The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series speeds in to Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400 this weekend. The first of two stops in Michigan this season should feature plenty of drama with high speeds and plenty of room to pass on this track. Ryan Blaney stole the show last week at Pocono when he picked up his first-career win. Blaney will serve as the inspiration for at least a couple of sleeper picks in our DraftKings lineups for this week’s race. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s DraftKings NASCAR daily fantasy leagues.
Brad Keselowski, $10,100
The Michigan native has made it a priority to win a race at his home track this season so we are expecting big things from Keselowski this weekend. The driver of the No. 2 Ford has registered top-10 finishes in each of his last six Michigan races. Experience should matter in a race that could come down to fuel strategy. Perhaps this is the year that Keselowski will finally capture that elusive win at Michigan.
Kyle Larson, $9,900
Larson won his first career race at Michigan last year and he was excellent on a similar track at Auto Club Speedway earlier this season. The best strategy at Michigan is running close to the wall and nobody has done that better than Larson this season. Keselowski will be the home favorite this weekend but Larson might actually be the best bet to win this race outright.
Larson enters the week in second place in the points standings. He is just one point back of Martin Truex Jr. as he has 583 points on the year.
Kevin Harvick, $9,600
Harvick has an excellent track record at Michigan and we expect that trend to continue this weekend. The veteran driver has placed in the top-five in seven of the last eight races at this track including a ridiculous five runner up finishes here. Harvick also has a history of running up front here so that could mean bonus points for laps led. While Harvick will be our third option at over $9.5K in DraftKings competitions, he is definitely worth the price tag for this week’s race.
Harvick enters the week in third place in the points standings, which is 104 points back of first place. However, he does have a 17-point cushion over Kyle Busch, who is in fourth place.
Kasey Kahne, $7,700
After loading up with a trio that could finish 1-2-3 at Michigan, we had to find some value to fill out the remainder of our DraftKings lineup. Kahne is still looking for his first win of the season and there are rumors that his partnership with Hendrick Motorsports could be coming to an end based in large part on his lack of results. There is a good chance that looming ultimatum could provide a spark for Kahne heading in to this week’s race at Michigan. At under $8K, a top-10 finish would make him a worthy pick in DraftKings competitions.
Ryan Newman, $7,600
The Richard Childress Racing cars have enough speed to hang around at Michigan this week. After recording top-15 finishes in three straight races, Newman has the potential to be a strong value pick for this week’s race. Newman has been very consistent of late and at just $7.6K, he is worth taking a chance on in DraftKings formats.
Taking a look at the standings, Newman enters the week in 16th place. He does have a win on the year but with just 322 points, he is a long ways away from Martin Truex Jr. at 584. However, he is only 57 points out of 10th place.
David Ragan, $5,100
Considering how we have structured our DraftKings lineup for this week, Ragan might be the most important piece in our lineup. His super-low price tag allows us to spend big on our top-three picks while making sure we can still fill out the rest of our lineup with strong value plays. Ragan won’t contend for the outright win but he has placed in the top-25 in six of his last seven Cup races. If Ragan can deliver another top-25 finish this weekend, he will make for an outstanding sleeper value pick in DraftKings competitions.
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