2016 Fantasy Football QB Rankings (1-5)

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The Quarterback position is in my opinion one of the deepest and probably the most important position in fantasy football. They usually aren't the first selected, but they are an key element and selecting the right one is critical for success. The talent and quality level of your QB is basically your baseline for your team. Especially in deeper leagues with multiple Quarterbacks. So who are the top Quarterbacks to target in your upcoming fantasy football draft? I have listed my Top 5 below:

1. Aaron Rodgers - Rodgers is the best Quarterback in the NFL and you don't have to look far why to see why, either. He is a big time player with a big time arm. Rodgers have a dangerous group of weapons and he doesn't make many mistakes. Even if in a down year (on film), he still posted awesome numbers. In 2015, he posted 3821 yards (on 347 of 572) with 31 Touchdowns and 8 Interceptions. So statically speaking, those are pretty respectable numbers overall. Probably somewhere just inside the top 15 overall as a Quarterback. So why did he struggle and will it be different in 2016? He struggled because he didn't have his favorite target in Jordy Nelson and none of his receivers could create distance from the defenders. But really the players he worked with were either inexperience (such as Cobb, Janis, Adams,etc) or declining in age (Such as James Jones). Not a great combo, when everyone expect dominating numbers. You can expect Aaron Rogers to be one of the top scorers in fantasy football once again in 2016.

2. Cam Newton - Newton had best year of his career in 2015 and that was without his star Wide Receiver in Kelvin Benjamin. Add in weapons like Greg Olsen, Devin Funchess and Kevin Norwood. Obviously having a staggering guy like Kelvin Benjamin alone makes Cam Newton's passing potential pretty good, but having Greg Olsen as well is kinda unfair. Those two players gives Cam a elite 1-2 punch. That doesn't even take into the fact how effective Cam can be with his legs. Last season he posted the most fantasy points among Quarterbacks (28.5 per game/ 455.5 TFPs - Per FFToday based scoring). Through the air, he went 296 of 496 on 3837 yards with 35 Touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also racked up 636 rushing yards and 10 Touchdowns. How much did his rushing ability contribute to being the highest scoring Quarterback? Well he was ranked 16th among starting Quarterbacks last season in passing yards. In fact, only 3 players among the top 10 highest scoring Quarterbacks rushed for more than 150 yards. Another amazing fact? Among the top 10 highest scoring Quarterbacks, the other nine players had a combined 14 rushing Touchdowns. Kirk Cousins had 5 of those 14 by the way. So the other 8 players had a combined 9 rushing touchdowns. His legs takes him to a whole new level.

3. Russell Wilson - If I were drafting a team right now, Russell Wilson would be at top of my draft board as my primary pick. Why? Well, if there was such thing as a safe fantasy pick then he would be it. He doesn't have a injury history to start off. Then he is just a reliable fantasy pick overall. Since entering the league in 2012, he have not threw more than 10 interceptions in a season and have threw least 25 Touchdown passes in 3 of 4 seasons. He threw 20 touchdowns in 2013, but he also had his lowest interception total (7) that season as well. He also is a very effective rusher,too. He have ran for 500+ yards in 3 straight seasons, however he posted 12 rushing touchdowns in 4 seasons though. On the plus side, he have improved his total TFPs (total fantasy points) and points per game in every season. In 2012, he was averaging 20.8 points per game. Last season, he averaged 24.9 points per game. With all of that said, I do think the pressure will be more on Russell Wilson with no more Marshawn Lynch. However, I am not worried about that too much. I expect Russell to step and take his game to the next level. He has enough talent around him to be a elite Quarterback and continue posting strong numbers.

4. Big Ben - Not sure if this is too high of a ranking for Big Ben as he have dealt with some injuries over the past few seasons, but he is definitely capable of backing up this ranking. He known for a big time arm and finding the league's best Wide Receiver in Antonio Brown. Last season he posted 3933 yards with 21 Touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Last season was his second highest number of turnovers of his career (he threw 23 interceptions back in 2006). However, he matched his career-high 23.6 fantasy points per game. What season did he match? 2014. He had a career-year that season with nearly 5000 yards and 32 touchdowns. If he didn't miss those 4 games last season, he probably would have came close to posting 5000 yards and 30 Touchdowns. Honestly I feel like most fantasy players out there will overlook Big Ben for some reason. A lot of players in your draft will let him slip to the later rounds, due to there some many options out there who are more of a ''sexy product''. If Big Ben slip past the 6th or 7th round in my draft, you can bet I am taking him with a smile on my face.

5. Andrew Luck - Luck is coming off multiple injuries during the 2015 season where he struggled to stay healthy and eventually got sent for to the IR in a messy Indianapolis season. Last season, many people considered him to be a top 2 Quarterback headed into the season. And for good reason, as in first few years in the league he was one of the most serviceable fantasy picks in the game. In his first three years in the league, he have averaged 4000+ yards and 28 Touchdowns with roughly 300 yards rushing as well per season. And he's still developing as a Quarterback, so he will only get better as the seasons goes by. Obviously he has major upside, if he can stay healthy. However, that remains a question mark in my opinion. Why? Well for starters, the offensive line is still pretty concerning to me. I know the Colts will do everything they can to make sure Andrew can stay upright. But I still question why they gave away their 2nd Round pick in May to Green Bay. Both teams were in need of depth and Jason Spriggs is going to be something special as a Tackle in this league (in my opinion). Of they added some depth in the draft anyhow, but still I would have kept the 48th overall pick and took a guy like Spriggs. So how will Luck do in 2016? If he stays healthy, I would say around 3800-4200 yards, 30-34 Touchdowns, roughly 15 interceptions and about 275 rushing yards.

Twitter - @WilliamFrang

Fantasy Nascar RaceDay Thoughts (WGI)

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RaceDay Thoughts -

Jeff Nathans (@JeffNathans18):

- Pit strategy and track position will play a huge role in today's race

-The JGR cars are very good and seems to have the advantage on the comp once again

-The Penske cars are also very good and will probably be able to hang with the Gibbs boys

-I hate to drop the bad news, but today's race will likely be a complete mess.

Garry Briggs (@Garryy12):

-Everyone been talking about AJ Dinger this week, but quite frankly he haven't proven to me that he has the car to beat. Nor have he proven he can seal the deal at the road courses

- The fastest car may not win today, it might be the smartest crew chief. Remember back at Sonoma? Smoke's team called him in just before a caution occurred and he was able to take the lead. Did he have the best car? Nope.

- I believe Martin Truex Jr has one of the best cars today, but he will start from the 14th starting position. I would not be surprised to see him charge through the field

-Denny Hamlin is going to surprise some people today. He has a very fast car for today. First road course win? Maybe.

Matt Aleza (@MattAleza)

- I think either someone from JGR or Penske will go to victory lane. Two drivers automatically jump out at me in Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Both have done pretty well here recently

-If yesterday's race is any indication then we are in for quite of a show

-Kyle Larson could be a good dark horse for today's race. Qualified 2nd and has a lot of momentum

-Michael McDowell could be a great sleeper today for anyone wanting to off-sequence. He was awesome back at Sonoma, until he had some issues late in the race. He seems to be pretty good once again. Question is will his equipment hold up?

Yahoo -

Jeff's Lineup - 18,47,1,88

Garry's Lineup - 22,14,42,88

Matt's Lineup - 18,14,47,88

Sleeper -

Jeff's Pick - AJ Dinger

Garry's Pick - Casey Mears

Matt's Pick - AJ Dinger

Winner -

Jeff's Pick - Kyle Busch

Garry's Pick - Kyle Busch

Matt's Pick - Martin Truex Jr

 

Fantasy Nascar Picks (WGI)

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We are at the Glen this week, it is the second of the road courses on the Sprint Cup Series schedule. It was repaved since the last time we visited here and there were a 2-day test session held last week as well. Road courses are tough to really make pick for without any practice data. They are tough because there are so many elements and factors that usually play out. Not only that, but there no comparable racetrack either. So you cannot take seasonal's data and try to get relevant data like we do on the 1.5 intermediate tracks or flat tracks. So practice this week will heavily determine our rosters. Without wasting anymore time, let dig into today's picks!

***Note - This post will be updated throughout the week, so check back often

Yahoo -

A:

Start - Kyle Busch (5)

Bench - Brad Keselowski (8)

Reasons -Keselowski and Busch are the top options this week. Both have looked pretty fast in practice. So it really comes down to track position for me and Busch has it to start with. I think Keselowski's team will be the better option based off potential pit strategies. But that what if this goes right or what if that goes right. Busch have the better car and starts further up. I am going with the safe option.

B:

Start - Tony Stewart (6), AJ Dinger (6)

Bench - Carl Edwards (4), Kyle Larson (4)

Reasons - The plan was to originally to roll with Smoke and Larson, which isn't a bad idea at all. I like Larson a lot this week, but I came to realize that I will need his starts during the chase. He has multiple great tracks coming up like Bristol, Chicago, Dover,etc. So do I waste a start at a track that was just repave or wait for better chances to come along? I think I am going to wait, since I have two proven road course racers also on my team. So as you would expect, I am going with Smoke and Dinger. Smoke will start 3rd and seems to be hitting his marks more often not not since his restart. Dinger because he has an awesome shot. You can expect the 47 team to do everything they can to get him into victory lane. This is his last real shot to make the chase grid!

C:

Start - Jeff Gordon (7)

Bench - Chase Elliott (4)

Reasons - This pick is based on strategy rather than logic overall. Gordon is not exactly the better fantasy option, as he seems to be a little shaky on his finishes since his return to Cup. But he has experience and he has a good enough car to stay within striking distance of the top 10 imo. Elliott qualified better and was better in practice, but rookies will make mistakes.

Fantasy Live -18,78,4,34 and 38

Sleeper - AJ Dinger

Winner - Martin Truex Jr

Twitter - @MattAleza

Fantasy Nascar Final Rnakings (WGI)

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Final Rankings -

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

Twitter - @MattAleza

Fantasy Nascar Update (WGI)

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Fantasy Nascar Update -

A:

1. Kyle Busch - Kyle Busch has a pretty solid car this weekend and will roll off from the 5th starting spot. His lap times in practice were pretty consistent and seemed pleased with the speed in his No.18 car. Busch have finished 3 of the past 5 races at this place inside the top 3. Last time he started from the 5th starting spot at the Glen? 2013. Where did he finish on that day? In victory lane. In fact, he have started inside the top 5 in 4 races so far in career. He have finished three times inside the top 2. Including both of wins. I have considered him one of the favorites all week long and after practice, I don't see any reason to change my opinion of him. All of the Gibbs cars seems to have plenty of speed. Rowdy is my pick to win on Sunday.

2. Joey Logano - Logano have one of the best cars this weekend and I don't think enough people give him enough credit as an ace road course racer. He have finishes of 3rd, 1st and 5th over his past 3 road course races and have finished 4 straight inside the top 6. At WGI, he have posted finishes of 1st and 6th over the past two seasons. In practice, he looked very good and top 5 good in my opinion. He worked on mainly race runs in practice and he was right there with the Gibbs cars on the lap times. It hard to say how good he truly is, since lap times don't fall off too much. But you could tell he was in pretty good shape with the lap he was posting compared to other drivers in both sessions though. I think he will be top 5 good on Sunday afternoon and contend for the win.

3. Brad Keselowski - Keselowski is another great fantasy option to consider this week. He been awesome at WGI in his career and raced in the NXS race, which should gave him some extra on-track time. He was pretty good on Friday in practice as well. He posted solid lap times in both sessions overall in my opinion, which didn't surprise me one bit. He will roll off further back than I would like (12th place), but it hard to deny that he been very good at this place. He have started 12th or better in the last 5 races here and have translated them into 4 top 7 finishes. Last time he started from 12th place? 2011 and he finished 2nd on that day. He also has a lot of momentum right now, as he have posted 6 Top 5 finishes over the past 9 Sprint Cup series races. I also believe there will be a lot of pit strategies going on in Sunday's race with this tire not falling-off much (faster speeds too). Brad's is one of the best in the series on pit strategy. I think this race could fall right in his lap. Look at Pocono? He finished 2nd.

4. Denny Hamlin - I usually don't rank Hamlin that high at a road course, however he was legit at Sonoma and have shown pretty good speed this weekend as well. I thought he was pretty good overall on Friday. He also has plenty of momentum entering the week. Entering the week, he have posted a season-high 3 straight Top 8 finishes. He also have been performing much better than he was earlier this season of late as well. He haven't gotten a least an top 15 finish here since 2009, but I think that will change though. Not to mention, all his JGR teammates has some speed in their cars. Usually when two or more of them has speed, it a common theme for the rest of them. I think the fact that Hamlin is running better, will help him this weekend. Not saying Hamlin is a safe option by any means, but it hard to overlook that he could be a great dark horse nobody is talking about. On twitter, Hamlin said he has a great car and added he  To top it off, he will start from the 6th.

5. Kevin Harvick - The final spot in this grouping of drivers came down to Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch. All three have came ran quite well over the past couple seasons on the road courses . But I am going with Kevin Harvick because he been one of the best road course racers in the series over the past two seasons. He probably should won this race last season and had the lead until he ran out of fuel on the final lap. Harvick have been a strong road course racer since joining SHR. He have finished 4 of 5 road course races inside the top 7. Including finishes of 7th and 3rd in his first two WGI starts. Much like any other race weekend, Harvick was very fast and seemed to be pleased with his racecar. But I like most race, I think his pit crew will blow this race for him. As it seems like more often than not, the #4 team always find ways to come up short. Also if it comes down to fuel mileage, I don't consider Kevin as the best fuel saving driver. He has a fast car no doubt and will likely have of the cars to beat on the long runs. If you really want to use him this week, then I am not against it.

B:

1. Carl Edwards - Carl Edwards in eyes in one of the favorites and probably could make a very strong case as the odds-on favorite as well. The No.19 car showed solid speed on Friday and backed it up on Saturday afternoon by qualifying on the pole. Carl also qualified on the pole earlier this season at Sonoma and eventually finished 4th place. He have qualified inside the top 5 in 5 road course races (3 at Sonoma, 2 at WGI) so far in his career. All 5 races have ended in 9th or better. Even better? 4 of those 5 races have ended inside the top 5. Including the past 4 times. Back in 2010, he also sat on the pole for this race and finished 5th on that day. Edwards also have plenty of experience this season starting up front as well. In 7 previous races this season, he have started on the front row. He finished 7th or better in 5 of 7 races. He have finished inside the top 4 in the past two times he have started on the pole this season. Long as the 19 team keep Edwards towards the front, I think he finishes somewhere inside the top 3 or top 5. Edwards has the speed, question is can he take advantage of this opportunity?

2. Martin Truex Jr - Truex's team made a very risky gamble on Saturday in qualifying that didn't pay off for him. His team decided to wait until the last minute possible to make their qualifying lap, so the track would have rub down. Which isn't a terrible idea. problem was you could put faster lap times down as you put more laps on your tires. As you guessed, he missed the final round because he tried to outsmart the competition. He seems very happy with car's speed, so I am not too concerned about his poor starting position, I am just worried what bad luck is in stored for him. Last week, he kept hitting the wall. I don't really know, but I don't trust him. Based on pure potential, I would say he can be a top 5 driver. However, I wouldn't bank on it. To me is about an top 10 fantasy pick with a top 5 caliber car.

3. AJ Dinger - Dinger will always have great potential to finish up front on road courses but he have struggled to finish out these road courses races more often than not. I think that have more to do with equipment or pit road mistakes than anything though. I don't think he has a dominating car . However I fully expect him to drive up to the front from the 9th starting position, but don't look for him to drive away from the field though. He isn't what Marcos Amrbose was a few years back, even if he the closest we have right now (so people will make those comparisons). To be completely honest, I am not sure what Dinger has for this weekend because as I mentioned before lap times don't fall off too much. I want to say that he has a car capable of winning, but I didn't think he was overly great. He never seemed happy with his car, but I do believe we will see him get inside the top 5 at some point. Weather it is on strategy or myself. He has the speed to do it, he probably a little off still from being a race winning car in my opinion though.

3. Kyle Larson - My dark horse pick drives the Target Chevy for Chip Ganassi Racing in Kyle Larson. For weeks and weeks, many have speculated when he would score his first win of his career. This could be the week it happens. Larson is a very solid road course racer and have quickly became a front runner on this type of track. Earlier this season, he was top 5 good for most of the event. Until he got a speed penalty late in the race, which put him a hole. He recovered nicely to an solid 12th place. On top of that, Larson has a lot of momentum. He have finished 5th and 6th in his previous two races (Indy and Pocono) and will start a season-high 2nd on Sunday. He was not really that happy with his car until late in final practice. However, he came out on Saturday and showed strong speed out of his Chevy. He also has some extra on-track time from Saturday's race. I believe he will finish somewhere inside the top 10, with upside to finish inside the top 5.

5. Tony Stewart - The good times continues to roll for Tony Stewart and the 14 team, as he will start from the 3rd starting position. Tony is considered to be one of the best road course racers in the field, as he have won at this track alone 5 times. But only has one race under his belt, since the 2012 season. Despite that, I can overlook that and say that he is good enough to be around top 10 or top 12 fantasy pick. Remember he also won earlier this season at Sonoma as well. Honestly, I like him for the momentum he brings into this race more than anything else. He have finished 4 of the past 6 races inside the top 5. To me fantasy nascar have a lot to do with momentum. A driver with momentum can be a difficult thing to halt and Smoke has plenty of it right now. Truthfully, I didn't really pay much attention to Tony in practice. So I am not really that sure what he has overall, but common sense would suggest that he is good enough to finish as I mentioned earlier least inside the top 12.

C:

1. Chase Elliott - Elliott will make his Cup series debut at WGI on Sunday and he have looked better than I expected him to. He qualified in the 16th starting position and was higher on the speed charts than I was thinking. However, we have to remember that he is in HMS equipment. The Hendrick bunch always seems to unload good cars. Obviously HMS is behind right now, but still Chase haven't looked too bad. However, he is a major slump right now. His main focus should be finishing ahead of the Ganassi cars who are directly behind in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Headed into the race, I view him as a top 17th-22nd driver with the potential to finish inside the top 15 as the race progresses. I am still not completely sold on Chase at the moment, least not until he proves he can finishes out races again.

2. Jeff Gordon - Jeff Gordon qualified outside of the top 20 and he was very surpised. In a post-qualifying interview with MRN, he said his car was great on Friday and expected to easily make inside the top 10 and maybe even top 5. He was that confident in his car beforehand, so it had to be very disappointing for him. He also added that he felt great this week, so maybe that will translate to better performance than the first few races back. I have higher standards for Gordon than I had earlier in the week. I think we will see least an solid low teen finish from Gordon, depending how the race plays out. Heck, I wouldn't be shocked if the 88 car finishes inside the top 10 on Sunday.

3. Ryan Blaney - Blaney will round out this grouping tier of drivers. I cannot say, I have been too impressed with Ryan Blaney so far. My expectations for him wasn't high to begin with though, so not really disappointed either. I just haven't shown much from him to say that he is a legit top 20 threat. I honestly, I thought for sure, he would be entered in the NXS race this week to get addition track-time. But he wasn't (Keselowski, Logano was). As I said in my preview, my main concern was his inexperience at this racetrack and his inexperience on road courses in general. If this race goes for Blaney as I am thinking, I think he will finish somewhere around 20th place. Headed into the weekend, I thought how these rookies improved throughout the weekend would be the key to their potential upside.

Grouping Tier Rankings -

A:

1. Kyle Busch
2. Joey Logano
3. Brad Keslowski
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Kurt Busch
8. Matt Kenseth

B:

1. Carl Edwards
2. Martin Truex Jr
3. AJ Dinger
4. Kyle Larson
5. Tony Stewart
6. Ryan Newman
7. Jamie Mac
8. Kasey Kahne
9. Austin Dillon
10.Greg Biffle

C:

1. Chase Eilliott
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Michael McDowell
5. Chris Buescher

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

Fantasy Nascar Early Rankings (WGI)

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Early Rankings -

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

Twitter - @MattAleza

Fantasy Nascar Preview (WGI)

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Fantasy Nascar Preview -

1-JMac: JMac is a underrated plate racer and in my opinion one of the better fantasy option to roll with this week. Him and teammate Kyle Larson were very good at Sonoma earlier this season, different road courses but still cannot discount that they were pretty good. Ironically both drivers got speeding penalty. He been good at The Glen though. Over the past 3 seasons, he have compiled 21.7 average finish with 16.3 average running position and 82.6 driver rating. Last season, he finished 40th place here after finishing 4 laps down. Prior to that, he had finishes of 11th and 14th while posting driver rating above 90 in both of races. Overall, he have finished 17th or better in 4 of his past 6 starts. Also JMac took part in a test session last week at the recently repaved racetrack.

2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski crashed in a test session last week at WGI, after posting the fastest lap of the day. He was reportedly fast up to that point, so that is great new for anyone considering him as a possible fantasy option. He been a stud in recent season at this place. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 14.7 average finish with 13.3 average running position and 97.1 driver rating. In 6 career races at this track, he have posted 4 Top 7 finishes. Including 3 straight 2nd place finishes from 2011 to 2013 races. In 2014, he finished 35th place after finishing 5 laps down. I believe he had some sort of mechanical issue during the race. In last season's race, he finished 7th place. A great aspect of Keselowski's fantasy outlook at WGI is how well he have qualified since the 2011 season (5 races ago). He have never started worse than 12th and only once have he finished worse than 7th in that span. In those 4 Top 7 finishes, his lowest driver rating was 105.8 (2013). Which tells me, he haven't lucked into those finishes.

3-Austin Dillon: Dillon took part in the testing held last week at Watkins Glenn and have been one of the best surprises of the season. However, road courses aren't exactly his strong suit. To be honest, I think he has some work to do on this type of track. Like a lot of young drivers, it takes awhile to breakout. Not all these young guns will breakout and dominate like Gordon and Smoke did early in their career. Or more recently guys like Kyle Larson recording a top 5 in track debut. Point being, it takes time to develop. Teams are working harder to get better at the road courses, but it is still a skill. Not just going to happen over night and Dillon's numbers aren't terrible but they could be better though. Over his first 2 starts at WGI, he have compiled 26.0 average finish with 24.0 average running position and 61.9 driver rating. Now, he isn't quite that bad. He finished a career-high 16th on a road course in 2014. Really most of his finishes on the road courses have came between 16th-22nd place. So not like he is terrible, just not quite where they need to be.

4-Kevin Harvick: Harvick have been awesome on the road courses since joining SHR, but his big problem this season have been qualifying though. Over the past three seasons here, he have compiled 7.7 average finish with 11.7 average running position and 104.1 driver rating. In the #4 car, he have made two starts at The Glenn. In those two starts, he have posted finishes of 3rd and 7th. Not only that, but he arguably should have won this race last season. In last season's race, he finished 3rd, started 4th, had race-high 132.9 driver rating and 5.0 average running position. He also led the most laps (29) in that event and had the third-most fast laps (10). Last season's race here was arguably his best ever at this track. Harvick has a great track record at WGI, with 12.0 average finish in 15 career starts. Including 7 Top 15 finishes in his past 8 finishes. On top that, he is a former winner at this racetrack in 2008. Harvick have to be one of the favorites headed into this weekend's race.

5-Kasey Kahne: I am not sure how to feel about Kasey Kahne this week at The Glenn, he have proven in the past that he can be a quality road course racer and is underrated in my opinion. However, he have been far more inconsistent at The Glenn than he have been at Sonoma though. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 29.3 average finish with 22.3 average running position and 66.3 driver rating. Over his past 4 races, he have finished twice outside of the top 30 and have two finishes of 12th and 13th. In fact, he have finished 12th-17th place in every other race dating back to the 2009 season. The other three finishes? 26th, 42nd and 34th. He finished 42nd place last season here. So he probably due for a quality finish this season then, if the trend continues for him.

11-Denny Hamlin:Hamlin have been bad on the road courses a lot lately in his cup career, after having a very respectable record to start off his record. Everything went south for him quick on both road courses during 2010. He have only produced one top 20 finish over his past 6 starts at WGI and only have 3 Top 20 finishes over his past 13 road course races. However his most recent effort in June at Sonoma ended in 2nd. In fact, his best (and most recent) two finishes have came at Sonoma. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 23.3 average finish with 18.7 average running position and 72.2 driver rating. Hamlin finishes have gotten better over the past three seasons at The Glenn, but problem is Hamlin just haven't posted many good numbers at road courses in general. I know some people will point out how good he ran at Sonoma. But remember, results at these two tracks don't always translate. Hamlin have been running much better lately (this season), but I would put my money that he hit a bump in the road this week though.

17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr: Stenhouse Jr haven't been good at either road course in his career, so I highly doubt that his luck get turned around this week. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 24.0 average finish with 27.3 average running position and 51.0 driver rating. He finished 34th (-1 lap down) here last season and posted an dreadful 45.3 driver rating for the event. However, his two starts ended in 18th and 20th place respectably though. With that said, his performance numbers were lackluster. In those two races, he compiled 19.0 average finish with 27.0 average running position and 53.9 driver rating. His driver rating should tell you the entire story, the fact that his driver rating was in the 50 speaks volumes. His best driver rating was in 2014, where he posted an 55.6. For those of you who don't know what a driver rating is, it is simply a tool that measures and judges a driver ''actual performance'' for a race. Anything below about 72.5 is poor for Stenhouse Jr in my personal opinion.

18-Kyle Busch: After winning at Indy, Rowdy backs that up an top 10 finish at Pocono. He wasn't ever great in that race, but he was good enough to be a contender though. Now, he goes to one of his best tracks in The Glenn. Over the past 3 seasons, he have compiled 14.3 average finish with 14.3 average running position and 109.1 driver rating. He much better than those numbers show. He finished 40th in the 2014 race, after making hard contact with Martin Truex Jr, after a pit stop. Which led to a very long day for Rowdy. But that been one of his few bad finishes at this track. In 11 career starts, he have finished 9 of 11 races inside the top 10. Including 5 Top 4 finishes over his past 8 starts. With 2 of his past 3 races ending inside the top 2. He finished 2nd here to Joey Logano in last season's race, while leading 3 laps and have led in 4 of the past 5 races overall. Headed into the weekend, Kyle have finished 4 of the past 5 Sprint Cup races this season inside the top 10. He have to be considered one of the favorites, when the green flag waves.

19-Carl Edwards: Edwards got back on track at Pocono with an top 10 finish, but he never was a factor on Monday afternoon though. He will now turn his attention to the next race on the schedule, where he have been very strong at in recent seasons. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 5.7 average finish with 11.0 average running position and 97.8 driver rating. Carl finished 8th in his debut with JGR last season. But that just him scratching the surface of his potential
 in this caliber of ride. He have been a stud at this track since debuting and only getting better and better. Over his past 10 starts at WGI, he have finished inside the top 10 eight (8) times. The two times he haven't in that span? 12th and 14th place. Like I said he have only gotten better with experience. In his first 4 starts, he only posted 1 Top 5 finish. Over his past 7 races, he have posted 4 Top 5 finishes. Including an 4th place (in 2013) and 5th place (in 2014), so past 2 of 3 races he have finished inside the top 5 overall. Pretty good numbers to have at any racetrack.

20-Matt Kenseth: Kenseth didn't live up our standards last week, but good thing he isn't that high on most people fantasy radars' this week as he isn't known as a road course racer. As most people think as Kenseth as bad road course racer, but reality is he have been pretty good since joining JGR at The Glenn. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 12.0 average finish with 11.3 average running position and 93.4 driver rating. In fact, Kenseth have posted 8 Top 14 finishes over his past 9 races at this place. Including 3 Top 10 finishes over his past 4 races. With that said, his performance have picked up significantly over the past two races here. Last season, he finished a career-high 4th place and led for only the second time at this track. Noted that it was the first time since leading a lap back in 2001. In 2014 (2 races ago), he had his best performance ever at this track in my opinion. He started 8th, finished 9th and held an career-high 102.1 driver rating. First time since 2004, where he finished and started inside the top 10. That is very encouraging as a fantasy player, even though most of us won't even consider him.

21-Ryan Blaney: Blaney is coming have a good race at Pocono, but problem is he probably dug himself into too much of a hole to point race himself in. As he needs to make up about 40 points to put himself into a position to make the chase. I don't think that will happen and this weekend race at the Glenn won't help him any. I think Blaney will be a little better at WGI than he was at Sonoma, but I have some concerns about him as a fantasy pick though. First being his skillset on the road courses, he really haven't had much experience and young drivers have the tendency to struggle. Also, The Wood bros crews lack experience at this type of track (I mentioned this at Sonoma as well). I don't think Blaney will be terrible this weekend, but I don't have the bar set too high for him. It will take some learning before he is running up near the top 10. I think it will come down how fast he get equipped to this place in a cup car.

22-Joey Logano: Logano is a very underrated road course racer and is the defending race winner. I have been saying for the last couple years that it would only be matter of time before he breaks out. He been great at both track and WGI is probably the better of the two. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled an series-high 4.7 average finish with 11.3 average running position and 100.7 driver rating. Since joining Penske, he have finished 7th or better in every start. Overall he has 4 Top 7 finishes over his past 5 starts, dating back to 2011 season. He won last season race here, but he didn't really have the best car. The only lap he led was the final lap. If you go back and watch that race, it was a fuel mileage event. Several cars had to pit before making it to the finish line. Logano also. Over the past 11 road courses, he have posted 9 Top 11 finishes. With 4 straight Top 6 finishes (3 straight top 5 finishes) and 5 Top 10 finishes over the past 6 races overall. Logano is one of the best in the series and don't be shocked if he is under people radar after last week's poor finish. Perfect chance for us Logano's believer to strike on some great fantasy value!

24-Chase Elliott: Chase Elliott choose the wrong time to have his season to go south, with the chase looming large on the horizon. Before Michigan, he was easily one of the hottest drivers in the series. Since Sonoma? One Top 20 finish (15th - Indy). Rest of his finishes look like this: 21st, 32nd, 31st, 34th and 33rd. Not great numbers to have, which gives me zero confident in him right now to step up and knock out a great finish. He needs to finish inside the top 10 again to get his swagger back. Because he have definitely lost that rookie mojo he had earlier in the season. What are my expectations for him this weekend? Hard to say, much like Blaney I think how he adjust to this track at the cup level. He made two starts here in the Xfinity series, as he posted finishes of 6th and 7th. He about an 8th or 9th place performer in both races. So that probably translates to somewhere in the middle teens at the cup level based off that performance. I think he will get better as the weekend progress, it just depend how much progress he makes throughout the weekend.

31-Ryan Newman: Newman is having another good season with RCR, but he may be on his way out with reports of Ty Dillon heading towards Cup in 2016. I wonder how much that is weighing on his mind? It probably isn't his top priority, but I am sure he is aware of that he may not be at RCR next year. If that the case (note- nothing been confirmed or suggested), then he would want to prove Richard wrong about him. He been pretty good on the road courses over the past couple seasons. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 23.3 average finish with 19.7 average running position and 74.0 driver rating. His numbers are misleading as he finished 41st back in 2014 at this track. Over the past 6 races here, he have finished 11th-16th place in five (5) of those races. Digging deeper into the data pool, he have finished seven (7) of past ten (10) between 8th-16th place. He should be good for an solid low to middle finish.

41-Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch have lost all of the momentum that he had earlier this season, but he did finish 10th at Pocono. He just need to put consistent finishes together. Good thing, he is pretty great road course racer. Over the past 3 races here, he have compiled 5.7 average finish with 9.7 average running position and 104.1 driver rating. The Glenn have been Kurt's best racetrack (in terms of average finish) over the past two seasons for anyone wondering. He have posted finishes of 5th and 3rd place. Overall he has 5 Top 10 finishes over his past 7 races at this racetrack. Including 3 straight top 9 finishes entering the weekend. Kurt is known to be better at Sonoma, but lately he have been making a great case at WGI. He been a stud at the road courses. Over the past 12 races overall, he have posted 10 Top 12 finishes (in 12 races). With 7 Top 5 finishes in that 12 race span. With 3 of those 7 finishes coming at WGI in the past 6 races at the track.

42-Kyle Larson: Kyle Larson is one of the hottest drivers in the series. Over the past 10 Sprint Cup races, he have posted the 2nd-best average finish (9.4) with both back-to-back top 6 finishes now. Larson is in middle of a stench of great racetracks, so he should be a pretty popular option between now and probably least Darlington. He also is a great road course racer, he is one of the very few young drivers who have been able to succeed. Over the past 2 seasons here, he have compiled 8.0 average finish with 15.0 average running position and 89.7 driver rating. He wasn't great in his debut here, he manage to find a way to finish 4th place after struggling all week. Which is why I have always considered him to be on of the quickest learners in Nascar. Last season, he was much more competitive and finished 12th. In that event, he started 6th, finished 12th, and posted 99.9 driver rating.

47-AJ Dinger: AJ Dinger regardless of his finishes at the road courses the past few seasons will still get credited as a road course ace. Simply because how well he have ran at both Sonoma and WGI. Over the past 2 seasons here, he have compiled 12.5 average finish with 9.5 average running position and 113.2 driver rating. He led 30 laps in 2014 on his way to his first career victory in the Sprint Cup series. He was very strong in last season, until he lost power and had to pit. He eventually got back on the lead lap and try to charge through the field, but had to pit which ended his chance at a great finish. Something always seems to go wrong for the 47 team at the road courses, if he can avoid bad luck then he should be golden. Realistically speaking this this week's race will likely decide Dinger's chase fate.

48-Jimmie Johnson: After Johnson finished 3rd at Indy, he went back to his ways of finishing outside of top 10. Now, he have only posted 3 Top 10 finishes (all 3rd place finishes) over the past 14 races this season. Johnson is one of the most underrated road course racers in the field and doesn't ever seem to be credited as one of the best. I don't know why, because the results are there for him. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 15.3 average finish with 13.7 average running position and 88.8 driver rating. Overall, he have finished 4 of the past 5 races at WGI inside the top 10. His lone bad finish was in 2014 of 28th place. He was very strong in that race though, as he posted strong numbers across the board. Started 3rd, finished 28th, posted 95.5 driver rating and 9.0 average running position. He also spent 87% of that race inside the top 15. Johnson should be least a top 10 guy headed into this week's race.

78-Martin Truex Jr: Martin Truex Jr have absolutely no luck at all and I felt really bad for the guy at Pocono. He had a dominant racecar and probably gave away a win. But he will try to rebound at WGI though. He is a pretty underrated road course racer in my opinion. Over the past 3 seasons here, he have compiled 13.7 average finish with 11.7 average running position and 94.6 driver rating. Over his past 9 races at this track, he have posted 7 Top 15 finishes. Last season, he eventually finished 25th. But I remember correctly, he hit the wall while running inside the top 5, which resulted him having to pit. Prior to that poor finish, he have posted 6 straight top 13 finishes. Including an 3rd place finish back in 2013. From 2011 to 2013, he posted 3 straight Top 10 finishes. At the moment, I don't trust Martin Truex Jr. However with that being said, it hard for me to sit here and say that he doesn't have major potential this weekend.

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

Twitter - @JeffNathans18