Well, the DFS season started off with a bang–as expected–with the Clash last Sunday, as the drivers of the two dominant cars (Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski) got together on the final lap while fighting for the lead, causing a major last-second shakeup in most DraftKings pools. In the end, it was Joey Logano that was able to slip past and drive away to victory lane, while Kyle Busch and Alex Bowman rounded out the top 3. The Stewart-Haas Fords of Danica Patrick and Kevin Harvick filled the rest of the top 5.
Now we’re on to the two Can-Am Duel races to set the final starting lineup for the 2017 Daytona 500. These two races will be held on Thursday night, and DraftKings has contests for each of them up and ready in their lobby. Strategy-wise, many teams used to not take these Duel races very seriously. However, with the addition of championship points being awarded in these two events, that might increase the aggressiveness we see out of some drivers. However, one driver that might lay back and stay out of trouble is Chase Elliott, who is on the pole for Sunday’s Great American Race–as long as he doesn’t wreck his primary car in Thursday night’s Duel.
DraftKings Drivers to Target in Duel #1
Brad Keselowski ($10,200) – This is going to seem like a no-brainer, but Keselowski’s high salary for the first Duel on Thursday night should drive away a good chunk of DraftKings players. Both of the Penske cars are going to be good in this race, but Keselowski starts up front (2nd) and he’s going to stay there. His teammate, Joey Logano, will start back in 9th, but should make his way to the front pretty early. And while that move is great for place differential points, Keselowski has a better chance at earning dominator points for laps led and fastest laps. As far as negatives with the Blue Deuce, there aren’t a lot on Thursday night, but there is one statistic that you should keep an eye on: his average start of 25.3 in the last seven Daytona 500s. This specifically translates directly to mediocre finishes in the Duel races. With that being said, championship points will be awarded here on Thursday night, and you know BK isn’t going to pass those up. Expect him to be aggressive once again, just like he was in the Clash last Sunday–although hopefully with a better finish this time around.
Trevor Bayne ($6,800) – Don’t be surprised to hear Trevor Bayne’s name mentioned a few times on Thursday night. The Roush-Fenway organization had somewhat of a comeback season in 2016, and with the elimination of Greg Biffle’s #16 car, they can now focus on their two young guns: Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Overall, the Ford cars have all been super fast at Daytona this year, and that shouldn’t change on Thursday night. Bayne has always been thought of as a bit of a fluke restrictor plate driver since his Daytona 500 victory back in 2011, but you can’t overlook the fact that he has back-to-back top 10 finishes in the last two July races here at Daytona. Trevor has also finished between 6th and 12th in three of his last five Duel starts, and with so many big-name drivers in this race, his ownership percentage could end up being quite low.
Jamie McMurray ($8,500) – You’re going to have to allocate quite a bit of your cap money to McMurray if you decide to roster him on Thursday night, but it’s a move that could easily put you into a spot to win some cash. McMurray has always been regarded as a very good plate racer, although sometimes his aggressiveness is a cause for concern for fantasy owners. To win at a restrictor plate track, though, you have to be aggressive. Chip Ganassi Racing as a whole should benefit from their continued partnership with Hendrick Motorsports (now that Stewart-Haas has moved to Ford) and if those two teams can get their handling issues from last season figured out, they each could have a big year at Daytona and Talladega. Over the last seven Daytona 500s, McMurray has an average starting spot of 15.6, which roughly equates to an average Duel finish of 7.8. On Thursday night, the #1 Chevrolet will start from back in 12th.
Landon Cassill ($6,000) – When it comes to restrictor plate races, success in Fantasy NASCAR usually involves having a guy like Landon Cassill on your roster. Between all of the wrecks and the overall even playing field, these races allow the lower-tier drivers to run up with the ‘big boys’ a few times a year. As far as the lower-tier drivers go this Thursday, chances are Landon Cassill is going to be the highest finisher. He’s going to start 14th, which is a little higher than ideal, but this guy has a knack for staying out of trouble; over the last three Duel races, Cassill has finished 11th, 9th, and 9th. Don’t forget that Landon is in that #34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports this year, which has plenty of horsepower with Chris Buescher behind the wheel last season.
