Fantasy Nascar Final Rankings (Dover)

Welcome to TimersSports

Final Rankings -

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kyle Busch
4. Martin Truex Jr
5. Matt Kenseth
6. Carl Edwards
7. Joey Logano
8. Dale Jr
9. Ryan Newman
10. Kyle Larson
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Kurt Busch
13. Kasey Kahne
14. Brad Keselowski
15. Jamie Mac
16. Chase Elliott
17. Austin Dillon
18. Paul Menard
19. Ryan Blaney
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
21. Aric Almirola
22. Tony Stewart
23. AJ Dinger
24. Greg Biffle
25. Trevor Bayne
26. Brian Scott
27. Casey Mears
28. Clint Bowyer
29. David Ragan
30. Landon Cassill

Twitter - @MattAleza

Fantasy Nascar Picks (Dover)

Welcome to TimersSports

We are at Dover this weekend for the 12th race of the Nascar season. Dover is a one-mile intermediate racetrack and is described by many as one of the toughest tracks on the schedule to master. Only a few have mastered the monster mile and those are the drivers we should heavily be leaning on this weekend. With race in the forecast threatening on Friday, it would be wise to take into consideration each driver's points situation. The real challenging part about Dover is how isn't similar to any other track that we go to. So we will have to depend on past stats at Dover to set our fantasy lineups. Unlike other tracks where we could count on current season's data. It kinda makes me want to lean a little more heavily on the top drivers this week with so many unknowns.

Yahoo -

A:

Start- Kevin Harvick (7)

Bench - Jimmie Johnson (6)

Reasons -  Jimmie Johnson is obviously a great fantasy pick this weekend and he has a fast car. And I have no doubts, Johnson will finish inside the top 5. But I think this is a Kevin Harvick race and we haven't seen too many of those lately. Least not where he looks capable of dominating like he shown this weekend. He starting from the pole and I am scared for the field. Only driver I would considering benching Harvick for is Kyle Busch.

B:

Start - Martin Truex Jr (6) and Ryan Newman (6)

Bench - Kasey Kahne (9) and Kyle Larson (8)

Reasons - There three really good options and then there Kasey Kahne. No disrespect to Kahne, but I don't he finishes quite as well as everyone was thinking. I gave serious consideration to Kyle Larson, but in my opinion he is a risky fantasy option and I don't typically like taking risks like Larson. Unless he looks dominated. Larson looks top 10 good, but I doubts he goes to victory lane. So I am rolling with Martin Truex Jr and Ryan Newman. I am going to burn another Truex start because I think he will have a top 5 run on Sunday and I like the use 'em while they are hot approach. Newman has top 10 potential for the race and starts near the front.

C:

Start - Chase Elliott (7)

Bench - Ryan Blaney (6)

Reasons - This week I think the top two (Elliott and Blaney) will run away from the competition in the C-list grouping tier. There were talks of possibly having a few surprise in the top 20 or top 25 finishers, but after practice I don't see it. As for my options, I am going with Elliott over Blaney. Elliott just looked better overall and I believe Blaney will be better later in the season

Fantasy Live - 48,4,18, 30 and 13

Reasons - This week I think we will see the best two cars dominate in Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. They start from 3rd and 1st and I don't see either driver dropping too far down the leaderboard. I expect both to lead laps and one of them leading the most laps. Johnson from mid-pack should provide a solid amount of position diff points from 21st place. Then I need some value picks to counter my heavy-hitting star power. Wise and Mears get the call! Mears starts from 26th and have looked good in practice, so at 10.25 he is a solid value. Wise is on for really no reason other than his low-price.

Sleeper - Kyle Larson

Winner - Kevin Harvick

Twitter - @MattAleza
 

Fantasy Nascar Update (Dover)

Welcome to TimersSports

This is been for a long time one of my favorite tracks. I think from a fantasy vantage point, it is a difficult venue to make picks at. In general, I think unique tracks such as Dover are difficult to handicap in the first place. Anyhow on Friday there was scheduled to be one practice session and a qualifying session, which would have determined the starting lineup for Sunday's race. However while all of practice was held, the qualifying session was rained out after they lost the track to rain. On Saturday, there was two addition scheduled practice sessions. I would personally put more into the first session on Saturday than the second session. As the temps will be more similar in the morning times since it will be warmer on Saturday than Sunday. Around racetime on Sunday, it will be about 50-something degrees. It was in the lower 60s in the first practice. It was 70 at start of final practice. Also the rubber will be washed away at start of Sunday's race, with that said the rubber wasn't quite as built up in the morning session. Confusing, I know. Anyhow, below is how I see the field stacking up on Sunday. Enjoy!

**My Overall Rankings are based on the following: practice efforts, starting position, season success, momentum, track history and personal opinions/judgements

A:


1. Kevin Harvick - Harvick starts from the pole and in my opinion the man to beat. I considered Kyle Busch for this spot as I thought he had a great car too. But Harvick dominances of late was what sealed his fate in the No.1 spot. He have dominated the past two of  three Dover races. And he had the second-best car last spring here to Martin Truex Jr. And heck I would even make a argument that he was better than Truex at times. Of course in 2014 (Spring race), he had early problems that led him to a long day. If that didn't happen, I would say he would have been the man to beat. But that a ''what if'' game. As far as this week, the No.4  car been very fast since unloading here. He have shown speed in all three practice this weekend and seems to be good on the short and long runs. Harvick and the 4 team was pretty pleased with the balance overall. Another reason I ranked Harvick as number 1 is because of pit road. Dover have bigger pit stalls than previously, but that number 1 pit stall is huge in my opinion.

My Overall Ranking: 1st

2. Kyle Busch - Kyle Busch have been a man on a mission this season and he just may have the car to beat this weekend. The No.18 car will roll off from the 3rd starting position, but I think he will be tough to beat once he takes the lead. Busch looked like he had the best car throughout the Saturday morning session and seems very strong on the long runs. He wasn't quite as good in final practice, but still top 5 strong in my opinion. Busch have been on a tear of late as well. With 5 Top 2 finishes over his past 6 races. Kyle have had a couple DNFs over the past few Dover races, but I think there is a strong possibility that Kyle grabs his first win at Dover since the 2010 season. Chevy have dominated here in years past, but if anyone have their number in the Toyota camp, then it is Kyle Busch. He has two wins at this track since joining Toyota in 2008. In fact, those two wins remains the lone two wins for Toyota at Dover in the cup series. Be watching the 18 car on Sunday!

My Overall Ranking: 2nd

3. Jimmie Johnson - Jimmie Johnson doesn't have a dominating look to him this weekend, but they have gotten that No.48 car better and better as the weekend have gone on. Johnson is a 10-time winner and many people were shocked when he only posted the 21st-best single lap on Friday afternoon. No worries, because Chad and the guys fixed him up nicely on Saturday. He was good in the morning session on Saturday. He struggled a bit, but Johnson seemed happier towards end of the session. In final practice, I thought they got the 48 car almost where they want him. They was there with some of the fastest cars in terms of speed/lap times. I think they'll be alright come Sunday!

My Overall Ranking: 3rd

4. Joey Logano - Logano starts deep in the field, but he is one of the most consistent fantasy options at Dover. He is riding an 8-race Top 10 streak at Dover and this is his best racetrack from a career point of view. Not only have he found success at Penske, but he was also fairly successful with JGR. He wasn't blazing fast in practice, but I fully expect him to drive up through the field and contend for least a top 10 and hopefully a top 5 run at some point. Based on practice speed, I would say the top 5 is out of reach. But he usually get better as the race goes on, so I am not too worried about lack of speed. I am sure the 22 team will get him up there contending at some point or another. You can pass at Dover, so don't worry about the poor starting position either. When taking everything into consideration, I view him as a top borderline top 5/Top 10 driver. I think he finishes in the 5th-8th place range when the checkers waves.

My Overall Ranking: 6th

5.  Matt Kenseth - I debated about a couple of drivers for this spot, but in the end I went with the driver who have found the most success at Dover. Kenseth wasn't overly fast like his teammates were, but I think the 20 car will be solid on Sunday. Kenseth have a knack for running well at Dover and there no reason to think he won't be contending for least a top 10 finish on Sunday afternoon. JGR have dominated in recent weeks in the Sprint Cup Series and Dover doesn't look to be any different to be honest from what I have seen so far. Sure, Kenseth have had a lot of bad luck this season but this is also a great racetrack for him. 8 Top 7 finishes over his past 10 races here, and would have made it 9 , if he didn't have mechanical issues last spring while running top 5.

My Overall Ranking: 7th

Other Options - Dale Jr (8th), Denny Hamlin (9th), Kurt Busch (10th) and Brad Keselowski (13th)

B:

1. Carl Edwards - Okay Edwards isn't as strong as teammate Kyle Busch, but I still thought he was very good. He seems to fall off a little more than the 18 car to start a run, but he remains consistent on the long runs in race trim in my opinion in the morning session. I don't recall him making any long runs in final practice. However,  Edwards also have a very impressive track record at Dover and that itself gives him a bit of bump in my rankings. Also the fact that he have ran so very well this season was also something I took into consideration when compiling my rankings. I guess my point being, Edwards hit on every aspect when looking for an ideal fantasy pick! Consistent this season and at Dover, solid practice results and a top 5 starting position. I don't really see any reason to not trust him at one of his best tracks.

My Overall Ranking: 4th

2. Martin Truex Jr: I honestly thought that Martin Truex Jr would have been better than he actually have been this weekend. With that said, he been good since unloading at Dover. Just not fast as he was at Kansas last week. But I guess that couldn't be expected though, since he was basically untouchable most of the race. Truex showed speed in both practice sessions, but I thought they got him much better in final practice. He don't have the dominating car, but he has quality top 5 or at worst top 10 ride. Remember this is a great racetrack for him and led 131 laps to an 6th place finish last spring. Also know he won his first career race in 2007 at this place and have 8 Top 15 finishes over his past 10 races. Including 6 Top 8 finishes in that 10-race span. What to like even more? He have better equipment than he was in all of those races, considering how fast the Toyota been this season.

My Overall Ranking: 5th

3. Ryan Newman - Ryan Newman is having a very solid weekend without many people talking about him. That is so a Ryan Newman weekend though. Newman typically shows up with a solid top 15 car and post lap times around that area. This weekend however it different, he have shown top 10 speed and that should speak volume how good of a car he has. Newman and the 31 team was happy with their car all day on Saturday. When Newman is happy with his car, it is a usually a good sign for things to come. Austin Dillon have been the one with all of the media buzz this season, but Ryan Newman may be the headliner at Dover though. Newman lap times were consistent all day long.

My Overall Ranking: 11th

4. Kyle Larson - My dark horse for Dover? Kyle Larson. He was consistently among the fast cars throughout the day on Saturday and have a impressive young career at Dover already under his belt. The 42 team seems to be hitting on something of late and bringing some solid cars to the track. Larson was good in both sessions on Saturday, but I thought he was better on the shorter runs though. I think Larson will have a great shot at a solid finish at Dover. In final practice, Larson was on the track usually about the same time as Kevin Harvick was, so logically I was comparing their lap times. The 42 car's lap times stacked up pretty well vs the 4 car's lap times. He starting deeper in the field than I would have liked, but I am not concerned about it. My concern about Larson? Him finishing the race.

My Overall Ranking: 12th

5. Kasey Kahne - I didn't really pay much attention to the 5 car on Saturday, but I honestly wouldn't get too excited about him. Sure, he starts from the 11th starting position but I don't know if he can move forward from there. Kahne always seems to fade through the running order at some point in a Cup race. At Dover, I don't know if you can fade too far without getting lapped. Remember this is only a one-mile racetrack, so getting lapped is pretty easy. I cannot really give any real insight into Kahne since he wasn't on my fantasy radar. But based on common knowledge, he probably a top 15 driver headed in and that pretty much about it.

My Overall Ranking: 14th

Other Options - Ricky Stenhouse (15th), Jamie Mac (17th), Austin Dillon (19th) and Paul Menard (20th)

C:

1. Chase Elliott - Elliott have looked really good this weekend at Dover and will try to translate that into his first career win. Can he do it? He definitely in the right equipment to do it. I thought he was good in the first session and just got better in as the track built up more rubber. I thought Elliott showed top 10 speed all day on Saturday and he could be in for another impressive showing. I view him as a top 15 driver headed into, but that only because I like tempering my expectations, even though I fully know he will be least top 10 good. Watch out for the 24 car!

My Overall Ranking: 16th

2. Ryan Blaney - Blaney have looked good this weekend, but he is getting overshadowed by fellow rookie driver Chase Elliott. I like Blaney a lot this week, in fact I like him more after watching practice. He will roll off from the 18th starting position and will be a top 15 contender most likely. I didn't pay too much attention to him, but I did track his lap times when Elliott was on the track. He fell off more than the 24 car did, but not too bad though. The big question with the 21 this season have been: Can he finish strong? Last week at Kansas, he did exactly that! Can he go back-to-back top 10 finishes? We will find out

My Overall Ranking: 18th

3. Brian Scott - Headed into the week, I thought there was a couple of drivers that could make some noise this week in this tier of drivers. But Scott have looked like the best driver behind Elliott and Blaney. And he wasn't too happy with his car overall on Saturday. He complained about not turning well enough. Toward end of final practice, they got him better though. He probably a top 25 driver at best headed into Sunday's race in my opinion.

My Overall Ranking: 25th

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

Fantasy Nascar Sleepers (Dover)

Welcome to TimersSports

From a fan perspective, whenever the series heads to Dover it always a fun race to watch. I personally enjoy the racing at Dover. It have always been at top of my list of favorite tracks. From a fantasy perspective, it kinda of a struggle in the spring time. Especially with a new race package this season. I say that because, there is no comparable track on the schedule to Dover. This place is unique, unlike no other track we visit. So we have to basically depend on past season's stats. Sometimes it works out okay, but other times not so much. While it is important to look at past data, I do believe we should take into consideration current season's success. A little of both cannot hurt too much. That's just my two cent though. Let's get into today's fantasy content!

Sleepers -

Kyle Larson: Larson struggled in the first 5 races this season to find speed, but after the off-week break (between Cali and Martinsville), he have been a consistent top 15 driver based on speed. Over the past 3 races (minus Talladega), Larson have twice had a car that was capable of a top 5 finishes or least top 10s. However both times he failed to finish the race and neither time was his really his fault. Can he turn his luck around at Dover? I don't know, but I think he will have some great potential! Dover have been a great track for CGR over the last couple seasons and been very kind to Kyle. In his first 4 career starts, he have posted 4 Top 11 finishes. With 3 straight top 9 finishes, including an career-best 3rd this past spring. Need more to like about him? Larson have been an excellent qualifier at Dover, minus the rain-out qualifying last fall. In his 3 qualifying attempts, he have never qualified worse than 7th place. It should be noted that Kyle would start 22nd, if indeed qualifying is rained out on Friday. There is some rain in the forecast.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Stenhouse Jr have been about the consistency this season (minus the shorter tracks).Yet Stenhouse is getting disrespected more and more each week in my opinion. Which is fine by me, more fantasy value for me to have to myself! Stenhouse is much better  than his numbers from the surface indicates. Over the previous 2 seasons (4 races), Stenhouse have posted an 26.3 average finish and 25.5 average running position. Terrible numbers, but don't let them fool you though. He is a solid driver here overall. His numbers are bad because of an 41st place finish and 37th place finish. If we take away those two finishes, he have 5 Top 20 finishes in 7 career starts. Including 3 Top 15 finishes in those 7 career races. He also finished 8th here last fall! Stenhouse is someone I really like this week as a fantasy sleeper. He could be that sleeper who put your lineup over the top, if you play your cards right.

Aric Almirola - This last spot was tough because a couple different drivers could have been rewarded this final spot, but in  the end I decided to roll with Aric Almirola. For a couple reasons actually, firstly Aric swept the top 5 here last season. Only Kevin Harvick was able to also accomplish that feat. Not only have was he good last season, but he always have had a knack for finishing well. In his 8 career starts at this track (all since 2012), he have finished 6 of his 8 starts inside the top 20. Even better? Aric have finished 12th or better in 3 of his 4 spring races at Dover. His other finish was 18th. Also it should be noted that 3 of his 4 best performances at Dover have came in the spring time as well. See where this is going? I guess my point being, trust your man Aric Almirola and roll with him into the weekend.

Have a question?

Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

 

Fantasy Nascar Early Rankings (Dover)

Welcome to TimersSports

Early Rankings -

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Martin Truex Jr
5. Carl Edwards
6. Matt Kenseth
7. Joey Logano
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Kyle Larson
10. Ryan Newman
11. Kasey Kahne
12. Dale Jr
13. Denny Hamlin
14. Kurt Busch
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
16. Jamie Mac
17. Austin Dillon
18. Chase Elliott
19. Paul Menard
20. Aric Almirola
21. Ryan Blaney
22. Greg Biffle
23. Trevor Bayne
24. Tony Stewart
25. Danica Patrick
26. Casey Mears
27. AJ Dinger
28. Chris Buescher
29. Brian Scott
30. David Ragan

Twitter - @MattAleza
 

Fantasy Nascar Preview (Dover)

Welcome to TimersSports

Preview -

1-JMac: JMac had a rough night at Kansas and never was able to fully recover after a devastating start to the event. He finished 26th for the race and will look to rebound at Dover! He been good in the past at Dover and he will have a chance to get back on track. Last season he posted finishes of 7th and 4th. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 11.5 average finish with 14.8 average running position and 84.7 driver rating. Overall, he have finished 4 of the past 5 races at Dover inside the top 11. The CGR cars seems to really run well here at Dover for some reason over the past 3 or so seasons, so there a lot of hope that JMac can keep that trend going. Honestly the #1 car have not had the speed like they had the past two seasons, so I am kinda thinking his liking outcome will be somewhere in the low to middle teens.

2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski was caught up in that mess at Dover with teammate Logano and Hamlin, but luckily he was able to sneak back into the top 10 after spinning from that wreck. Keselowski is having a pretty solid season so far for Penske, but like Logano he doesn't seems to have the speed to go up there and challenge for a top 5 though. He should be top 10 good at Dover this Sunday though. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 8.0 average finish with 10.0 average running position and 99.7 driver rating. Keselowski is much better here than most actually realize though. He won at Dover back in September 2012 and knocked off a pair of 2nd place finishes in 2014. Overall, he have compiled 6 Top 12 finishes in his past 8 races. With 4 of those 6 races ending in 5th or better. He finished 16th and 12th last season. He wasn't really much of a contender in either race though. He led 28 laps last spring, but he struggled for the event overall and finished 12th place. In the fall, he finished 16th and arguably had one of his worst races of his career here. Last season at Dover, he spent about 34% of both races inside the top 15 and posted 15.5 average running position. Despite that, I think he can rebound at Dover this season. Am I expecting a top 5 run? Nope. But I am sure he can get a top 10 out of the weekend!

3-Austin Dillon: Dillon could be someone to watch out for this weekend and is someone who I expect to be under the radar because of his Dover's stats. He have not found a impressive amount of success yet in his cup career here. Over the past 4 races at this track, he have compiled 25.0 average finish with 16.8 average running position and 70.8 driver rating. His best career race was back in September 2014, when he finished 20th. He finished 23rd in his most recent (and most relevant race). Performance wise it was slightly worse than September 2014's race, but overall they were dead even pretty much. There isn't a lot to talk about with Dillon, he isn't a great driver at Dover so far in his career. He haven't had much success, but he is coming off finishes of 5th and 6th in his past two Sprint Cup races and could use that momentum to have his best Dover's race. Will it happen? I don't know, but he is definitely someone to have on your fantasy radar just in case.

4-Kevin Harvick: Kevin Harvick is so underrated at Dover it actually pretty funny! You probably hear something like, ''oh he dominated last fall race because he knew he needed to win to advance.'' Yeah that would be a good excuse except, he was really strong last spring too. Oh and dominated fall 2014 race as well. So it not really valid, is it? You bet your ass it isn't. His stats are rock-solid here. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 8.3 average finish (4th-best in the series) with 6.5 average running position (series-best) and 125.6 driver rating (series-best). He also have led a series-high 693 laps led. Second most? Jimmie Johnson at 295. In Harvick's debut with SHR in 2014, he finished 17th. But I think he had a issue and had to pit after a restart and finished 17th. Even he was leading before pitting. Dover is only a mile-long, so you going to lose a couple laps here. He came back in the fall-time and dominated that event, while leading 223 laps from the pole. However he finished 13th (-1 lap down). Last May, he was strong for that race and was consistently inside the top 5, while leading 95 laps of that race. Over the past 15 races, he have finished 12th or in 10 races. Including finishes of 1st and 2nd.

5-Kasey Kahne: Kasey Kahne was a huge disappointment at Kansas as it was one of his best racetracks on schedule. I was not terribly shocked, even though he ran much better than he practice. That 5 car was completely junk in practice, but it raced better. Which was expected because you cannot be as bad as he was on the speed charts. Anyhow, I feel like Kahne will have a chance to rebound nicely this weekend. Over the past 4 races at Dover, he have compiled 12.3 average finish with 13.3 average running position and 91.6 driver rating. Those numbers are better than I actually expected, but it mainly because of his 4th and 6th place finishes last season here. He was more of a top 15 driver in both races than top 10 though. Since joining HMS, he have finished 3 of his 8 races inside the top 9. Looking deeper into the data pool, he have finished 5 of the past 8 races inside the top 15. The top 15 is more what I am expecting as it seems to be the norm for him this season than top 10 potential.

11-Denny Hamlin: I am sorry but Denny Hamlin is a moron. I mean that move at Kansas was just stupid. I really don't understand what he thought he was going to accomplish with a move like that. Cannot say I am shocked by the results though. But Hamlin isn't point racing, he have a win so he can take extra risks like that. Which is one of the reasons I refuse to trust Hamlin this season, as he is crazy inconsistent with his finishes. And Dover isn't exactly a Denny Hamlin type racetrack either. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 14.0 average finish with 10.3 average running position and 95.0 driver rating. Okay those are good numbers, but I don't really think he is a legit fantasy pick unless he shows some consistency in his finishes. He have only one top 5 finishes since start of the 2014 season and that was in spring 2014 race (finished 5th). In fact, his finishes haven't really been too impressive over the past few seasons. Over his past 10 races at Dover, he have finished 16th or worse in 7 of 10 races. 8 of 10 races, he have finished outside of the top 10. I guess by point being, Hamlin is way too inconsistent this season and at this track to be considered as potential fantasy pick. Even though JGR is on a roll, I don't think he have enough fantasy value unless he looks top 5 in practice on Saturday!

17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr: Ricky didn't have his best race of the season at Kansas, but he hovered around 12th or 13th most of the night and really didn't move from those two positions. Still he has 7 Top 16 finishes in 11 races in 2016 now. He is quietly having a very solid season and most people haven't really noticed that yet. He probably won't get much love at Dover either because of his track record. But I do like him very much this weekend. Over the past 4 races here at Dover, he have compiled 26.3 average finish with 25.5 average running position and 65.0 driver rating. Man I cannot wait for people to overlook him because they don't look deeper into his stats. Those stats are very misleading. The past two spring races here have deflated his overall average finish. He been much better. In 5 of his career 7 races at Dover, he have finished inside the top 19. Including 3 Top 13 finishes in those 5 races he have finished inside the top 19. Even better? He finished 8th in last October's race. Why is that important? That is really the only relevant race to judge Stenhouse on. As that was around the time, RFR started to head in  the right direction. Stenhouse is a top 15 driver headed into the weekend in my personal opinion.

18-Kyle Busch: When you are hot, you are just hot and Kyle Busch cannot be stopped! I don't think he could finish poorly if he tried. He been that good since the Daytona 500. His recent finishes are just off the charts though. Listen to his finishes since his win at Martinsville: 1st, 1st, 38th, 2nd, 2nd and 1st. Another interesting thing about Kyle Busch? His top 5 finishes have came in 2s since the Daytona 500. 3rd at Daytona and Atlanta. 4th at Las Vegas and Phoenix. 1st at Maritnsville and Texas. 2nd at Richmond and Talladega. He just won at Kansas, so if the trend contine then expect another win for Kyle Busch. I think he have a great shot at doing just that! Over the past 4 Dover races, he have compiled 22.5 average finish with 11.0 average running position and 104.7 driver rating. His average finish is misleading when you look deeper into the stats. If you take out the past two spring races (36th, 42nd - top 5 strong in both races), he would have 5 straight top 10 finishes. Inlcuding an 2nd place finish this past October.

19-Carl Edwards: Edwards is coming off a very disappointing race at Kansas, he was expected to be a race-winning threat. However he had a tire go down and couldn't get pit road right away. Therefore went 2 lap down. He spent rest of the race playing catchup and finished 11th eventually. He'll have a chance to redeem himself at Dover. He was good here last season with JGR. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 14.8 average finish with 14.3 average running position and 86.4 driver rating. He haven't score an top 10 finish since September 2012 (5th place). But he was very good here last season. He compiled 17.0 average finish with 12.0 average running position and 92.5 driver rating. Obviously had a better car than he had finishes last season (15th and 19th) at Dover. He been consistently lately though. 4 of the past 5 races, he have had finishes between 11th-15th. He use to be dominated here at one time. From September 2006 to October 2011 (11 races), he posted 11 straight Top 11 finishes. With 7 of 11 races ending inside the top 5. Edwards have been one of the fastest cars on the track this season without question. That should bode well for the weekend, considering he also has a strong track record here.

20-Matt Kenseth: Kenseth is coming off his best performance and finish of the season at Kansas (4th) and will look to follow it up at Dover. Not many think of Matt Kenseth at Dover, but he actually been one of the best drivers here from a career point of view and have impressive numbers lately as well. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 13.5 average finish with 6.8 average running position and 106.8 driver rating. Obviously he have been better than his average finish displays. His 39th place finish because of suspension really brings down his numbers. He was running top 5 before that. Over the past 5 races, he have 4 Top 7 finishes in that 5-race span. He been great here for a long time, too. He have had 10 Top 5 finishes in his past 16 races at Dover. Kenseth have had a lot of bad luck this season, but JGR is red hot right now and eventually the 20 car will find victory lane. If I was a betting man, I would put it on this weekend at Dover. This is a great track for him and I think he will use Kansas's strong run as some momentum!

21-Ryan Blaney: I pretty much nailed my Blaney's prediction in last week's preview and I think he can follow that up with another strong performance at Dover.  There are a lot of unknowns about Ryan Blaney because of his lack of experience at the Sprint cup level, which limit us to data to use for him. As he haven't made any Sprint Cup starts at Dover, but I am not real concerned about that. He should be fine and contend for least a top 20, if he shows some speed in practice then a top 15 isn't out of the question. I will have my eyes on Ryan Blaney in Saturday's practice that for sure.

22-Joey Logano: Logano is coming off an poor finish at Kansas (after wreck with Hamlin) and will look to get back on track at Dover. In fact, I would say Dover have been one of his best tracks since entering the Sprint Cup ranks. And rarely get the credit he deserves as one of the best drivers in the series here. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 8.3 average finish with 8.8 average running position and 100.0 driver rating. He is currently on a 8-race Top 11 streak at Dover, with his best finish coming in 3rd (September 2013 with Penske, September 2010 with JGR). Overall, he have been very good at Dover. Even with JGR, he was still very solid. He just have stepped up his game at Penske at this track. In 14 career races, he have compiled 11 Top 15 finishes in 14 races with 13.3 average finish. Logano have finished 9 of those 14 races inside the top 10. I think the driver of the No.22 will be under the radar once again and be a solid off-sequence pick if you are looking for a opportunity to be different than the other fantasy players in your league.

24-Chase Elliott: Elliott much like Blaney have never raced in the Sprint Cup Series at Dover Raceway, but that will obviously change on Sunday afternoon. Chase have been impressive all season long in the No.24 car with 7 Top 10 finishes in 11 races so far. Even last week when he didn't have a top 10 car, he was able to fight his way to an solid 9th place finish. I think Chase will be very solid this week at Dover. Headed into the weekend, I view him as top 20 driver with top 15 upside. It doesn't hurt that he is teammates with a guy like Jimmie Johnson, who knows a thing or several about success at Dover.

27-Paul Menard: Man is Paul Menard having a off-season, I think I have said that often this season. He still only have one top 10 finish this season and that was now over 1 month ago and things last weekend at Kansas didn't make his season any easier. He will know turn his attention to Dover; a track that have up and down for him so far in his career with RCR. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 14.8 average finish with 16.3 average running position and 79.8 driver rating. Over that 2-season span, he have managed 2 Top 10 finishes (8th - last spring and 10th - June 2014) and 2 finishes of 25th and 16th. In 10 career races at Dover (with RCR), he have posted 2 Top 10 finishes and 8 finishes of 16th or worse. However 5 of his past 10 races at Dover have ended in the 16th-20th place range. If I was a betting man, I would put my money in a high-teen finish.

41-Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch is having a pretty nice season so far in 2016 and most times we even forget that Kurt Busch is even racing. Because he isn't contending up front like we saw often last season. Regardless, it doesn't take away from how good he been week in and week out. Every single week, the No.41 machine seems to have top 10 speed. He have struggled to get top 10 finishes at Dover lately, but should have top 10 potential though. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 21.0 average finish with 12.3 average running position and 85.0 driver rating. This haven't been a good track for him, considering he haven't scored a top 10 finish since October 2011. How did he finish in that race? He won that race. However his finishes since haven't been exactly encouraging. Least not the final finishing position. He finishes mainly been in the high teens. From career point of view, he have struggled. Over the past 21 races here, he have posted 5 Top 10 finishes (all of them ending inside the top 5). He also have posted 14 finishes outside of the top 15 though. So you are basically getting Top 5 or nothing (okay top 20 finish, but that really the same thing when considering what type of finishes you are expecting out of a talent like Kurt).

42-Kyle Larson: Kyle Larson looked awesome at Kansas and I was quite pleased with how fast that No.42 car was all night. Sure he got involved in a wreck late, but that wasn't his fault. I guess what I take away from that race is Larson running up inside the top 5 for a change. He also had a fast car at Talladega (not really saying much) and Bristol. He didn't get any good finishes in those races, but I think him and Chad Johnston are starting to get more on the same page as we enter the summer months. And Dover have been one of his best tracks so far in his young cup career. In 4 career races here, he have compiled 7.3 average finish (series-best), 9.8 average running position (4th-best) and 98.1 driver rating (9th-best). In his Sprint Cup debut, he finished 11th. Since? He have knocked off 3 straight Top 9 finishes. He had one of his better cup races here last spring when he finished 3rd. Can he repeat that? I don't know, but I wouldn't be shocked by a top 10 finish. There some very good tracks for him coming up, so this could be the stepping stone he needs to get his season on track.

48-Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie Johnson is pretty much a must-have on your fantasy team, unless you are crazy then you still should have him on your fantasy team. He is simply the man here and anyone who says otherwise is lying. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 11.5 average finish with 11.5 average running position and 115.6 driver rating. In that 4-race span, he has compiled 3 Top 5 finishes, including 2 wins. He had an issue last fall and had to go to garage early. Johnson have been dominant in his career at Dover. In 28 career starts, he have posted 10 wins, 15 Top 5 finishes (that over 50%), 20 Top 10 finishes and 25 Top 20 finishes. So he a near lock for a top 10 and probably also a lock for a top 5 as well. Anytime we come to Dover, he is the first guy that should come to your mind. He is easily one of the best fantasy options this week. If you leave him off, I am pretty sure the risk won't outweigh the reward. I view Johnson as the heavy favorite headed into the weekend.

78-Martin Truex Jr: I feel bad for anyone who started Martin Truex Jr last Saturday at Kansas, because he was destroying the field and then the bad luck bug bit him. This dude is cursed or something this season. I have never seen a driver have much bad luck as he have had over the years. If there a way to lose a race, then I am pretty sure he have found it. It always been like that for Martin. Even when he has a car that was miles better than the competition was. He now will look to put Kansas behind him and refocus on Dover. I wouldn't be shocked if they bring back the same car they had at Kansas. Who knows though. He been very good at Dover over the years. He got his first Sprint cup win here. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 7.5 average finish with 11.3 average running position and 98.5 driver rating. Truex dominated this event last spring while leading 131 laps on his way to 6th place finish. I know that sound familiar to a couple races this season. Over the past 10 Dover races, Truex have posted 8 Top 15 finishes. With 6 of those 8 finishes ending 8th or better. Truex and that 78 team will look to finally get that win on Sunday, I think they will have a solid shot at it.

88-Dale Jr: Junior is having a solid season in the No.88 car, minus a few bad finishes he have been very consistent overall. He now will try to keep it going at Dover. He been pretty good here with HMS over the past few seasons. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 10.8 average finish with 14.0 average running position and 89.1 driver rating. He been very consistent since the 2012 season at Dover. In that 8-race span, he have compiled 7 Top 15 finishes. Including 5 Top 10 finishes. He finished 3rd last fall and 17th in last spring's event. Jimmie Johnson is usually the one who get all the media buzz at Dover, but Dale Jr isn't too bad either. Is he worth fantasy consideration in most leagues? Probably not. But he could make a solid option in deeper fantasy formats. Just got to see what he has to offer us in practice and qualifying. I think he is someone worth keeping tabs on as the week and into the weekend progresses.

**All stats from DriverAverages.com and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

 

Fantasy Nascar Post Practice Sleepers (Kansas)

Welcome to TimersSports

Post Practice Sleepers -

Austin Dillon - Austin would be weapon of choice tonight regarding sleeper choices. He have everything that you want in a quality fantasy pick! He has speed, momentum (off an top 5 at Talladega) and a strong intermediate track driver. He been a top 10 driver in all the intermediate races this season, including the most recent one at Texas. He also was stout here last October and was top 10 easy good. But then he hit the wall while running like 3rd. That race this week kept coming back to me over and over! Which was one of the major reasons I had such high hopes for him. Also in a interview during practice, he said he been looking forward to coming back to Kansas because he likes this place so much! Dillon tweeted on Friday night that he have a fast car for tonight. Do I need to say anymore?

Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Ricky Stenhouse Jr is under the radar this week and I couldn't be any happier! The driver of the No.17 car have shown all season why RFR is headed in the right direction with top 10 to top 15 speed every week. Tonight will be no different for Stenhouse either. There two races I been looking back at this season to get stable feedback from. Las Vegas (most similar track) and Texas (latest 1.5 mile track - also an night race). At Las Vegas, Stenhouse was top 15 strong for that race and finished 12th. He was top 10 strong at Texas and hovering just outside of the top 5 before Dillon lost control of his car with 30 laps to go. Texas isn't as comparable as Las Vegas, because at Texas the lap times fall-off pretty quickly. But Texas was also an night race, so I think that something we have to think about. Ricky showed good in all of the practices on Friday and qualified 9th.

Aric Almirola - Aric Almirola is someone who could make some noise tonight! I really liked him headed into the week, but I was little gun shy about him because he have struggled to find speed this season. However, in recent weeks I think the No.43 team have found something. He looked very solid at Richmond a couple weeks ago. And showed up to Kansas with a some speed in that Ford. Will that practice speed translate to the race? I don't know, but Aric loves Kansas. He been on the record saying it is one of his favorite tracks.

Have a question?

Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com

Twitter - @Garryy12