1 day agoLos Angeles Kings center Quinton Byfield found the back of the net for the sixth-straight time on Saturday evening during their victory over the Nashville Predators. Byfield would be the lone goal scorer in this contest. He would find the back of the net on a wrist shot during overtime to power Los Angeles to the victory. The former second overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has now scored at least one goal in each of his past six contests. During this stretch, the 22-year-old has found the back of the net six times with one of them coming during 4-on-5 play. During this stretch, he has tallied 13 shots on goal and held a strong +5 rating. Through 65 games this season, Byfield has found the back of the net 17 times and added 23 helpers. He remains a solid option in all standard formats while he continues this impressive stretch.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoChase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports obtained a starting position of 16th after qualifying for this week's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is the lowest starting position of all four Hendrick entries for Sunday's race at the Nevada track. In 15 starts at Las Vegas in the Cup Series, Elliott has five top-10 finishes, with his last being collected in 2022. Through four races so far this season, Elliott has three top-15 finishes, including two top-10s in the last two weeks. In practice, Elliott ranked 16th in overall lap averages while ranking close to or inside the top 10 in all other categories. Considering his salary for this week's race ($9,000 on DraftKings), his salary, and recent 2025 seasonwide performance, Elliott is worth consideration for all DFS formats as one of the sneakier options available.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoNew York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin tallied a goal and an assist during their victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday evening. In the second period, Panarin found the back of the net during 5-on-5 play. Later in the third period, Panarin would tally the primary helper on Vincent Trocheck's 19th goal of the season. This outing extended his point streak to eight games. During this impressive stretch, the 33-year-old has found the back of the net six times and added six helpers. He has averaged 3.5 shots on goal per game and tallied two of his helpers on the power play. Through 65 total contests this season, Panarin has earned 71 points (29 goals) with 22 of them coming on the power play. He remains a must-start player in all formats and a top option in DFS.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoCarolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov stopped all 26 shots he saw on Saturday evening during their victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Hurricanes held the slight advantage in the shot total but Kochetkov was able to step up when called on. This outing also extended his win streak to five games. During this impressive stretch, Kochetkov has held a stellar .948 save percentage with a 1.19 GAA. He only allowed two or more goals twice during this stretch. Through 40 games this season, Kochetkov has held a 25-11-3 record with a .907 save percentage and a 2.37 GAA. Fantasy managers should continue to expect him and Frederik Andersen to alternate starts in the Carolina crease. His next start will likely be against the Los Angeles Kings next weekend.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoHendrick Motorsports driver William Byron will start eighth for this week's Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Pennzoil 400. It will be the sixth consecutive race at Las Vegas where Byron will start inside the top 10. In 14 races at Vegas in his Cup career, Byron has seven top-10 finishes, including each of the last four races at the site, and one win. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver currently leads the regular season standings with one win and three top-10 finishes after four races this year. In practice, Byron ranked first in overall lap averages while ranking among the top three fastest in all other categories. Byron is one of the top favorites to compete for the win this week and should be heavily considered for all formats by DFS players.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day ago23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick will start 14th for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is Reddick's highest starting position in a March race at Las Vegas since he joined 23XI for the 2023 Cup Series season. In 10 races at Vegas in his Cup career, Reddick has five top-10 finishes, including a best finish of second in last year's March race at the site. With four races completed so far this season, Reddick has four top-20 finishes, including two inside the top five. In practice, Reddick was fifth in overall lap averages, best of the Toyota drivers, and displayed top-5 speeds in all other categories. Based on his practice speeds and recent Vegas history, Reddick will be one of the best DFS picks of the week, especially with solid upside coming from his starting position.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoTampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli scored two goals during their 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday evening. Cirelli scored his first goal in the second period on a deflection. Later in the third frame, Cirelli would score an empty-netter which put the game out of reach. This was a much-needed breakout outing for Cirelli as he entered Saturday with a seven-game scoreless drought. However, the 27-year-old tallied seven points (two goals) over his last eight contests before that skid. Cirelli continues to play on the top forward unit in Tampa Bay, providing him with high scoring chances. Through 64 total contests this season, he has tallied 47 points (22 goals). He remains a solid option in DFS in favorable matchups and a viable play in deeper formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoJoe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin will start 15th for Sunday's race at Las Vegas, the Pennzoil 400. Hamlin's starting position for this week's race matches his starting position from the October 2023 Cup event at the Nevada track. In 26 races at Las Vegas, Hamlin has one win and 14 top-10 finishes, including each of the last three Cup events at the site. Through four races this season, Hamlin has two top-10 finishes, highlighted by a runner-up finish during last week's race at Phoenix to his teammate, Christopher Bell. In practice for this week's race, Hamlin was 24th in overall lap averages but only displayed speed on the longer runs as he ranked 12th in 25 consecutive lap averages and fifth in 30 consecutive lap averages. Although Hamlin's practice speeds may not be the best compared to other top-priced DFS options, he is still worth consideration as an alternative pivot play due to his favorable Las Vegas history and his equipment, which will compete for a top-10 finish.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoWashington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin tallied two points during their victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Ovechkin tallied the primary helper on Dylan Strome's opening goal. Later in the third period, Ovechkin would find the back of the net, which put him just eight goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's record. During this contest, Ovechkin logged four total shots on goal with two hits. Over his previous 11 contests, the future Hall of Famer has found the back of the net eight times and added four helpers. During this stretch he averaged an impressive 4.1 shots on goal per game. Through 51 total games this season, Ovechkin has scored 34 goals and 21 helpers with nine of his goals coming on the power play. He remains a must-start player and a top option in DFS as he continues to chase history.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoPittsburgh Penguins center Connor Dewar found the back of the net twice during their victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon. Dewar scored his first goal in the opening frame on a wrist shot. Later in the third period, Dewar would score the empty-netter to put the game out of reach. Dewar has found the back of the net at least once in each of his previous two games. The Penguins acquired Dewar at the trade deadline, and he has performed quite well during his first four contests in Pittsburgh. During these games, he has tallied three goals with eight hits, three blocks, and a +4 rating. The 25-year-old has been deployed on the third offensive line, which has provided him with scoring opportunities. He could be worth a look in deeper formats as he continues this productive stretch,
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day ago23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace will start 20th for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Wallace continues his streak of starting races inside the top 20 at Las Vegas since 2022 with his qualifying result this week. In 14 previous races at Vegas, Wallace has five top-20 finishes, including three finishes of 13th or better in the last four Cup events at the Nevada track. After four races this season, Wallace has two DNFs but also two top-20 finishes while sitting 12th in regular season points. In practice, Wallace ranked 11th in overall lap averages and showcased top-10 speeds in all other categories. Expect Wallace to compete for a top-10 finish this week, indicating that he is worth rostering in all DFS formats.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoRFK Racing's Brad Keselowski will start 27th for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Keselowski was the worst qualifier of the three RFK entries for this week's race. In 23 starts at Las Vegas, Keselowski has three wins and 17 top-20 finishes, including four since joining RFK for the 2022 Cup Series season. With four races completed so far in the 2025 season, Keselowski has one top-20 finish and two DNFs. In practice for this week's race at Vegas, Keselowski ranked 10th in overall lap averages but displayed speeds outside of the top 20 in all other categories. Keselowski's track history at Vegas makes him worth consideration for cash game lineups, especially with a high DFS ceiling, but his practice speeds and 2025 performance to date make him difficult to recommend for tournaments.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoErik Jones of Legacy Motor Club acquired a starting position of fifth for this week's Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Pennzoil 400. This is the first time that Jones will start inside the top 10 at Las Vegas since he earned his last pole at the site in 2018. In 15 races at Vegas, Jones has four top-10 finishes, with only one of them being scored since 2022. After four races so far this year, Jones has two top-20 finishes and a best finish of 12th at Daytona. In practice, Jones ranked 13th in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap average categories. Although Jones has a cheap salary ($6,300 on DraftKings) and relatively solid practice speeds, his Vegas track history and low upside make him difficult to recommend for DFS outside of the occasional tournament lineup.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoTrackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez will start 23rd for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This will be the second consecutive Las Vegas race where Suarez will start from the 23rd position. In 15 races at Vegas, Suarez has 10 top-20 finishes, including four straight top-15 results in the last four Cup events at the site. The No. 99 Chevrolet driver does not have the strongest start to the year with only one top-20 finish in the first four races of the 2025 Cup season. In practice, Suarez ranked 21st in overall lap averages while displaying top-20 speeds in all other categories. Considering his relatively inexpensive salary ($7,100 on DraftKings), recent Vegas history, and his practice speeds, Suarez is worth rostering in all formats.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoSpire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar will start 25th after qualifying for this week's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hocevar's starting position for this week matches the lowest of his Cup career at Las Vegas. In three previous races at the site, Hocevar has just one top-15 finish and never collected positive Place Differential in his Cup career at the site. With four races completed so far this season, Hocevar has two top-20 finishes and two DNFs. In practice, Hocevar ranked third in overall lap averages while displaying top-10 speeds in all other categories. Hocevar's upside, practice speeds, and 2025 performance so far all make him worth rostering in all formats this week at Las Vegas.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoRFK Racing's Ryan Preece obtained a starting position of 12th for this week's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Pennzoil 400. Preece's starting position will be the highest ever of his Cup career at Las Vegas. In 10 Cup starts in his career at Vegas, Preece has two top-20 finishes. The No. 60 Ford driver also nabbed positive Place Differential in all four of his appearances in the Next-Gen car since 2022. Through four races this year, Preece has two top-20 finishes, with his 15th-place finish in last week's race at Phoenix being his best of the season yet. In practice, Preece ranked 28th in overall lap averages while displaying top-20 speeds in the 20 and 25 consecutive lap average categories. Compared to most in his salary range ($6,200 on DraftKings), Preece offers little upside based on his starting position. Preece can only be worth recommending for tournament games, but his practice speeds suggest that he may not be worth the gamble. Fantasy players are recommended to fade Preece this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
1 day agoEven though Joey Logano is very expensive at $9,500, last fall's Las Vegas winner seems potentially poised to lead early and often since he qualified second directly outside Michael McDowell. Considering he is a vastly better intermediate driver and one of Las Vegas' foremost masters, he stands a good chance of earning a lot of points for leading and fastest laps, but he's still had a significant downturn in speed as his speed percentiles of 59.42 and 60.62 the last two years were his slowest ever as a Penske driver, and Ryan Blaney is routinely faster of late. However, he definitely seems faster than he was last year, and despite no top-10 finishes, he already has half of last year's laps-led total after four races. If you think Logano is going to dominate the race, he's a very valuable DFS option. But if you don't, he becomes avoidable.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoMichael McDowell pulled a big surprise by delivering Spire Motorsports' first pole position for Sunday's Pennzoil 400, while his teammates Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley only qualified 25th and 33rd, respectively. Although McDowell won the most poles last year, that came for a Front Row Motorsports team that was dominating on drafting tracks, and one does not normally expect him to do much on intermediates. Since he only costs $6,100, he might be a tempting DFS selection if you think he's going to hold the lead and score a lot of lap-leader points, but it seems far more likely that outside pole-sitter Joey Logano will pass him immediately, so he will likely lose more points based on place differential than he gains from leading.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoAustin Cindric tends to qualify well on flat intermediates, and Las Vegas is no exception, as he has now qualified third here for the third time, including three of the last four winter Las Vegas races. However, he also has a history of sliding back through the pack when he qualifies well on an intermediate and he has lost positions in every Las Vegas start, except for the 2023 winter race, when he started ninth and finished sixth, but he ran significantly worse in that race since his average running position was 18th. Despite having four top-10 qualifying runs at Las Vegas, he has never had an ARP better than 13th in six previous starts, so starting from third, he is almost certain to lose positions. While he could lead a few laps in the beginning, there's not enough value to start him, even at $7,200.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoChase Briscoe was typically very slow in his previous races at Las Vegas, with a fourth place in the 2022 fall event serving as his sole highlight, but even in that race he only had an average running position of 17th. Admittedly, a large part of that was the fact that the Stewart-Haas Racing cars tended to badly struggle on intermediates after 2020. Now Briscoe is driving for a Joe Gibbs Racing team that is traditionally much faster on them, but it didn't seem to help much as he still qualified only 24th and perhaps surprisingly, none of the JGR cars placed in the top ten. Briscoe is one of the biggest question marks for this race since he'll likely run better for JGR than SHR in theory but James Small isn't a great crew chief and bad luck continues to follow the No. 19 car whever it goes. Briscoe is likely too overpriced at $8,500 to be very valuable.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoAfter looking like he would inevitably win his first NASCAR Cup Series race soon in the first half of last year, Ty Gibbs has had an inexplicable falloff. He has only posted a single top ten in the last 15 races despite having theoretically championship-caliber Joe Gibbs Racing equipment and it's not like he's even been running well and is merely unlucky. In the last seven races, his best average running position is 21st and he qualified 29th yesterday. His weekend went from bad to worse when he flipped his High Limit sprint car last night. Considering how dominant Gibbs's teammate Christopher Bell was in last fall's race here, Gibbs should be good for Place Differential in theory, but since he seems to be running badly on a regular basis now and somewhat unlucky, he's probably not a top-tier option.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoEven though Shane van Gisbergen's teammate Ross Chastain was the fastest driver in Saturday's practice at Las Vegas, don't expect SVG to utilize his Trackhouse Racing cars to the same extent. Although it might be tempting to draft him because he is starting 28th and because of Chastain's speed, he is still a rookie who has only raced at this track once before in the Cup Series, finishing 29th in last fall's event. He didn't have much experience there in the Xfinity Series, either, as he had mechanical DNFs in both Las Vegas races last year before they were half over. It takes a while for even the world's best drivers to figure out the Next Gen car, and even though he is one of the world's best drivers, he isn't yet on ovals. It is probably advisable to stay away for DFS lineups.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoAlthough Noah Gragson crashed out last week at Phoenix when he seemed to be the best underdog DFS choice, the hometown native seems to have a little value at Las Vegas since last year he drove from 30th to sixth on a track type where the Stewart-Haas Racing cars usually struggle. However, even though he finished far ahead of his fellow SHR cars, his average running position of 17th suggests he was very lucky and won't repeat that performance. Additionally, he qualified a lot better this time (21st) for a Front Row Motorsports team generally regarded as worse, although his teammate Zane Smith did qualify in the top 10. Gragson probably isn't one of your best options this time, but at $6,900, he's a relatively cheap option who might be suitable to fill a DFS lineup.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoAustin Dillon has a decent record at Las Vegas, even though he hardly ever leads there. In 19 starts, he has finished in the top twenty 14 times and has been reliably consistent on a very low level, which suggests he will probably improve somewhat from his 22nd place starting position. However, he has only led 12 laps there (all before the advent of the Next Gen car), so it seems highly improbable that he will score much in the way of points for leading laps or fastest laps. Furthermore, Justin Alexander isn't his crew chief this year and he always runs worse without him than with him. He'll probably gain a couple positions, but not enough to make him a valuable pick for DFS especially since he costs closer to $7,000 than $6,000.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoJosh Berry qualifying well is starting to become rather routine, and his seventh-place starting position for Sunday's race at Las Vegas is consistent with that. However, he tends to be very slow on unrestricted intermediate tracks, and he only finished 20th and 24th in last year's Las Vegas races. Admittedly, he was a rookie, but the track hasn't really suited him to begin with -- in his Hendrick Motorsports debut at Las Vegas two years ago, he only finished 29th, while his three regular teammates swept the top three. For all the speed Berry had at Atlanta and Phoenix, he's almost guaranteed to lose positions here, making him clearly one of the worst options unless you think he'll lead laps in Stage 1 when most of the better drivers are starting behind him. Given his recent form, it's certainly not inconceivable, but don't bet on it.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoIn a puzzling qualifying session, Michael McDowell won the pole while his Spire Motorsports teammates Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley only qualified 25th and 33rd, respectively. Nonetheless, based on qualifying, Spire has seemed to have an uptick in speed this year and Spire at least is a Hendrick Motorsports satellite at a track where HMS frequently dominates. Even though Haley has generally underachieved since he took over the No. 7 Spire car late last year, it seems he likely has a lot of value since he earned top-20 finishes in four of the five Next Gen-era races in which he didn't have a Rick Ware car. In three of those, he had top-20 average running positions. When you also consider that Corey LaJoie had a 13th-place ARP last year, Haley is likely one of the best DFS underdog plays.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoAlthough Cole Custer's career-defining moment in the Cup Series came when he made a four-wide pass for the win as a rookie at Kentucky Speedway in 2020 and Las Vegas is likewise a flat 1.5-mile track, he hasn't been too strong at Las Vegas, as his best finish is 16th and he has never led a lap there. He has also only posted an average running position of better than 25th once. To some extent, Stewart-Haas Racing really struggled on intermediates after his rookie season, so this isn't surprising, but even though Custer was solid on this track type in the Xfinity Series, the fact that Haas has now dropped from four cars to one suggests that they probably aren't very likely to run well on intermediates where horsepower is paramount. Custer might be worth a slight look if you think he'll have speed since he only costs $5,300 and is starting 26th, but it seems unlikely he will have speed.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoCody Ware qualified 35th for Sunday's race at Las Vegas. After missing the fall 2023 and winter 2024 races at Las Vegas after his arrest and suspension by NASCAR, he earned a career-best finish at the track when he finished 21st, and it wasn't that unrepresentative of a result as his average running position of 24th matched his best on a non-drafting oval in his career. Having said that, even though he is the cheapest DFS driver on DraftKings at $5,000, he is still unlikely to gain enough positions in terms of place differential to be a worthwhile pick to start for DFS lineups.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
1 day agoKeep an eye on Kyle Busch in this weekend's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Richard Childress Racing has had better-than-expected speed to start out the 2025 season, and "Rowdy" has an excellent track record at his home venue. In six of the last nine races at this track, Busch has finished sixth or better, so the talent is definitely there if his equipment is up to par. The No. 8 Chevrolet wasn't overly competitive in the two Las Vegas races last year--Busch finished 26th and 13th--but, as mentioned before, the RCR Chevrolets could have more speed this time around. Busch also finished eighth at Kansas last season, which is the sister track to Las Vegas. This weekend, the No. 8 Chevrolet was 11th-fastest in practice. Kyle will roll off the starting grid from fourth-place when the Pennzoil 400 goes green on Sunday. He could end up leading some laps early and makes for an interesting tournament play in DFS contests on DraftKings.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
1 day agoDon't sleep on Alex Bowman this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Statistically, this has been one of the best tracks on the schedule for Bowman since the Next Gen car was introduced, as he has an average finish of 12.4 here over the last five races and an average driver rating of 98.5. Including his win here in Sin City back in 2022, Bowman finished third here in 2023 and ended up finishing fifth in the fall Playoff race last October. Additionally, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has been strong at Kansas Speedway as well, which is the sister track to Las Vegas. Over at Kansas, Bowman has five straight top-10 finishes. This weekend, the No. 48 Chevrolet was among the fastest in practice when it came to long-run lap averages, and Bowman qualified sixth for Sunday's Pennzoil 400. He's a risky tournament/pivot option in DFS contests at $8,000 on DraftKings.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
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