The wild ride at Watkins Glen is over (and my God, it got intense). If you didn't get to check out the race last Sunday you missed an amazing performance by Chase Elliott, and drivers ganging up on Kyle Busch (there is no in-between). It will be another year before we travel back to the Glen, but we all know that Chase Elliott will probably be the best DFS play that money can buy when NASCAR returns.
The best value play at Watkins Glen was Matt DiBenedetto. He pulled off a sixth-place finish and scored a total of 56 FPTS on DraftKings. That is incredible production for a driver that you can get on the low each week, and a sure way to get yourself in position to win those big DFS tournaments.
Getting back to the oval track grind, NASCAR heads to Michigan this Sunday. Michigan's best sleeper pick in June was Chris Buescher after he put up a solid 46 FPTS at the FireKeepers Casino 400. This Sunday he has landed a spot in the sleeper conversation once again along with some other familiar value names.
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What We Learned At Watkins Glen
- It's Kyle Busch vs. Everybody.
- Chase Elliott is possibly the new road warrior of NASCAR.
- Matt DiBenedetto is a great play at road courses.
- Jimmie Johnson may have a good thing going with his new crew chief.
DFS Lineup Sleepers - Consumers Energy 400
Paul Menard
Menard has been doing decently as of late at intermediate tracks, putting himself right outside of the Top 10 at Kentucky and New Hampshire. His pricing on DK this week is $6,900, and if he qualifies towards the rear he could give you a nice edge in your lineups. Menard had a speed of 188.344 in the first practice at Michigan.
Chris Buescher
Buescher has been consistently running in the Top 20 since the Digital Ally 400 in Kansas. The last time he ran at Michigan, he put himself in the high scoring list for DFS purposes after starting 31st, and finishing 16th. Buescher didn't have the best first practice at Michigan on Friday, but he is proving himself to be a driver to lean on week after week at a low cost.
Ryan Newman
Newman cashed in with a Top 10 run back in June at Michigan, and could follow that up again if all goes well Sunday. As long as Newman can avoid an accident, he's your best choice for the price. Sitting at $7,900 on DraftKings, he becomes a solid middle-tier driver to throw in a lineup.
DFS Lineup Avoids - Consumers Energy 400
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
There's been a lot of memes popping up about Stenhouse Jr, and for good cause. He's just not performing the way he was expected to at the beginning of the season, and he is a must park this Sunday at Michigan. Since 2017, Stenhouse Jr. has finished each race at this track with negative placement, and an average of 10 FPTS since 2018.
William Byron
Byron rarely comes to my avoid list solely because of his speeds and team, but this week I don't want anything to do with him. Byron has never finished this race with a Top 10, and when he does get positive placement at this track, it's not by much. If you wanna go bargain Hendrick this week, look to Jimmie Johnson to add some spark to your lineup.
Erik Jones
Jones has been landing a paragraph on my driver picks for a minute now, but I'm throwing him to the rear this week due to his underwhelming performances at Michigan. Numbers don't lie, and Jones' numbers show us that he's scored an average of 14.50 FPTS on DraftKings when racing at this track. Jones is simply not worth the money ($8,500 on DraftKings) when running at Michigan.
For any and all fantasy NASCAR questions, find me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase.
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