NBA

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

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Mar 2nd, 2018
Thaddeus Young's price and matchup make him a player to avoid despite a recent string of success. Who else should be left off your DFS rosters?

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?

Thaddeus Young, PF, Indiana Pacers

FanDuel Price: $6,400

Thaddeus Young has been playing really well as of late, but tonight, he has one of the tougher matchups of all 20 teams in action. He squares off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokounmpo is a little banged up after getting hit in the eye on Wednesday night, but he said he is fine, so for now, we'll assume the Greek Freak is playing tonight.

If Antetokounmpo does suit up, that's bad news for the Indiana Pacers' power forward. Young has struggled in his two most recent matchups against Antetokounmpo this year, averaging just 17.5 FanDuel points per game. Considering Antetokounmpo is holding players he defends to 41.3% shooting, Young at his elevated price is a bit risky tonight.

Markieff Morris, PF, Washington Wizards

FanDuel Price: $5,600

Markieff Morris played huge minutes against the Golden State Warriors two nights ago, and he might be needed for big minutes once again tonight in a playoff-style game against the Toronto Raptors. However, Morris' fantasy appeal takes a couple of hits in the tough matchup.

The Raptors are holding opposing power forwards to 0.88 FanDuel points per minute, which ranks eighth-best in our DvP Matchup Chart. Morris has also struggled in his recent matchups against Serge Ibaka. Morris is averaging only 23.3 FanDuel points per game in his last four contests against Ibaka, and he shot a combined 11 for 41 in those four games.

Alex Len, C, Phoenix Suns

FanDuel Price: $5,100

The last time Alex Len squared off against Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Len had four fouls in eight minutes of action. Tonight may be more of the same against Adams, and if Len is struggling on both ends, his price tag is much too high in a tough matchup.

The Thunder rank third-best in the league in fantasy defense against centers, and Adams has been the main reason for their success. He is holding players he defends to just 45.3% shooting from the floor and 51.2% shooting inside of 10 feet. With Adams playing so well defensively, it's hard to trust Len.

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.