Welcome to TimersSports
Most people at 5 a.m in the morning are still sleeping on a Sunday morning, but I am not most people. I am making an early breakfast and prepping to start writing up this article. I am not the kind of person to sleep in on any day of the week. Even when my day job use to be 2nd shift. I would get home at nearly midnight and I would be up at 6 or 7 a.m the next morning. Which is why I prefer to write up my articles at this time in the morning. Is that weird? Probably. But I don't really care and that really bring me to my point of all of this. Never be afraid to be yourself. Never afraid to be different, my friends. And that's exactly the mindset I have when I make my fantasy picks. I always look for that ''difference maker'' pick who can potentially set me apart. That usually where these sleepers and dark horses come into play. Am I saying to go out and make bunch of homer picks? Nope, but if the potential is there, then you take that shot.
Sleepers -
Aric Almirola - I have always has been a big supporter of Aric and I was very happy to hear that he got a quality ride for next season. It will be interesting to see what he can do with the No.10 ride in 2018. As for this weekend, I probably like him more than most do. He is starting from 22nd and has 9 Top 20 finishes in 10 career starts at Phoenix. He is the model of consistency at this track. He just lack the upside, that we are always craving and looking for. I say that he can finish in the top 20 again in today's race, but I think that's it. He's finished 18th or better at every race on Phoenix, Martinsville and Richmond this season. In his last four races this season, he has finishes of 18th or better in all four races, dating back to Talladega.
Ty Dillon - I know a lot of people will just look at Ty Dillon and say, ''meh he's just another driver out there.'' And yeah, he is just another driver out there for the most part. But he is someone who can make a very good value pick for today's race. In 7 of his last 10 races this season, Ty Dillon has finishes of 22nd or better. While finishing 15th and 16th in his last two races at Phoenix. Dillon finished 16th earlier this season at this track. The 13 team has a history of finishing well in recent seasons with their former driver, Casey Mears, too. Obviously, they will have some work to do today to get finish like that. However, I wouldn't count a possible top 20 finish out. I say a low-end twenty to high teen-like finish is very likely. So 17th-22nd is the likely area that I am thinking of for him.
Other Sleepers - Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Austin Dillon
Dark Horses -
Ryan Blaney - Blaney is starting on the pole for today's race and he have a shot at possibly winning, too. I would say it's likely he end actually winning the race, but he should be able to stay around for awhile. If Blaney and the 21 team can keep up with the track position, then it's a good possibility that he can contend for at least a top 10 finish. Personally, I think he can finish in the top 5, but he will need to have some things go into his favor though. That's just me being realistic. In three career starts at this track, he has two top 10 finishes. Earlier this season, he was very strong and was in contention for a top 5 finish. But he had an issue late in the race and finished 23rd. I think we all know what kind of potential he has. Now, it is all about putting that ponetial together for a full-race on a consistent basis.
Chase Elliott - Elliott will need to win today in order to advance to Homestead. I think that will be a very tall order for him to accomplish, but it is not the craziest thing to happen. Still, I think he will need a lot to go right today. He is starting from inside the top 5 with a pretty damn good car though. His numbers at Phoenix are quite good, too. In three career starts, Elliott has never finished worse than 12th. However, his finishes has gotten worse in each start. He finished 8th in his debut at this track, 9th in last fall race and 12th in this past spring race. He did lead a lot of laps this past spring though. He led 106 laps on his way to a disappointing 12th place finish. He also led 123 laps at Martinsville, a couple weeks ago, for what little that means.
Other Dark horses - Jamie Mac, Kurt Busch, Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones
****All stats are from DriverAverages.com
Have a question or would like to chat?
Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com
Twitter - @Garryy12
Most people at 5 a.m in the morning are still sleeping on a Sunday morning, but I am not most people. I am making an early breakfast and prepping to start writing up this article. I am not the kind of person to sleep in on any day of the week. Even when my day job use to be 2nd shift. I would get home at nearly midnight and I would be up at 6 or 7 a.m the next morning. Which is why I prefer to write up my articles at this time in the morning. Is that weird? Probably. But I don't really care and that really bring me to my point of all of this. Never be afraid to be yourself. Never afraid to be different, my friends. And that's exactly the mindset I have when I make my fantasy picks. I always look for that ''difference maker'' pick who can potentially set me apart. That usually where these sleepers and dark horses come into play. Am I saying to go out and make bunch of homer picks? Nope, but if the potential is there, then you take that shot.
Sleepers -
Aric Almirola - I have always has been a big supporter of Aric and I was very happy to hear that he got a quality ride for next season. It will be interesting to see what he can do with the No.10 ride in 2018. As for this weekend, I probably like him more than most do. He is starting from 22nd and has 9 Top 20 finishes in 10 career starts at Phoenix. He is the model of consistency at this track. He just lack the upside, that we are always craving and looking for. I say that he can finish in the top 20 again in today's race, but I think that's it. He's finished 18th or better at every race on Phoenix, Martinsville and Richmond this season. In his last four races this season, he has finishes of 18th or better in all four races, dating back to Talladega.
Ty Dillon - I know a lot of people will just look at Ty Dillon and say, ''meh he's just another driver out there.'' And yeah, he is just another driver out there for the most part. But he is someone who can make a very good value pick for today's race. In 7 of his last 10 races this season, Ty Dillon has finishes of 22nd or better. While finishing 15th and 16th in his last two races at Phoenix. Dillon finished 16th earlier this season at this track. The 13 team has a history of finishing well in recent seasons with their former driver, Casey Mears, too. Obviously, they will have some work to do today to get finish like that. However, I wouldn't count a possible top 20 finish out. I say a low-end twenty to high teen-like finish is very likely. So 17th-22nd is the likely area that I am thinking of for him.
Other Sleepers - Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Austin Dillon
Dark Horses -
Ryan Blaney - Blaney is starting on the pole for today's race and he have a shot at possibly winning, too. I would say it's likely he end actually winning the race, but he should be able to stay around for awhile. If Blaney and the 21 team can keep up with the track position, then it's a good possibility that he can contend for at least a top 10 finish. Personally, I think he can finish in the top 5, but he will need to have some things go into his favor though. That's just me being realistic. In three career starts at this track, he has two top 10 finishes. Earlier this season, he was very strong and was in contention for a top 5 finish. But he had an issue late in the race and finished 23rd. I think we all know what kind of potential he has. Now, it is all about putting that ponetial together for a full-race on a consistent basis.
Chase Elliott - Elliott will need to win today in order to advance to Homestead. I think that will be a very tall order for him to accomplish, but it is not the craziest thing to happen. Still, I think he will need a lot to go right today. He is starting from inside the top 5 with a pretty damn good car though. His numbers at Phoenix are quite good, too. In three career starts, Elliott has never finished worse than 12th. However, his finishes has gotten worse in each start. He finished 8th in his debut at this track, 9th in last fall race and 12th in this past spring race. He did lead a lot of laps this past spring though. He led 106 laps on his way to a disappointing 12th place finish. He also led 123 laps at Martinsville, a couple weeks ago, for what little that means.
Other Dark horses - Jamie Mac, Kurt Busch, Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones
****All stats are from DriverAverages.com
Have a question or would like to chat?
Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com
Twitter - @Garryy12
