NBA

3 Fantasy Basketball Players to Avoid on 11/28/18

Dale Redman  —  @DTRedman Nov 28th, 2018
Tim Hardaway Jr.'s recent shooting woes are likely to contiue against the Sixers. What other players are we shying away from in DFS on Wednesday?

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?

Tim Hardaway Jr., SG, New York Knicks

FanDuel Price: $7,000

While Tim Hardaway Jr. is in the midst of a breakout season as he averages a career-best 23.0 points and 3.0 three-pointers per game, the New York Knicks' guard has hit a wall recently. Thanks to 32.3% shooting from the floor in the last week, Hardaway has seen his scoring average drop to 17.3 points per game over his last four. He is averaging under 30 FanDuel points per game while surpassing 26.2 FanDuel points just once during the stretch. Without many points, Hardaway's stat line has been hollow, with averages of just 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game and only 2 steals. Holding one of the lower implied point totals of the day (107.5), the Knicks and Hardaway will likely struggle against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

For the year, the Sixers are holding opposing shooting guard to 0.83 FanDuel points per game, the seventh-lowest rate in the NBA this season. That includes 15 games without the tenacious defense of Jimmy Butler on the roster. An elite perimeter defender, Butler has held opponents to 33.3% shooting from three, 4.4% less than expected. On a busy Wednesday slate, there are plenty of more attractive options at shooting guard than Hardaway.

Andrew Wiggins, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

FanDuel Price: $6,500

Andrew Wiggins continues to be mired in one of the worst shooting stretches of his career, having sunk only 28.6% of his last 70 shots. That includes going 4-for-21 (19.0%) from beyond the arc. Over his last five games, the Minnesota Timberwolves' wing -- who has a career average of nearly 20 points per game -- is posting only 9.4 points per night. His DFS scores have naturally bottomed out, scoring 19 or fewer FanDuel points in four of his last five games. His 2 blocks and 2 steals on Monday are the only things that saved him from five straight duds. Against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, his slump is likely to continue.

The Spurs' defense has tightened up recently, holding three of their last four opponents to 107 points or fewer. Their perimeter defense has held strong too, allowing just a 32.8% accuracy from deep. The matchup with Minnesota is likely to be a low scoring one, as the Spurs run at the sixth-lowest pace in the league while the Timberwolves rank in the bottom half as well. The game carries just a 216.5 over/under, one of the lowest on the 10-game slate.

Taurean Prince, SF, Atlanta Hawks

FanDuel Price: $5,700

After a hot start to the year, Taurean Prince has been hard to trust in DFS. In three of his last four games, he has maxed out at 21.5 FanDuel points. During those last four games, the Atlanta Hawks' forward has shot just 33.3% from the field for 12.0 points per game. Those scoring numbers would not be so bad if Prince were providing a full stat line. He has not, though, averaging just 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and. 0.5 blocks in over 27 minutes per night. Wednesday he gets an opponent in the Charlotte Hornets that he faced just four nights ago, and who held him to only 16.2 FanDuel points.

In that game, the Hornets' D limited Prince to 38.5% shooting from the field. Making things more difficult on Wednesday will be the presence of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The Hornets’ forward returned from injury on Monday and helped lead the defense to an upset of the Milwaukee Bucks. In that game, the Hornets wings held Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon to a combined 8-for-34 shooting, for a 23.5% field goal percentage.

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.