RADIO
We've got two Xfinity races this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which is going to be a lot of fun, especially when you consider that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is racing in the first one.
That's right, Dale Jr. is back. He starts 12th and is the highest-priced driver on this slate on DraftKings. He also doesn't appear in my picks, because despite his talent and the fact that he's gotten top fives in both of his one-off Xfinity races since retiring, his price tag scares me off too much. It'll be nice to watch Junior race, though, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him put up a strong performance. We'll see.
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 Hooters 250 on DraftKings. (And if any other DFS providers want to start doing Xfinity, we'll do those too!) Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station.
Xfinity DFS Lineup 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.
Chase Briscoe #98 ($11,300) - Starting 8th
Briscoe finished third when the Xfinity Series was at Homestead last Autumn, and this 98 team has been running well since NASCAR's return at Darlington, with Briscoe placing in the top 10 in three of four races, including a win and a second-place finish.
Briscoe's average finish of 7.9 this season ranks third among full-time drivers and he ranks third in percentage of quality passes as well. His 155 fastest laps leads the series, and he's second among the full timers in percentage of total laps that's he's led. Basically, Briscoe's done an excellent job at doing two things you need to do to A) win races and B) score highly in DFS: he's been fast and he's been up front.
Austin Cindric #22 ($10,500) - Starting 9th
Cindric has hit a rough patch over the last two races, with finishes of 36th at Bristol and 16th at Atlanta. But don't forget that this 22 team had five consecutive top 10s earlier in the season, including four top fives.
Cindric's got speed this year, as evidenced by his 110 fastest laps run, the fourth-most among Xfinity regulars. And while his average finish is 12.1, his average running position is 9.4. Cindric's been running better than his recent finishes might suggest.
He's also finished in the top 10 in both of his Xfinity racess at Homestead, including a seventh-place finish in 2019. His one Truck Series start at the track resulted in a top five. This is a good track for this young driver, and he's got a little bit of place differential upside coming from the ninth starting spot.
Anthony Alfredo #21 ($7,900) - Starting 21st
If we're looking for someone starting further back in the field, give a look at Anthony Alfredo, who I'm pretty sure I've just continually suggested in this column since we started doing Xfinity coverage here at RotoBaller.
Alfredo has run three races so far in this 21 car for Richard Childress Racing and has a pair of top 10s. His average finish is 10th, and while the sample size on that is probably too small to compare to the drivers who've run every race in the series, it's still worth noting that that's a really good average finish.
This isn't the fastest car in the world -- he's run two fastest laps in his three starts -- but Alfredo is proving to be a consistent driver who keeps this car clean. His upside is limited, but so is his downside, and he's really the only driver starting outside the top-20 who can get a non-weird top 10 this week. Provided we get a relatively normal race, he's the guy from deep in the field that you want to roster.
Justin Haley #11 ($6,700) - Starting 10th
I think I'm willing to put my foot down and say "Justin Haley is the most underrated driver in the Xfinity Series." Haley's had top fives in five of the eight races this season, and aside from a crash at Charlotte that left him in 29th, he's had top 20s in every race. Haley ran exceptionally well at Atlanta, finishing third, and for the first time since NASCAR returned is starting outside of the top four, which finally takes away some of the place differential downside that's made him tricky to use in DFS lineups.
Yet, Haley remains incredibly undervalued. Bayley Currey, Jeffery Earnhardt, and Stefan Parsons all come at higher pricetags than Haley? Really? Our lineup optimizer has Haley projected at 5.22 fantasy points per dollar; only four drivers are better values based on that. Kaulig Racing has been running well, and Haley should continue that on Saturday.
Riley Herbst #18 ($7,500) - Starting 6th
Herbst has top-flight equipment under him, but so far that's turned into just three top 10s this season, with none of those coming since the season restarted.
But let's dig deeper into his best runs. A 17th-place finish at Atlanta is disappointing, but his other bad performances have come at Daytona -- where he crashed -- and at two tracks where the driver is incredibly important, Bristol and Darlington. At intermediate tracks where the car having speed comes into play more, Herbst has been fine. He even had a second-place finish at Fontana.
The owner of 37 fastest laps this season and an average running position of 11.4, Herbst is due for a solid run. I don't love that he's starting so high up, but at his DFS price, I think Herbst combination of speed and intermediate track performance make him a solid play.
Colby Howard #15 ($5,800) - Starting 31st
Here's a fairly risky play, but Howard's finished in the top 20 in his past two races. Starting back in 31st, he has good upside in place differential provided he's able to bring the car home in one piece.
I don't have a ton to say about Howard. He's cheap enough to allow you to fit in Briscoe and Cindric, which is useful, and he's been improving as the season has gone along. There's obvious downside to Howard as he's not running in great equipment, but our projections have him as the driver with the most projected fantasy points of anyone priced lower than Justin Haley. For that reason and because of the lack of other great options on the low-end of the pricing, I'm fairly high on Howard this weekend.
