The Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs concludes this weekend with a date at Martinsville Speedway. The Xfinity 500 will determine who moves on to the Championship 4 at Phoenix and who gets left out on the doorstep. Sunday afternoon’s race in the state of Virginia will also be one of your last opportunities this season to win money playing FanDuel NASCAR DFS. We here at FlurrySports want you to win that money while the winning is good! Below are our picks for this weekend’s race.
FanDuel NASCAR DFS Overview
In this NASCAR Cup Series DFS column, we will be using FanDuel prices and scoring. Their scoring includes the following:
- .1 points for leading a lap
- .1 points for completing a lap
- Add/subtract 0.5 points based on the difference in a driver’s finishing position relative to their starting position
- Points based on where the driver finishes
FanDuel NASCAR DFS | Race 35
Xfinity 500 Drivers to Consider
Martin Truex Jr. ($14,500)
The winner of the spring race at Martinsville Speedway is back again and on the verge of the Championship 4 coming in. Martin Truex Jr. is just three points below the cutline entering Sunday’s race after a strong run at Kansas. Given that he doesn’t need to do anything crazy to advance, MTJ can play the safe game and still point his way in. With no big gambles needed from the No. 19 team, Truex will be a fine addition to FanDuel NASCAR DFS lineups.
Denny Hamlin ($13,500)
Denny Hamlin is one of the best drivers at ‘The Paperclip’. He hasn’t won at Martinsville since 2015, but still has several solid finishes and was in the lead for much of the Spring race. Hamlin starts third in the Xfinity 500 starting lineup, so the opportunity is there for him to lead laps and score a top-tier finish. The No. 11 team is a good pick this week in NASCAR DFS.
Brad Keselowski ($11,000)
Brad Keselowski is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. He has been a little disappointing as he only has one win on the 2021 season to date. This week, he comes to a track where he has won twice and has an average finish of 6.6 in the last ten races. Keselowski is probably willing to throw things at the wall and hope they stick in an effort to qualify for the Championship 4. The No. 2 is a good pick for NASCAR DFS this week.
Josh Bilicki ($2,500)
Now, if you are going to have three top-tier guys like the ones discussed above, you are going to need a guy who is REALLY cheap. Rick Ware Racing and the No. 52 of Josh Bilicki is that team. They finished 23rd in the spring race at Martinsville, somehow surviving all of the rain and chaos that took place around them. RWR is usually a team to stay away from. This week, however, Bilicki should be able to get you some points and is a relatively safe driver to round out a star-studded DFS lineup.
Xfinity 500 Drivers to Avoid
Aric Almirola ($8,000)
A disappointing season continues for the No. 10 team and Aric Almirola. The numbers at Martinsville Speedway say to avoid him this week as he has accumulated only an 18.2 average finish over the last ten races. In addition, he has only finished on the lead lap in six of those last ten starts. Almirola is not a great pick for FanDuel NASCAR DFS.
Chris Buescher ($5,800)
Chris Buescher has had a roller coaster of a year with a bunch of ups and downs. This week seems to be trending toward the wrong end of that spectrum. Buescher has an average finish of just 20th in his last ten races at Martinsville. Avoid using the No. 17 team in your NASCAR DFS lineups this week.
Erik Jones ($5,500)
The No. 43 team and Erik Jones are historically on opposite ends of the success spectrum at ‘The Paperclip’. Richard Petty Motorsports typically has some of their higher finishes here, but Jones can’t seem to figure this place out. This could be a scenario in which the driver hinders a potentially strong car this week. Jones will be one to avoid on Sunday in FanDuel NASCAR DFS.
Daniel Suarez ($6,000)
Like his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate above, Daniel Suarez does not have great stats here at this half-mile track. In his nine NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville, he has an average finish of just 22.3. In only three of those races has Suarez been on the lead lap for the finish. Those stats have the appearance of a driver to steer clear of when building your DFS lineups.
