The Toyota Owners 400 is this weekend at Richmond International Speedway, and the field is pretty strong. Before Sunday comes along, you need the information necessary to draft a winning daily fantasy NASCAR roster. Here, we’ve put together everything that you need to succeed. Below is our analysis on five of the top ranked drivers going into this race.
Kevin Harvick: According to DraftKings, Harvick is the number two racer entered for this event, but he’s our pick to win. He has the best average finishing position of any of the top three racers, has the highest average fantasy point total of anybody in the whole field, and has finished in the top ten 8 out of 10 tries. That’s about as good as it gets. And with him not being the most expensive driver in the field with a salary of only $10,600, he seems too good to pass up for this. He’s our top pick, but that doesn’t mean he’s the best value in the field. Drafting him isn’t going to win your league on its own.
Kyle Busch: Busch is the number one ranked driver in this field with a salary of $11,000, but we will not be drafting him. Yes, of his last three races he has won two of them, but last weekend, he finished 38th, showing a big weakness. He actually scored negative fantasy points for that race, bringing his season average per race down to 60.8. He has finished in the top ten on 7 out of ten occasions, and his average finishing position is 9.7. Remember that this is grossly inflated because of his 3 wins, though, and the basement for him is pretty low if he has another poor race. He’s a great racer most of the time; don’t get us wrong about that. But when he has a poor race, he is a liability, and that’s not a chance we are willing to take on him when he’s so expensive.
Carl Edwards: For us, Edwards is a top tier driver, yet he’s priced as a mid tier driver. That’s great value, and when you’re already one of the top five drivers in the field, it’s worth jumping on this. Edwards has an average finishing position of 7.1, has averaged 63.2 fantasy points per race, and is priced at just $10,300. He finished first last weekend, which puts momentum on his side. That’s also nice, but if you need more proof, look at his differential from three races ago. He started 25th at the STP 500, and then finished 6th. Even with a poor starting place, he has top ten potential, which gives him strong potential when it comes to differential points. He also has 8 out of 10 top ten finishes, making him tied for the most consistent driver in the field. Edwards is the best value you will find in a top ten ranked driver.
Jimmie Johnson: Johnson is finally at a price we like at $10,000, but his performance last weekend left a lot to be desired. Still, he’s made the top ten 5 out of 10 tries, has an average fantasy point total of 48.1, and has 2 wins already this season. We’re willing to look past his last race as a fluke, and although ideally we’d like to see him a little cheaper than what he is right now, that doesn’t seem likely when he’s as talented as he is. This has been a weak year for him on a fantasy level, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a top level driver. We’ll see how he fits in with our roster once bottom tier drivers are accounted for, but we’re hopeful.
Joey Logano: It’s hard to know what to make of Logano at this point in the season. He is consistently a top ten driver, making it 7 out of 10 races this season, but he has no wins, and his fantasy point average is pretty low at 46.2. He’s cheap enough to consider drafting at 10,200, but we’d really like the chance of a win at that price. His average finishing position is 7.0, though, and that’s pretty good. Edwards is a similar stat driver, but has better fantasy totals, and a better shot at a win. We’ll go with him instead.
