Just like at Texas a month ago, teams had issues with inspection during qualifying this weekend at Kansas Speedway, and because of that Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Erik Jones, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will start from 28th-32nd starting spots when Saturday night’s Go Bowling 400 goes green. And while this theoretically makes them great choices for DraftKings, you also have to remember that, chances are, at least one or two of those guys will have problems during the race. Now it just comes down to picking the right one or two to fade, because you know those guys are going to be highly owned.
Also check out: DraftKings Drivers to Target at Kansas
DraftKings Drivers to Fade for the Kansas Go Bowling 400
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ($8,300) – Many DraftKings players are going to remember back to the Texas race and recall that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 5th after starting way back in 37th. He also ended up with 82 FPTS in that race for DraftKings. And when players remember a finish like that, they’re more prone to throw Junior in their lineups simply because they hope lightning will strike twice. But chances are it’s not going to. That finish at Texas is Junior’s only respectable result that he has posted this season, and in the last five races it’s his only finish better than 22nd. Not very good. Here at Kansas, he has had a few good runs but has wound up 15th or worse in three of the last four events. On a positive note, Junior did show pretty good speed during the practice sessions on Friday, but that’s not enough to make him a good DraftKings pick this weekend.
Brad Keselowski ($10,700) – Again, I’m not even going to try and figure out how DraftKings sets driver salaries. There’s no reason for Brad Keselowski to be priced at $10,700 this weekend. Anyway…Keselowski is an intriguing option because he qualified back in 17th, but when you’re throwing away that much of your salary cap on one driver, they better have the potential to absolutely dominate the race–and that’s not the case with Keselowski. He could very easily end up inside the top 5 before it’s all said and done on Saturday night, but even that isn’t guaranteed. And because there are so many good drivers starting back around 30th, who are all pretty high priced, using $10,700 of your cap on Keselowski just isn’t smart. Not to mention he hasn’t had a top 5 finish here at Kansas since the 2011 season.
Matt Kenseth ($8,400) – As DraftKings continues to drive Matt Kenseth’s salary down, it’s becoming more and more tempting to have a decent amount of exposure with your lineups, but the fact of the matter is that, more often than not, Kenseth is a lineup killer in 2017. His overall average finish this season has been 20.1, and really the #20 team’s best efforts so far have came on the shorter tracks. Kenseth did finish 3rd at Atlanta earlier this year but if you remember back to that race it was more due to luck than anything. This weekend, the #20 Toyota will roll off the grid from 14th when the Go Bowling 400 goes green, and while Kenseth does have three top 10s in the last four races here at Kansas, it’s just impossible to trust him right now. He did rank pretty high in both practice sessions on Friday, but don’t forget that those were ran in the middle of the afternoon and we’re set to race at night this week.
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. ($7,400) – Stenhouse is a great option in many Fantasy NASCAR leagues this weekend, but unfortunately DraftKings doesn’t make that list. A good run out of this #17 team on Saturday night would equate to around a 10th-place finish, but because of his 4th-place starting spot, that type of result would yield just 28 base FPTS from Ricky–or around $264 of salary per FPT. Typically it’s best to be at or under $200 of salary per FPT, just so you know. If Stenhouse had any shot at leading 30 or 40 laps on Saturday night, he might be a viable option, but it’s just hard to imagine him getting in front of guys like Blaney, Truex, and Kyle Busch (and staying there).
Paul Menard ($6,600) – Paul Menard qualified in the awkward position (for DraftKings anyway) of 18th, and while it’s tempting to take a shot with him and his low salary, chances are it’s not going to work out. Richard Childress Racing has been disappointing as a whole on the intermediate race tracks this season, and Paul Menard is no exception. His best finish on this track type this season was a 19th-place effort back at Las Vegas, but other than that Menard has been a mid-20s type of finisher. And with the good drivers that have to start near the back this weekend, there’s no doubt that the #27 Chevrolet is going to fall back on Saturday night. Menard finished 40th and 20th in the two races here at Kansas last season.
