Daily Fantasy NASCAR Picks for DraftKings - Geico 500

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Geico 500

Talladega Superspeedway - Talladega, AL
Track - 2.66 Mile Tri-Oval Superspeedway
33° of Banking in the Corner

For a preview of the race please go check out my mid-week DFS NASCAR Preview & Early Picks article. Drivers and teams only managed to get one practice in on Friday so there is limited data so I am weighing two-year track history quite high this week and will be looking for place differential value.Let's jump into the picks.

 

Drivers to Build Around

Chase Elliott
DraftKings - $9,200
Practice 1 - 16th
Qualified - 8th

I talked about Chase Elliott in my preview article and how impressive he was here in his first two trips to Talladega. He finished 12th in last fall's race and 5th in this race last Spring. The issue wasn't the performance, rather the starting position from a fantasy perspective as he started 4th and 1st which limited his upside. He starts 8th tomorrow which isn't completely ideal but does leave some place differential value to be had. He has shown speed all season in the #24 car and you can look for him to draft with Dale Jr. who is also starting inside the Top 10. At a low $9K price tag, he is an excellent play in all formats.

 

Joey Logano
DraftKings - $10,700
Practice 1 - 5th
Qualified - 12th

Even after receiving a sizeable penalty following his win last week, Joey Logano is an elite play once again this week. No one in the field comes back to Talladega with better track history as Logano has won two of the last three races here. He showed Top 5 speed in the opening practice and even comes with place differential value starting 12th on Sunday. Look for the Ford's to fast once again led by the #22 Penske team.

 

 

Also Consider: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

 

Top Place Differential Value Plays

Jimmie Johnson
DraftKings - $9,700
Practice 1 -25th
Qualified - 30th

Even though Jimmie has just two Top 10 finishes here since his last win in 2012, it will be almost impossible to fade him starting 30th this week. He is in good form finishing 11th last week with back to back wins in the two weeks before that. He is an excellent play in all formats with his elite place differential upside.

 

Kyle Larson
DraftKings - $9,000
Practice 1 -  34th
Qualified - 21st

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series points leader seen his salary drop $1,300 this week, more than any other driver. That alone is enough to roster him this week. He has been up and down through six races here at Talladega but who hasn't? Good news is he is coming off a 6th place finish here at the fall race and has been, by far, the most consistent driver this season. He has a win, four runner-ups and his worst finish was a 17th place finish at Martinsville. Fire up Larson in all formats.

 

 

 

Bottom Tier Value Play

Cole Whitt
DraftKings - $5,200
Practice 1 - N/A
Qualified - 38th

I will head down to near minimum price for my stars and scrubs pick of the week. Whitt starts right near the back of the field in 38th and while he has failed to pick up a Top 10 this season, his worst finish was 34th and he has a fairly impressive 26.6 average finish on the season. Superspeedways have a way of producing top finishes for lower end teams and Whitt comes with awesome place differential. I would honestly be very happy with a Top 25 from Whitt this week but the upside is higher making him a great pick. Since finishing40th and 31st in his first two races here, he has not finished worse than 22nd.

 

 

 

 

For a limited time, I am offering a copy of my DFS NASCAR cheathsheet which includes Track History, Current Form, Odds, Track Type History, Practice/Qualifying Ranks and much more. Get it HERE.

 

 

If you have any questions on lineups or drivers prior to lineup lock scroll down to the comment section and join the conversation. Good Luck everyone!
Chris Durell has been playing Daily Fantasy Sports for three years and fantasy in general for more than a decade. He is active player in college football, NFL, NBA, PGA, and of course NASCAR. He lives in Saskatchewan, Canada with his wife and two daughters. You can follow him on Twitter at @jager_bombs9 for advice, strategy, answers to any NASCAR questions or how he copes with the winters up north.