There aren’t quite as many bonus FPTS up for grabs at Texas 2 this weekend as there were at Martinsville 2 last weekend, but the Sprint Cup Series is still set to run 334 laps around this 1.5-mile race track on Sunday, so there’s still quite a few. The key for DraftKings players this weekend is correctly picking who the dominator is going to be and having them in your lineup. Typically with the races here at Texas, there are only one or two drivers that lead most of the race, and recent trends have seen very little “movers” in the races. This weekend, however, there are quite a few good drivers starting mid-pack, so we could see quite a few guys making their way through the field on Sunday.
High-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Texas 2 (over $9,500)
Kevin Harvick ($10,900) – The #4 Chevrolet has a little trouble getting going this weekend, but after about five or six laps, there’s probably not any car that is faster on the long runs. And considering we usually see at least one very long green flag run here at Texas, that bodes well for Kevin Harvick. He’s never been to victory lane here in the Lone Star State but you have to assume that it’s going to happen sooner rather than later. After all, Harvick has finished 2nd or 3rd in three of the last four races here. All of the very high-priced drivers are potential options in DraftKings this weekend, we just need to figure out which one is going to score the highest. Harvick doesn’t have much room for place differential FPTS this weekend since he qualified 3rd, but if he’s able to go out and lead 100+ laps to start the race, that’ll more than make up for that.
Brad Keselowski ($9,600) – While the higher-priced guys like Harvick, Johnson, and Truex do look enticing this weekend, don’t overlook Brad Keselowski’s potential for a monster day in Texas on Sunday. Don’t forget that the #2 Ford dominated this race one year ago, leading 312 of the 334 laps before ultimately finishing 2nd. BK has another great car this weekend and was one of the best when it came to ten-lap average during both practice sessions on Saturday. Keselowski qualified 4th for Sunday’s AAA Texas 400, but if he’s able to get in front of the field early, he might be able to run away with this one. Going into the race, we have Kevin Harvick as the most likely to lead the most laps, followed closely by both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. The latter has three top 5s in the last four Texas races and should contend for the win this weekend, which would be his first career victory at this track.
Jimmie Johnson ($10,800) – If you have an argument for not considering Jimmie Johnson at Texas this weekend, we’d like to hear it. In last year’s November race at this track, it was Johnson that went to victory lane. In the 2014 November race, Johnson won again. In November 2013, Jimmie Johnson. Although in the 2012 November race… just kidding, it was Jimmie Johnson once again. The guy is an absolute fantasy ace at this race track and the only thing he’s focused on this weekend is winning since he’s already locked into the Homestead finale. And while the #48 Chevrolet didn’t have the most speed in it during qualifying on Friday (Johnson will start 19th), it looked pretty good during the two practice sessions on Saturday. Jimmie’s ten-lap average in Happy Hour was only 15th-best overall, but it was 2nd-best among runs on older tires. If you can afford him, Jimmie Johnson should be a great DraftKings pick this weekend.
Mid-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Texas 2 (between $7,500 and $9,500)
Carl Edwards ($8,900) – One guy that seems to be flying under the radar this weekend is Carl Edwards. The #19 team brought a brand new race car to the Lone Star State this weekend, and it has a whole bunch of speed in it. Edwards had the best ten-lap average in Practice #2 on Saturday and then wound up 5th on that chart in Happy Hour. What makes that even more impressive is the fact that Edwards usually doesn’t make long runs during practice unless he has a really good race car. Carl is a three-time winner at Texas Motor Speedway and we honestly think he might be contend for the win here on Sunday. He starts 9th, so there’s a little room for place differential FPTS, and Cousin Carl might be the most under-priced driver in DraftKings this weekend. If you can afford him, you should pull the trigger.
Chase Elliott ($9,200) – This is a high-risk, high-reward driver, but there’s quite a few things to like about Chase Elliott this weekend. The #24 Chevrolet has arguably been one of the best cars on the intermediate tracks lately, and Chase Elliott has shown that he can get to the front. What he’s had a problem doing is staying up there and/or getting the finish he deserves. However, the last time we raced here at Texas, Elliott came home 5th, and we’re actually expecting a similar race out of him this weekend. Chase had good long and short run speed during Happy Hour on Saturday and that will really pay dividends on Sunday. Also, Elliott will start from 11th when this race goes green, so there’s some room for place differential FPTS as well.
Kasey Kahne ($8,400) – Place differential, place differential, place differential. Kasey Kahne somehow qualified way back in in 31st this weekend, but the #5 Chevrolet is much better than that in race trim, as Kahne had top 20 speed in both practice sesssions and ranked 19th in ten-lap average during Happy Hour. However, even a 20th-place run out of Kasey on Sunday is going to net DraftKings owners 35+ FPTS, which isn’t too bad considering the #5 Chevrolet should end up even higher than that. Kahne has finished 11th or better in five of the last seven races here at Texas and has wound up 12th or better in eight of the last nine Sprint Cup races overall. He’s a little pricey this weekend, but if you can afford Kahne on Sunday, he should pay off quite nicely.
Low-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Texas 2 (under $7,500)
Clint Bowyer ($7,100) – On Saturday, Clint Bowyer showed enough speed to get our attention, so while he is a little bit pricey, he might end up being worth it on Sunday. Throughout his career, Bowyer has finished inside the top 10 in ten of his twenty-one total starts at Texas Motor Speedway (47.6%), and while he isn’t in that great of equipment now, a top 20 wouldn’t be too crazy of a finish for Bowyer on Sunday. And when you consider the fact that he qualified back in 27th this weekend, a 20th-place result would net DraftKings owners 30+ FPTS for the day.
Trevor Bayne ($6,700) – We like all of the Roush-Fenway drivers in DraftKings this weekend, but between the three, we have to put Trevor Bayne as the top option. He qualified back in 26th for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500, but the #6 Ford should be quite better than that in actual race conditions. Bayne was 8th-fastest in Practice #2 on Saturday and then lost some speed during Happy Hour. But still, a top 20 is within reach for him. Trevor ran 15th when we last raced here in April and has now finished 19th or better in four of the last seven races here in the Lone Star State. On recent intermediate tracks (Charlotte and Kansas), Bayne has finished 18th and 17th.
Michael McDowell ($5,600) – Somehow Michael McDowell stayed down in price this weekend, but we’re not complaining. Comparatively speaking, McDowell has been a fantasy stud over the last month, with 34 or more FPTS scored in each of the last four races. This weekend, McDowell qualified 28th, so if he’s going to get to that mark once again, he’s going to have to finish 19th on Sunday. However, that’s not entirely out of reach for this #95 team. McDowell was 6th-fastest in Practice #2 (with the 12th-best ten-lap average) and then wound up 14th-fastest in Happy Hour. This McDowell bubble is going to burst soon, but until that happens we might as well hang on and enjoy the ride.
