NASCAR DFS Picks 10/20/19: Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the final race of the second round of the playoffs. Which drivers will be worth taking in fantasy?

NASCAR DFS Top Contenders

Kevin Harvick

Hello place differential points. Kevin Harvick probably would have been one of my top three plays regardless of his starting position, but starting dead last in 40th is actually great news for his DFS value.

Harvick failed to post a qualifying lap, so it’s not as though he has the worst car in the field. At a bigger track like Kansas, Harvick should be able to stay on the lead lap, and if he can stay out of trouble on his way through the field, he’ll undoubtedly be able to find his way to the front of the field. With both major DFS sites giving points for place differential, Harvick is the clear number one option this week.

Harvick was second fastest in Final Practice and posted a top five 10 lap average in Happy Hour as well. The four car has the short and long run speed to climb up through the field and compete for a win despite is starting position.

In this season’s first race at Kansas, Harvick led the most laps, won stage one, finished second in stage two, but wound up 13th at the end of the race. If you were to just look at his finishing position you may think he had an off day, but he really dominated most of the race.

In this race a season ago, Harvick also finished first and second in the first two stages before a 12th place finish. In the last five races at the track, Harvick has led the most laps of any active driver and has the third best average finish of 7.40.

I think Harvick will make his way to the front very quickly, and may even earn stage points in the first stage. He has a strong car and needs a decent day to advance into the next round of the playoffs. While that may prevent him from going all out for a win or making risky decisions early in the race coming up through traffic, I believe that Harvick will be in the top five when it’s all said and done.

Kyle Busch

Starting 18th, the 18 car should be able to earn some place differential points as well. Kyle Busch has one of the best long-run cars in the field, and should make his way to the front throughout the first green flag run of the day.

In this race last season, Kyle piloted his M&M’s Halloween Toyota to a second place finish. A similar performance from his starting position would be an outstanding fantasy day for Busch and those who decide to spend the salary to take him.

Kyle hasn’t had the best year, but is still one of the most solid drivers and DFS drivers in NASCAR. He has had his fair share of negative DFS days, but he still has scored the most fantasy points per race of any driver. If he avoids trouble, Kyle is always right in the thick of things at the end of the race.

After a weak First Practice, Kyle and the 18 team shined in Final Practice. His fastest lap ranked seventh of the session, and more importantly, he had the fastest 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 lap averages. He clearly has a great long-run car, and in a race that had only three cautions last year, Kyle should see a lot of green flag laps.

Kyle Busch is the most expensive driver on DraftKings and second to Harvick on FanDuel. I usually go for slightly cheaper pivots to build my lineups around, but this week these two really do seem like the best options to me.

Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski won the first race at Kansas this year, and has had a good weekend to this point in practice and qualifying.

In May, Brad was able to hold off a surging Alex Bowman for his third win of the year after starting fourth. However, the 2 team hasn’t won a race since, and starting fourth once again, they have to hope they have a good omen to get back to victory lane this weekend.

Brad paced the field in First Practice with a speed of 176.49. He was fourth fastest in Final Practice and had the sixth best 10 lap average as well. Then qualifying fourth, it’s clear that Brad has a top five car this weekend.

Owning the second best average finish over the past five races at the track, Brad always seems to find a way to stay up front and snag a solid finish to advance to the next round of the playoffs. He will look to do just that this week, as he comes into this race just 20 points above the cut line. While he doesn’t need a win, a solid run will help him breath a little easier, knowing that he would be fending off his competition.

Honorable Mentions

Martin Truex Jr.-best average finish over last five races, third best 10 lap average in Final Practice, starting 11th

Joey Logano-starting 29th, led most laps in this race last year

Chase Elliott-won this race last year, finished second-first-fourth in the three stages at Kansas in May, starting 14th, on the outside of the playoffs needing a win or help from others to advance