lowest rate in the league this season.
Dale Redman is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.