This week with the FOX Fantasy Auto game we’re targeting one thing and one thing only: place differential points. You shouldn’t be too concerned with filling up the salary cap on Sunday because, chances are, the top lineup isn’t going to even come close to using the full $50,000 allowance. The first restrictor plate race of the season (the Daytona 500) was a great race for place differential points, as three of the top five finishers started 33rd or worse in that race. This is one of those weeks where it’s best to just go with your gut feeling and sit back and enjoy the race. Good luck!
My team points last week: 162
Overall team standings: 99th percentile (for some reason FOX isn’t displaying the overall position)
Total team points for the season: 1,601
Top FOX Fantasy Auto Drivers for the 2017 Talladega Race
Kyle Larson ($13,000) – If you remember back to this year’s Daytona 500, you probably remember Kyle Larson’s ridiculous pass for the lead in the final laps that he did without any help at all. That event alone was a great precursor for how strong this #42 Chevrolet would be this season. Anyway, Larson could have easily won at Daytona this year if he didn’t run out of gas, and he will probably be fighting for the win here at Talladega as well. The good news for FOX Fantasy Auto players is that Larson will start back in 21st when the GEICO 500 goes green on Sunday, so there’s plenty of room for place differential points. He costs a ridiculous amount in this game this weekend but that should help deter some players from picking him. Larson finished 6th the last time we were here at Talladega.
Jimmie Johnson ($10,900) – “Seven Time” is going to be a very popular pick in FOX Fantasy Auto this weekend for a couple of reasons: one, he’s very cheap considering the strength of not only the driver but also the Hendrick Motorsports cars, and two, because he’s starting back in 30th when Sunday’s GEICO 500 goes green. Now obviously this makes for a great fade opportunity in this Fantasy NASCAR game, but at the same time it’s hard to pass up all of those potential fantasy points. Johnson is a two-time winner here at Talladega Superspeedway and has had the best average running position of all active drivers in the last five races at this track. Jimmie has just one finish better than 18th in the last six races here but he could easily win the race this weekend.
Kurt Busch ($9,800) – The #41 Ford will roll off the grid from 15th when the GEICO 500 goes green but Kurt Busch should be good enough to improve on that during the race. This year’s Daytona 500 winner has never been to victory lane here at Talladega Superspeedway but he’s currently on a three-race top 10 finish streak here and has wound up 12th or better in each of his last five starts here. He has a career average finish of 15.9 at this track and that’s good enough for 7th-best among active drivers. Overall, the Fords once again look like the manufacturer to beat this weekend, and Kurt Busch has a definite shot at getting another win on Sunday. Looking at the last ten years, the Daytona 500 winner has an average finish of 17.1 in this race with five finishes of 8th or better in those ten races.
Clint Bowyer ($9,600) – Really, all of the Stewart-Haas Racing drivers have a great shot to win here on Sunday–except maybe Danica Patrick–and that includes Clint Bowyer and his #14 Ford. Clint is a two-time winner here at Talladega Superspeedway and, overall, has a career average finish of 14.7–which is 3rd-best among active drivers, right behind Chase Elliott’s 8.5 and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.’s 11.7. As far as momentum goes, Bowyer has been right there with the best of them in recent Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, with an average finish of 8.5 over the last six events and an average driver rating of 94.2. On Sunday, he’ll start from back in 17th when the green flag waves in Talladega but should be able to challenge for at least a top 10 in the end.
Other viable options: Martin Truex, Jr., Ryan Blaney, A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Jamie McMurray, Danica Patrick, Ryan Newman, Ty Dillon
Stay away from…
Joey Logano ($12,800) – A lot of FOX Fantasy Auto players are going to see Joey Logano’s 12th-place starting spot and remember that he has won two of the last three Talladega races and think he is a must play Fantasy NASCAR pick this weekend. And while I’m not saying he is a terrible option here on Sunday, I think he’s a perfect fade in most leagues this week. You see, Joey Logano is really good here in the fall race, but as far as the spring event, he has struggled…a lot. Logano wound up 25th in this race one year ago and that’s his best finish in this race since it was moved to May in 2012. With that being said, Joey is still an elite restrictor plate racer and could easily win this race on Sunday. He won’t be on my FOX Fantasy Auto Racing roster, though.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ($5,500) – As I said in the opening, it’s all about place differential points at Talladega this weekend, and with his 2nd-place qualifying effort on Saturday, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. can, at best, grab one lone place differential point on Sunday. Now, when you’re playing down in the mid-$5,000 range, a solid top 5 finish would still be a decent return on your salary investment, but that result is nowhere near a guarantee–even from a driver that has won six races at this track. From his comments on Friday, it’s clear that Junior doesn’t really like his #88 Chevrolet in race conditions, and that’s honestly been the case for the last couple years now. That’s also the reason that Earnhardt has been one of the worst Fantasy NASCAR picks at Talladega and Daytona over that same time span. Junior’s ownership is going to be very high (as usual) in FOX Fantasy Auto this weekend but there’s 0% chance that he winds up on my final roster.
