The rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by value of each driver.
The DraftKings Alsco 300 at Las Vegas slate locks at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Set your DraftKings lineups here: NXS $45K Octane [$10K to 1st] (XFIN)
1. Austin Cindric ($11,300) - The last time that the Xfinity series was consistently running at intermediate tracks, Cindric was embarrassing the field. He’s proven that he has what it takes to win, and his team is building fast cars. The biggest challenge for Cindric is beating Briscoe on pit road, and Briscoe has the #1 pit stall this weekend.
2. Chase Briscoe ($11,600) - It’s the same story every time. Briscoe was unable to pass last week, but his pit crew moved him to the front. While upfront, the two best cars suffered mechanical failures and setup issues. Briscoe defaulted to the win. At Las Vegas in February, his win was 100% due to his pit crew. Bet on his pit crew.
3. Ross Chastain ($10,000) - The meltdown is coming. Last year, Chastain was the favorite to win the Truck Series, but choked down the stretch. This year, his Kaulig team has made major gains with his car, but every week, Chastain chokes. Every week, he races drivers tighter and dirtier. Frustration is building and Chastain is going to start wrecking out with regularity.
4. Justin Allgaier ($10,600) - In the last five short track races, Allaigier is averaging 40 hog points per race. The intermediate track races are a different story. He had a great day at the one groove race track in Texas, but his 46 hog point day is an outlier. In the other four intermediate track races, he averaged three hog points per race.
5. Noah Gragson ($10,300) - The last time Gragson was at Las Vegas he was wrecking anyone that got in his way, so it was just like every other race. This is his hometown track and his famous Las Vegas family is in the midst of a public crisis that will not be explained here. For those that live on narrative street and cheer for redemption, Gragson is your play.
6. Austin Hill ($6,700) - The Hattori #61 car is not a sure thing, but it’s a decent car and Hill is a decent driver. This car has seven top 20 finishes, and the last time that Hill drove it, he finished 9th at Darlington.
7. Gray Gaulding ($7,500) - DraftKings has had enough with the Bobby Dotter #07 car cheat code. Gaulding is starting much closer to the front and his salary has increased, but he’s still in play. Gaulding should stay on the lead lap all night, and a late race caution could allow him to sneak into the top 10.
8. Jesse Little ($5,400) - His salary has inched up, but that loss for DFS players is more than offset by his starting position. Little is starting 24th in a JD Motorsports car. There were weeks where he was in play starting in the top 15.
9. Colby Howard ($5,000) - This is Jesse Little with less intermediate track experience. Howard’s JD Motorsports car is slightly worse than Little’s car, but the difference is minimal. If Howard gets lapped, then Little gets lapped. They’re starting 24th and 25th, and Howard is $400 cheaper.
10. Justin Haley ($9,800) - The short tracks have been better for Haley, but he’s not a short track wiz. Haley seems to be the least talented of the top tier drivers in the least competent vehicle. A lot of things will need to go his way for him to be fantasy relevant.
11. Harrison Burton ($9,600) - A late race restart will be needed. Burton has two wins. He won at Fontana when the best car had a horrendous pit stop, and Burton took the lead on a day where passing was impossible. At Homestead, he went from nearly being lapped to winning an overtime restart.
12. Riley Herbst ($8,400) - It’s easy to see that Herbst has improved this season, but going from terrible to average isn’t that hard. Especially when you are racing a JGR car against small teams on the verge of going bankrupt during the pandemic. Head-to-head against the top tier drivers, Herbst doesn’t stand a chance.
13. Josh Williams ($5,600) - He can finish anywhere between 15th and 25th. No one knows what kind of car Gosselin will unload. Without practice these small teams are complete unknowns even to themselves. Throw in some cautions and DFS players are really scratching their heads.
14. Brandon Jones ($9,400) - Sometimes everything goes his way and he wins, like at Darlington. Most of the time, luck isn’t even involved and Jones is just out there showing off his dad’s sponsorship for the seven fans in attendance.
15. Chad Finchum ($6,200) - There have been specific races where Finchum start-and-parked, but that move was telegraphed in advance. Finchum has a sponsor, so he’ll move forward from his starting position of dead last. His average finish is 26th this season, and any DFS player will take that.
16. Brett Moffitt ($8,800) - He has top 10 talent, and he’s driving a top 15 car. That usually evens out to a 12th place finish each week. This price point is a little too high and his presence on your roster makes it difficult to roster all of the lap leaders.
17. Anthony Alfredo ($8,600) - RCR showed Hemric the door last season, and they opened the door for Alfredo. This swap was not a talent deal, but a money deal, or at least that’s what was initially thought. However, eight months into the season, Alfredo is averaging a 13th place finish and Hemric is averaging a 19th place finish.
18. Ryan Sieg ($8,100) - In nine of the last ten races, Sieg has earned a top 15 finish. He’s averaging a 10th place finish over that span. A tenth place finish will be 36 fantasy points, and that’s not quite enough. He’ll need close to top 5 to work. That sounds crazy, but he was fast in February and finished 3rd.
19. Daniel Hemric ($11,000) - The last time Hemric raced was Darlington. He wrecked his JR Motorsports car, as he normally does. With his propensity to make mistakes and ruin cars, one would believe that he had the maturity to accept blame. That is not what happened. He blamed Anthony Alfredo for playing too many video games. Alfredo is a rising star, Hemric’s career is on life support.
20. Myatt Snider ($9,100) - Here’s the story. Snider couldn’t find a ride last season, and he couldn’t find a ride this season. If his dad did not work for NBC, then he would be considered a driver that is one step above a start-and-parker.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: NXS $45K Octane [$10K to 1st] (XFIN)
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.