It has always been somewhat difficult for drivers to move through the pack at Phoenix International Raceway, and with the new rules package for 2017, it’s probably going to be even tougher. Track position is everything at this place, though, so on Sunday it’s going to come down to the pit crews not making any mistakes as well as some strategy calls coming into play from the crew chiefs. Typically the drivers that start out front at Phoenix also finish there, so it’s going to be really important to key in on a couple of ‘movers’ on Sunday and then try and capture as many ‘dominator’ FPTS as possible.
Also check out: DraftKings Drivers to Avoid at Phoenix
High-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Phoenix (over $9,500)
Kyle Busch ($10,100) – When Saturday’s practices were said and done, every single team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup garage were looking at one car: the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch. During that final practice session, Rowdy went out there and posted the 3rd-best overall lap along with the best 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-lap averages–and by a pretty good margin. If that race car is anywhere near that fast on Sunday, we could see a dominating effort out of Busch, who starts back in 9th. Kyle likes this race track and has run well here in the past, although he’s only been to victory lane once in 23 career starts here. Still, Rowdy is currently on a three-race streak of top 5 finishes here at Phoenix and has the car to beat heading into Sunday. He’s the perfect driver to use as an anchor in most lineups this week.
Joey Logano ($10,500) – If Kyle Busch is going to dominate this race on Sunday he’s going to have to get through Joey Logano, and after last weekend’s scuffle at Las Vegas, I don’t think Rowdy is going to have a problem putting the bumper to the #22 Ford. However, for fantasy owners’ sake, let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Logano is on the pole for this weekend’s Camping World 500(k) and was very fast in both practice sessions on Saturday as well. He went out late in the Happy Hour practice and still put down the fastest lap, and his calm and collected demeanor looked like that of a guy who knows he’s going to win a race. There’s some concern about long-run speed in the #22 camp, but Brad Keselowski had no problem in that department and typically both Penske cars race similarly on race day. Logano is the defending winner here at Phoenix and has a car that could stay out front all day long on Sunday.
Mid-Range DraftKings Drivers to Target at Phoenix (between $7,500 and $9,500)
Denny Hamlin ($9,200) – Friday wasn’t a very good day for the #11 team. They got a flat tire during qualifying and ended up in the 19th position to start the race. However, since NASCAR requires you to start the event on the same tires you qualified with–and since you don’t want to start a race with a flat tire–the #11 crew changed the tire and Hamlin will have to start from the back of the field for Sunday’s Camping World 500(k). Don’t let that scare you away from rostering him, though. Denny should easily be inside the top 20 before the first round of pit stops and then make his way up from there. He’s a great flat track driver and finished between 3rd and 8th in four of his last five starts here at Phoenix. Speed-wise, the #11 Toyota hasn’t been off-the-charts fast this weekend, but Hamlin has shown pretty good speed that he can work with on race day. Despite starting in the back of the pack when this thing goes green, Hamlin should still finish between 9th and 14th, which will net DraftKings owners 35+ base FPTS.
Jimmie Johnson ($9,000) – Quick disclaimer: if you’re looking for a popular driver to fade this weekend, then Jimmie Johnson is your best bet. Not only is he severely under-priced in DraftKings this weekend, but he also showed a great amount of speed during the practice sessions on Saturday. Add on the fact that he starts back in 14th and it’s safe to say that he’s going to be in a whole lot of lineups on Sunday. However, the only way fading a driver works is if said driver has problems during the race, and that’s not a guarantee with Johnson. Yes, this #48 team is in a bit of a slump to start the year, but all it takes is one race to get out of a slump. Jimmie is a four-time winner here at Phoenix and had good enough long run speed on Saturday that he could end up winning this race. If nothing goes wrong on Sunday, Johnson should be a great Fantasy NASCAR pick.
Low-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Phoenix (under $7,500)
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Trevor Bayne ($7,200 and $6,800) – Flat tracks are where Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. really excelled when he raced in the Xfinity Series, and he has, for the most part, carried that strength over to Cup Series. Here at Phoenix, for example, Stenhouse posted five straight finishes between 12th and 18th when he made the move up to NASCAR’s top series, but since then he hasn’t ended up better than 23rd. Don’t let that deter you from picking him, though. The #17 Ford has pretty good speed this weekend (13th in ten-lap average during Happy Hour) and the Roush-Fenway organization has gotten off to a pretty good start this year–specifically Trevor Bayne, who hasn’t ended up worse than 13th in the first three races. It’s going to take a major effort out of the #6 team to keep that streak alive this weekend, though, as Bayne has never finished better than 23rd here at Phoenix. The #6 Ford also showed top 20 speed on Saturday, though, and Bayne starts a little further back than Stenhouse (24th compared to 21st). Both Roushkateers could be valuable low-dollar picks on Sunday.
Aric Almirola ($6,900) – It’s slim-pickins in the lower end of the salaries this weekend, but Aric Almirola deserves some consideration. He finished 13th and 22nd in the two Phoenix races ran here last season, and in nine of his last ten starts here he has wound up between 10th and 19th. And if he’s able to get up there on Sunday, DraftKings owners are looking at a very nice value pick in Almirola considering he qualified back in 28th. There’s always a little bit of concern with the Richard Petty Motorsports equipment but it showed some life in Las Vegas last weekend when Almirola ended up 14th. During the practice sessions on Saturday, Aric was 22nd- and 21st-fastest but the #43 team never made a long run.
