2021 Fantasy Nascar Sleepers & Dark Horses (Daytona RC)

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Sleepers - 

Michael McDowell - McDowell was one of my sleepers in last week's articles and boy was it a HUGE one. He ended scoring his first career win at Daytona and comes to another strong kind of track for him. McDowell has been great on these road courses and that should be the case once again. In his last 8 road courses, he has produced 5 Top 20 finishes. In 5 of his last 7 races on road courses, he has finished between 10th and 18th. That is likely his range this weekend and that should make him a pretty good value. Especially since there aren't many races where we can say that he is almost a lock for a top 20.

William Byron - I have high hopes all 4 of the HMS cars and I think Elliott is the only one getting any credit. Byron is pretty underrated road course racer! He started off his career pretty rough, but he is currently on a 4-race top 10 streak on this type of track! All 4 top 10s has came in the past two seasons! If you are looking for an underrated driver on a top team, then you might want to seriously consider William Bryon! I love what he offers, but as usual he is a tough guy to trust. The numbers may look appealing, but he brings risk. I found out the hard way last season, but I think he can make it 5 in a row, though. 

Dark Horses - 

Alex Bowman - I love Bowman better than most this weekend and his road course numbers are the biggest reason why. Only 5 drivers have produced a better average finish over the last 8 road courses than Alex Bowman has! In fact, he has finished in the top 15 in 9 straight road courses races! You have go back to 2015 to find a road course race where he finished worse than that. In 2020, he had finishes of 8th and 12th. In the clash, he ended finishing 7th. If we count that, then he has 10 straight top 14 finishes (I am not counting that). Bowman isn't the first driver we think of, but the combination of his consistency and equipment makes him a very solid fantasy option this weekend!

Ryan Blaney - I would compare Blaney on plate races to Blaney on road courses. A lot of times, he will run well, but doesn't always seem to get the finishes. But make no mistake that Ryan Blaney is good enough to challenge for the win on these road courses. A few weeks ago at the Clash, he was very strong and was in a great position late but instead got wrecked by Chase Elliott. In his career, he has 56% career top 10 rate at road courses in his young career. In 2020, he had finishes 31st and 5th in the two road course races. He has made 8 career starts in the #12 car (4 in the #21) and he finished in the top 13 in six of those races. Blaney isn't the first guy we think of, but he is quickly becoming a major player on this type of track. If you were gonna gamble, then you might want to look at the Driver of the No.12 car!

**All stats are from DriverAverages.com

Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

2021 Fantasy Nascar Rankings (Daytona RC)

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Fantasy Nascar Rankings - 

1. Chase Elliott

2. Denny Hamlin

3. Martin Truex Jr 

4. Kevin Harvick

5. Joey Logaono

6. Brad Keselowski

7. Ryan Blaney

8. Kurt Busch

9. Kyle Busch

10. Alex Bowman

11. Austin Dillon

12. Aric Almirola

13. Kyle Larson

14. William Byron

15. Matt DiBenedetto

16. Christopher Bell 

17. Bubba Wallace Jr

18. Chris Buescher

19. Erik Jones

20. AJ Dinger

21. Cole Custer

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr

23. Ryan Newman

24. Michael McDowell

25. Ross Chastain

26. Chase Briscoe

27. Ryan Preece 

28. Ty Dillon

29. Daniel Suarez

30. James Davison

Have a question or wanna chat?

Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

2021 Fantasy Nascar Picks (Daytona RC)

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DGG Picks - 

A:

Starter - Chase Elliott

Reasons - A lot of big time names in this A-grouping tier, but Chase Elliott has been the most dominate driver and that is saying something, too. Considering guys like Blaney, Keselowski, Logano and Truex Jr are also pretty viable options as well.  A lot of people will be selecting him, so you could try to go off-sequence but history says that is a horrible idea. It is early in the season and I need to bounce back from last week. So I am going with the majority here. 

B:

Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch

Reasons - I like going with under the radar drivers, but the options are limited compared to years past. When I look at the drivers in B, there aren't drivers that I really love. The Busch bros are proven road course racers and have been for some time. Last season, at least there were guys like Blaney, Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson. This season? None of those guys are options in B. The next best bets might be Alex Bowman, William Byron and Erik Jones, if I am being completely honest.

C:

AJ Dinger 

Reasons - I love McDowell here, but AJ Dinger is on the entry list and he just too good to pass up. You could with either and have legit shot a top 20 and plus some. But AJ Dinger upside should offer more based on his driving talent. And that is no shade at McDowell, though. 

Dark Horse - AJ Dinger

Winner - Chase Elliott

Have a question or wanna chat?

Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

2021 Fantasy Nascar Rankings (Daytona 1)

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Fantasy Nascar Rankings - 

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Brad Keselowski

3. Joey Logano

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Chase Elliott

6. Martin Truex Jr

7. Kyle Busch

8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr

9. Austin Dillon

10. Kevin Harvick

11. Aric Almirola

12. Alex Bowman

13. Ryan Newman

14. William Byron

15. Kurt Busch

16. Kyle Larson

17. Chris Buescher

18. Bubba Wallace Jr

19. Chrisopher Bell

20. Matt DiBenedetto

21. Erik Jones

22. Jamie Mac

23. Tyler Reddick

24. Cole Custer

25. Michael McDowell

26. David Ragan

27. Ross Chastain

28. Chase Briscoe

29. Daniel Suarez 

30. Corey LaJoie 

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

2021 Fantasy Nascar Picks (Daytona I)

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We have made, guys! We have made through the off-season and we seen racecars back on the track this week at Daytona! For me, it is very bittersweet because now majority of my freetime on weekends will be taken up by Nascar. But I love every bit of it! Like I said before many times on this blog, I can't promise I am gonna make posts every single weekend. There will be some weekends that I have things going on and I am sorry for that. The goal for this year is have more posts and even better content. Primarily, there will be at least three articles posted. If I can get out Fantasy Nascar Picks, Fantasy Nascar Rankings and Fantasy Nascar Sleepers & Dark Horses, then it was a successful weekend. Jeff will try to contribute with a Fantasy Nascar Update post as well. Then of course, we will always try to end with some RaceDay thoughts. So all in all, the goal always will be 5 posts per race weekend. Some weeks, there will be more and some there will be less.

Anyways, onto today's post. Below I have posted my picks. This year, I will be picking for the Driver Group Game, SlingShot Game and Fantasy Live on Nascar. I am not a massive fan of the Fantasy Live game these days, so I am sure how long that will last. If you have a game you want picks for on a weekly basis, then email me or message me (my info is at the bottom). Because I will gladly make picks for any game out there, but I need to know there are people with interest for them!

Let's get start!

DGG - 

A:

Joey Logano 

Reasons - I know a lot of people are going with Hamlin and that is probably the smart way to go! As he has been the best fantasy option at Daytona the last few years. But just like when Dale Jr was the mainstay fantasy option at Daytona and Talladega, I would try to avoid him in games like this. Hamlin is getting that same rep, so I fully expect him to be the most picked driver. So why not gamble and go against the gain here? Penske is typically really strong in these races. I thought about Keselowski, but I have a really good gut feeling on Logano. So Logano it is!

B:

Ryan Newman and Chris Buescher

Reasons - I used Newman and Busecher in all 4 races at Daytona and Talladega in 2020. Overall it was pretty successful season with that combo. So why fix what not broken? I may not get top 10 or 15 finishes in every single race from them, but I feel good about their chances to survive the chaos! Really you can go with whoever you want in this grouping tier, but remember that this is the one grouping tier that you will need to save in throughout the season. If Newman and Buescher finish 39th and 40th, I would be fine with that. Compared to Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, etc. 

C:

Ricky Stenhouse Jr 

Reasons - You know there are a lot of options out there to pick from, but I am going with the guy that I probably have the most faith in and the most proven guy on this type of track. Ricky Stenhouse Jr has been a stud at these races dating back a decade, even before he got to cup. Stenhouse is risky because he is crazy on the track, but his skillset gives him a chance to win more than any other option in this tier! 

Slingshot - Keselowski, Hamlin, Chastain, Cindric and Jones

Reasons - Folks, I know you look at this lineup and be like, ''WTF''. But at end of the day, you are looking to score many differential points as possible. If there were like 500 laps or something, then sure. But there are only 200 laps and anyone in the back can finish up front. So I am going with drivers starting deep in the field and hope like 3 or 4 of them finish on the lead lap. If they do, then I still score massive points. Every single driver is starting 24th or worse. And 3 of these drivers are starting 31st or worse. This might backfire, if there aren't many wrecked cars, though.  

Fantasy Live - 

Hamlin, Stenhouse Jr, Blaney, Keselowski and Logano

Reasons - I am going with the best plate racers and hoping for the best here honestly. Daytona is so hard to predict that you could throw all 40 drivers in a hat and pick 10 names. A few of those would have a chance to finish in the top 10. Anybody who think they know how the finishing order gonna turn out is lying their behinds off. I don't care how many sites you look at, we all just throwing things and hoping it stick. Past success can help a driver in the race, but the big one doesn't care who you are! 

Twitter - @Garryy12

Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com

2021 Fantasy Nascar Sleepers & Dark Horses (Daytona I)

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Well the off-season was fun while it lasted, but it back to business. I am super excited to be kicking off another Nascar season! I love writing up Fantasy Nascar articles, especially because I am so good with numbers and looking at trends/patterns. I have always been so good at math, growing up you could give a math problem and I could see it breaking down in my head. So obviously looking at data and understanding that said data is something I really enjoy! I know that is not for everybody, but to strive at this game I think it is important to understand what data to look at and how much you need to take inconsideration. With that said, there are so many amazing websites out there whom does such amazing work. Like many of them, I do this because I love the game and I really hope you guys enjoy the stuff I have planned for this season! 

Let's get rolling into Today's content! 

Sleepers - 

Chris Buescher - Buescher was one of my go-to fantasy options in 2020 on the plate tracks. I actually used him in the Driver Group Game (DDG) in all 4 plate races in 2020. And it was huge part of my success, as he finished no worse than 22nd. And in 3 of 4 races, he finished in the top 10. No, that is not a mistake, either. I mean, he is not an alpha or anything on these plate races, but he is really good at avoiding wrecks. Some guys have a knack for staying out of trouble. In 12 career starts at Daytona and Talladega, he has posted a 15th place finish for his career average finish. Including 8 of 12 races ending in the top 20. In 3 other races, he has posted DNFs. So Buescher has been top 20 or complete bust. At Daytona and Talladega, the numbers do lie sometimes. But history is on his side to be a quality fantasy option. 

Ryan Newman - Newman had one of the scariest moment in recent Nascar history at last season's Daytona 500, but he has been a machine at both Daytona and Talladega over the last few years! In his last 14 races at Daytona and Talladega, he has posted 11 (!!) Top 14 finishes. On top of that 10 of those 11 finishes were top 10 finishes! Prior to finishing 36th in last August's race at Daytona, he had knocked off 6 straight top 14 finishes. Including 5 in the top 10. If you look at most tracks about Newman, he is simply consistent for his career. That kinda the vibe you get about him for here. He may not always score a top 10 finish, but his floor is pretty high. And that kinda what you want in a fantasy option. You always want the floor to be solid and that is pretty much what Newman is offering here.  

Dark Horses - 

Aric Almirola - Almirola wasn't great in 2020 at Daytona and Talladega in the finishing department, but was simply awesome between 2017 and 2019. You could make a very strong case that no driver had better numbers in that 11-race span, honestly. In those 11 races, he had impressive 8 Top 11 finishes. Including 5 Top 5 finishes. The #10 car will probably be really strong again this season at both tracks overall, as I think the Fords will once again have a step up on the competition. These Fords race really well and typical have a lot of speed in them. I think the biggest question with Aric is will we see a top 10 finish out of him or can we expect more like a 18th-25th place finish out of him? I think those are the most likely outcomes for him. Overall, I am really high on the Driver of the #10 car and I think he is truly one of the top dark horses to win the Daytona 500 this year! Aric never get credited for his skills in these kind of races, but make no mistake he is a driver to watch out for! 

Ryan Blaney - Blaney is just one of those drivers that you never know about when the series comes to Daytona! He clearly has a knack for this kind of racing, but he also find himself in trouble sometimes. Whenever we come to Daytona or Talladega, I think one of the heavy favorites to win are always the Penske cars. For whatever reason, they have won more races here than anybody else over probably the last 5 years. And Blaney, himself have finished 5 of his last 6 races at these two tracks in the top 6. Of course, he has won twice and both were at Talldega. He was pretty good at Daytona in 2020, though. He had finishes of 2nd and 6th. From a career standpoint, it seems like he almost always finish worse than he deserves. Blaney has a lot of Jamie Mac in him. He can almost bet he will probably take the lead at some point, but you just hope to God that something bad doesn't happens before the checkers. He has led in his last 9 races at Daytona and Talladega. He has so much talent and upside, I think he's worth taking a gamble on. Beware, though that there a lot of risk with him. However, if he finishes then I am betting he will finish in the top 5! 

**All stats are from DriverAverages.com

Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

NFL Conference Championships Sunday Predictions

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NFL Predictions - 

Bucs at Packers - 

The 2020-21 Bucs remind so much of 2007 and 2011 Giants in regards how they have gotten hot at the right time. Maybe no team in the NFL playoffs has gotten hotter over the past few months than the Tampa Bay Bucs! Every couple seasons, it seems like an NFC team get hot and make an impressive run and the Bucs certainly has the talent to get it done. I think top to bottom that the Bucs have the most talented team left in the NFL playoffs! As for this game, I think the Bucs' front 7 will determine the outcome of this game! In week 6, we saw how the Bucs' defense took over this game and literally controlled the outcome of the game. After the first quarter, they pretty much forced turnovers or three and outs on every drive vs the Packers. I think the Packers just gave up on their gameplan after the two interceptions. I do have two concerns about the Bucs, though. 1) I think their secondary might get exposed a bit, if they can't consistently get after Aaron Rodgers. Especially, if they blitz. If the Bucs blitz (they blitzed Aaron Rodgers a season-high 21 times in week 6), I think they need to hit home on them. If not, they are at a disadvantage in coverage most likely. 2) I think the Bucs' weakest part of their offense is the interior offensive line. Packers can wreck the Bucs' offensive gameplan if they get after Brady. The Packers killed the Rams last week on the interior! Probably apart of their gameplan this week!

There has been a lot of talk about Week 6 and how the Bucs dominated the Packers for 3 quarters. I know some people will say that the momentum changed after those turnovers and that why they lost. Some will say that the Packers just gave up after that. Both of things may be true, but frankly I don't think week 6 matters. Because I believe both teams are better than they were in week 6. I did go back and watch that game, though. And I am sure the Packers did, too. One thing I notice about it? Packers had a stupid gameplan on how they tried to run the football. They tried to run too many outside runs. I don't understand why they would want the Bucs' speedy linebackers to get head full of stream going in the open-field. They are too fast to block when they play like that. And guess what? Packers best two runs of the game were right up the middle attacking those speedy linebackers head on! Why up the middle? Because you can push those linebackers around with your offensive blockers and create holes. And we saw this same concept last week vs the Rams. A lot of inside zone runs are probably on tap for the Packers!  

There has been a lot of talk about the Bucs' pass rush this week vs the Packers' offensive line. I think the Packers are much better equipped to stop the Bucs' pass rush this time. Why? Well for one, I think LaFleur learned something from that game. It seems like since that game, he has used a lot more set two RBs sets and more FB/TEs in the backfield to help pass protect. Aaron Rodgers haven't been sacked on a blitz since week 6. On the flip side, I think the Packers can take advantage of the Bucs' interior offensive line. Especially the offensive guards in this matchup. Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, ZaDarius Smith and Preston Smith is a tall task for any offensive line to block. It will be interesting if the Packers play more zone defense or man defense in the secondary, though. I think them playing zone defense is safer, but I think Brady will pick them apart with a bunch of easy checkdowns and short passes. I believe man coverage is more risky, but I think they are a far better man coverage defense and I think the pass rush would benefit more! 

Prediction - This is a really difficult game to predict because there are so many things to consider. Top to bottom, I think the Bucs are more talented. But I don't believe the Bucs really have a massive advantage anywhere in this matchup, though. I am leaning towards the Bucs in this one just because I think the Bucs will be able to run the football more effectively and probably control the clock. I also not sure if the Packers' pass rush can get enough pressure on Brady to take him out of his game. You don't beat Tom Brady, if you can't pressure him. I think the Packers are capable of getting to him, but like last week vs Saints, I don't believe it will overwhelm him. I have Bucs by 5 points in this one!  

Buffalo at Chiefs - 

I really thought the Chiefs were gonna lose in last week's game vs the Browns, after Patrick Mahomes went out. But Andy Reid is just an offensive genius! He has proven time and time again that he is one of the league's most creative minds and it really don't matter which QB is starting in his offense. He did it last season with Matt Moore and did it again with Chad Henne. Henne wasn't great, but he was certainly good enough to hold off the Browns. I am just not sure if Pat Mahomes is 100%. Sure, he passed concussion protocol and everything, but that doesn't mean he isn't being put into danger still. I get it this is a dangerous game and we don't know what can happen, but I am just not convinced that he could be cleared this soon after being almost knocked silly on Sunday. Heck, he was even practicing on Wednesday which is pretty unreal. And maybe he really is all good, as every concussion is different. Anyways, this is gonna be a great matchup between these two teams. I don't expect much defense being played. Both defense suspect, in my opinion. They both will have their chances to make plays, but I have hard time seeing this game not ending in the 30s for both offenses! 

The Bills has been a really fun team this watch this season and Josh Allen has been amazing! It has been crazy to watch him take this offense to the next level! I think the addition of Stefon Diggs has been massive as we all thought he would be! But I didn't think he would have this big of impact even. He really helped Josh Allen make this one of the league's top offenses by far. Even though, they don't have a run game and that is the crazy part. Teams know that the Bills will pass the ball and they still drop crazy amount of points on you. I think almost everybody are going with Mahomes and the Chiefs! And rightfully so, but don't overlook this Bills' team! They are very capable of creating problems for Kansas City on both side of the ball! If the Bills are to win this game, I think they need to create pressure on him and give Josh Allen a couple short fields. I think they are capable of doing that, too. If they don't, I still think they have a shot in this game. But I think they will have to be perfect and probably take the top off of the Kansas City's defense a couple times in the process. 

Prediction - I really want to go with the Bills in this one, but my gut is telling me that the Chiefs are gonna find a way to pull this out and head to the SuperBowl again. Pat Mahomes is a special player and special players do special things when stakes are high. We seen him do it before and I fully expect him to take over this game. Maybe it's not until the 2nd half, but at some point I think we will see the difference in these QBs. And Josh Allen has been great, but Pat Mahomes can be special and that might be the difference in this game today! 

Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com

Twitter - @Garryy12