NASCAR Xfinity Series: DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks for Homestead Contender Boats 250 (10/21/23)

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the Contender Boats 250. This is the second race of the Round of 8, with the eight remaining playoff drivers vying for a spot in the Championship 4.

Riley Herbst dominated at Las Vegas last week to win his first Xfinity Series race. Since Herbst isn't in the playoffs, no driver clinched a spot in the Championship 4. That makes this race even more important, as a win by one of the eight remaining drivers will clinch a spot in the finale.

Here at RotoBaller, we want to help you make informed decisions about your DFS lineups, which is why I'll be breaking down the slates for the Xfinity Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Contender Boats 250 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 10/21/23 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Xfinity DFS Picks - DraftKings

Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Cole Custer - $11,000

Starts First

Polesitter Cole Custer should be viewed as the clear favorite heading into Saturday's race. He's been dominant here in the Xfinity Series, posting top-two finishes in his last three starts here in the series. That includes the 2017 race, where Custer led 182 laps on his way to the victory. He led 95 in 2018 and finished second.

And while he didn't look as good here in the Cup Series as he did in Xfinity, that's really true of every track for Custer. He struggled in Cup, but he's been a top driver in Xfinity. He's already won twice this season and has an average finish of 10.8. I expect Custer to spend a lot of time out front on Saturday.

Chandler Smith - $9,500

Starts 12th

On Friday, news dropped that Chandler Smith will leave Kaulig next year for Joe Gibbs Racing next season. While I do think it's possible that provides a distraction for this team, this team is still battling for a title, so I think they'll ultimately buckle down.

Smith enters this race with three top fives in the last four races, including a fourth-place run at Las Vegas last week. The only race in that span where he didn't get a top five was the Charlotte Roval, and that's not really comparable to a track like Homestead.

This track was also the site of Smith's first top 10 in the Xfinity Series, as he was seventh here last year in the Sam Hunt Racing No. 26 car in his third career start.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $8,800

Starts 23rd

Dale Jr.'s back! The NASCAR legend is set to make his second Xfinity Series start of the year, marking the first time he's run multiple races in a NASCAR season since he retired from full-time driving. In his previous start at Bristol, Earnhardt was running so well, leading 47 laps before his race came to a sudden halt when the car just kind of, well...caught on fire.

But we learned in that race that Junior's still got it, and now he has another chance to get a good result in this No. 88 car at Homestead. He starts 23rd, so there's some really solid place differential upside for this car on Saturday afternoon.

Earnhardt last ran here in 2020, leading four laps and finishing fifth in the Xfinity Series race. It was his most recent top-10 finish in NASCAR.

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Derek Kraus - $7,800

Starts 20th

Derek Kraus has run really well in his few starts this season for Kaulig Racing. Through six starts, he has an average finish of 14.2 with three top 10s. He was eighth at both Martinsville and Kansas. Kraus fires off 20th on Saturday, so there's 10ish points of place differential at play here.

Kraus hasn't run an Xfinity Series race at Homestead, but he does have two Truck Series starts at the track, finishing 15th in both the 2020 and 2022 races.

Jeb Burton - $7,300

Starts 28th

Jeb Burton starts 28th on Saturday, a good number of spots below his average finish of 15.8. Enough said there about place differential upside—Burton has plenty of it.

Homestead's also been a pretty good track for Burton. In three Xfinity Series starts, he has two top 10s here, with a best result of fourth back in 2021. He also had a top five at the track once in the Truck Series, though it's worth noting that came all the way back in 2013.

Ryan Ellis - $5,400

Starts 37th

Ryan Ellis has a couple poor results in a row, as he was 27th at Las Vegas after crashing out the race before at the Charlotte Roval. But before that, he'd been delivering solid results in this No. 43 Alpha Prime Racing car, running off three top 20 finishes in a row, with a best result of 13th at Texas.

Ellis starts 37th on Saturday. At just $5,400, he has a chance to be a really great value source of place differential points. His average finish in 28 races this season is 25.3, approximately 12 spots better than his starting spot this week. Overall, he averages +4.5 places per race.

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