2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Trevor Bayne

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Driver name: Trevor Bayne

Car #: 6

Make: Ford

Season Debut: 2015 (First full-season)

Number of Championships: 0

# of Career starts: 94

# of Career Poles: 0

# of Career Wins: 1

# of Career Top 5s: 1

# of Career Top 10s: 5

# of Career DNFs: 15

# of Career laps led: 29

Career Average Finish: 25.9

Career Average Start: 23.3

# of 2015 Wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s: 0

# of 2015 Top 10s: 2

# of 2015 Poles: 0

# of 2015 DNFs: 3

# of 2015 laps led: 0

2015 Average Finish: 25.8

2015 Average Start: 27.9

2015 Fantasy Recap: Bayne struggled in 2015 and I wasn't very shock. Bayne have already made 94 career starts, while only completing in one full-season at the Sprint Cup level. When looking at his numbers, they are not very impressive. Now to be fair, RFR have sucked pretty bad lately, but that no excuse to only post 10 Top 20 finishes over 36 races. Digging deeper, he only posted 18 Top 25 finishes which should tell you a lot how Bayne season went in 2015. There wasn't a lot to like about Bayne in 2015, and quite frankly nobody really all too surprised either.

Strong Tracks: Michigan, Atlanta and Charlotte

Weak Tracks: Indy and Dover

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: B-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Limited Production with small upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I don't expect a lot of from Bayne in 2016 and quite frankly I would be shocked if he had more than 2 top 10 finishes during the season. To me, Bayne isn't a cup material driver at this point. Sure a lot of it have to do with lack of speed and other variables, but at what point do we start questioning Trevor. 94 races into his career and only 30 Top 20 finishes. That's only 32% of the time, he is finishing inside the top 20. I am sorry, I cannot give him a excuse for that. For Bayne, the good days will be at best a high-teen finish. He might sneak in a few quality finishes at times, but I would expect them on the intermediate ractracks.

Twitter - @JeffNathans

Fantasy Football Rankings (Week 12)

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Rankings -

Quarterbacks -

1. Carson Palmer
2. Tom Brady
3. Eli Manning
4. Drew Brees
5. Phillip Rivers
6. Brian Hoyer
7. Blake Bortles
8. Russell Wilson
9. Andy Dalton
10. Big Ben
11. Derek Carr
12 Kirk Cousins
13. Matt Ryan
14. Josh McCrown
15. Ryan Fitzpatrick

Running Backs -

1. Adiran Peterson
2. Todd Gurley
3. Mark Ingram
4. Doug Martin
5. LeSean McCoy
6  Chris Johnson
7  TJ Yeldon
8. DeAngeles Williams
9. Chris Ivory
10. Thomas Rawis
11. Lamar Miller
12. Latavius Murray
13. LeGarrette Blount
14. Frank Gore
15. Gio Benard

Wide Recievers -

1. DeAndre Hopkins
2. Julio Jones
3. Odell Beckham
4. Antonio Brown
5. Larry Fitzgerald
6. Mike Evans
7. AJ Green
8. Allen Robinson
9. Brandon Marshall
10. Demaryius Thomas
11. Brandlin Cooks
12. Eric Decker
13. Amari Cooper
14. Michael Crabtree
15. Ty Hilton

Tight Ends -

1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Tyler Eifert
3. Gary Barnidge
4. Travis Kelce
5. Jordan Reed
6. Delanie Walker
7. Antonio Gates
8. Jimmy Graham
9. Julius Thomas
10. Benjamin Waston

Twitter - @WilliamFrang

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Kasey Kahne

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Driver name: Kasey Kahne

Car #: 5

Make: Chevy

Season Debut: 2004

Number of Championships: 0

# of Career races: 432

# of Career Poles: 27

# of Career Wins: 17

# of Career Top 5s: 86

# of Career Top 10s: 156

# of Career DNFs: 57

# of Career laps led: 4,607

Career Average Finish: 17.43

Career Average Start: 13.4

# of 2015 wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s: 3

# of 2015 Top 10s: 10

# of 2015 Poles: 1

# of 2015 DNFs: 3

# of 2015 laps led: 66

2015 Average Finish: 18.1

2015 Average Start: 14.9

2015 Fantasy Recap: Kasey was a real disappointment and didn't really show us much at all. He had 3 top 5 finishes and 10 Top 10 finishes which isn't saying much. He had 3 top 5 finishes and 11 Top 10s in 2014. His only real improvements was his average start and poles. Otherwise across the board, his numbers were worse in 2015 than it was 2014. I had high hopes for him and I felt like this was his year to prove himself. He didn't. At some point in the next 2-3 years, I think HMS will start looking towards the future with guys like Dale Jr and Johnson approaching retirement age. Question will Kasey be apart of that plan? I don't know. Right now? I wouldn't think so. He started off the season very well and finished 12 of the first 16 races inside the top 15. Then he went 6 races without a top 15 finish and 12 races without a top 10 finishes. Actually only finished 7 of the final 20 races inside the top 15 and only 4 top 10 finishes in that span. That's not even close to be good enough in his level of equipment. Even from Kasey, I expect better numbers.

Strong Tracks: Charlotte, Bristol, Sonoma and Las Vegas.

Weak Tracks: WGI and Pocono

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: B-list Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Inconsistency with mix of high potential

2016 Fantasy Outlook: My hopes aren't high for Kahne like they were last season. He is entering his 5th season with HMS and he is coming off his worst season as driver of the 5 car. The previous two seasons as whole have been a nightmare for Kahne. In 2014 and 2015, he had a total of 1 win, 1 pole, 6 Top 5 finishes and 21 Top 10s in 72 races. His first 72 races with HMS? 4 wins, 4 poles, 23 Top 5 finishes and 33 Top 10 finishes. HMS clearly haven't been performing at the level they were, but still 6 Top 5s in 72 races? Need to produce better numbers than that. What people needs to understand that Kahne isn't super talented. If you don't give him a car that fits his style of driving, then he will struggle to run up front. I expect similar results from last season from Kahne. 0 wins , 3-5 Top 5s and 10-13 Top 10s finishes would be my guess.

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Kevin Harvick

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Driver Name: Kevin Harvick

Car #: 4

Make: Chevy

Season Debut: 2001 (First-full season)

Number of Championships: 1

# of Career Races: 538

# of Career Poles: 16

# of Career Wins: 31

# of Career Top 5s: 137

# of Career Top 10s: 257

# of Career DNFs: 24

# of Career laps led: 8,871

Career Average Finish: 13.8

Career Average Start: 16.6

# of 2015 Wins: 3

# of 2015 Top 5s: 23

# of 2015 Top 10s: 28

# of 2015 Poles: 2

# of 2015 DNFs: 1

# of 2015 laps led: 2,294

2015 Average Finish: 8.67

2015 Average Start: 8.4

2015 Fantasy Recap: Kevin Harvick had one of the most impressive seasons that I have seen in quite a long time, but he didn't win the championship. I know many people are upset about that, but that how this chase format is sometimes. Nevertheless it does not take anything away from the season he had in 2015. He led the series in almost every stat. For me what makes Kevin so good is how week in and week out, he is one of the drivers to beat. He consistently get top 5 finishes. For me any driver who have consistency and speed, that alone is a winning recipe for fantasy success. The one downside to Kevin in 2015 was, more times than not he did not win enough races. I could name several races, he dominated and did not win. Even though he finished inside the top 5 in most of those he didn't win. Overall he had a very fine year and I would expect more of the same in the future.

Strong Tracks: Phoenix, Homestead, Charlotte, Michigan and Kansas

Weak Tracks: Martinsville and Bristol

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: A-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: High Upside and Potential

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I expect great things from Kevin Harvick and the 4 team in 2016! Much like the first few seasons, I expect Kevin Harvick to contend for race wins on a weekly basis. Harvick main asset for years have been consistency. If we look at his career, he have least racked up 19 Top 10 finishes in 7 of his past 10 seasons. He also have posted 3 or more wins in his past 5 of 6 season dating back to 2010 season with RCR. Needless to say, Harvick have been one of the best drivers in the series for awhile now. In 2016 I expect no different from him. In fact, I would expect him to try to outproduce his numbers from last season. Personally I expect him to post 3-4 wins, 20+ Top 5 finishes and 25+ Top 10 finishes. Anything below that would be considered a disappointment. Considering he have 10 wins, 37 Top 5s and 48 Top 10s in his first two seasons with SHR. I would think the standards are high for this raceteam in 2016.

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Austin Dillon

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Driver Name: Austin Dillon

Car #: 3

Make: Chevy

Season Debut: 2014 (First full-season)

Number of Championships: 0

# of Career Starts: 85

# of Career Poles: 1

# of Career Wins: 0

# of Career Top 5s: 2

# of Career Top 10s: 9

# of Career DNFs: 4

# of Career laps led: 49

Career Average Finish: 19.89

Career Average Start: 18.7

# of 2015 Wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s:1

# of 2015 Top 10s:  5

# of 2015 Poles: 0

# of 2015 DNFs: 3

# of 2015 laps led: 39

2015 Average Finish: 21.03

2015 Average Start: 17.0

2015 Fantasy Recap: Dillon was a very tough driver to figure out during the 2015 season. He was up and down across the board, when we compare it his rookie campaign in 2014 season. He showed more promise and potential in his second full-time season. He often had a top 15 car (speed wise). However like with many young drivers, you will have to lose something to gain something. For Dillon his biggest asset at this point in his career was taken away and that was consistency. Often during the 2015 season, he showed top 10 or top 12 promise. But when it came down to crunch time, he couldn't not deliver the quality finishes. If there was a downside to Dillon in 2015, it was that he was untrustworthy. Something many of us were not expecting heading into the season. Then again, nobody expected him to take a big step like he did from 2014 either. Now he needs to take another step in 2016.

Strong Tracks: Daytona, Charlotte, New Hampshire and Michigan.

Weak Tracks: Dover and Richmond

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: B-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Inconsistent with mild upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook: Hard to say what to expect from Austin Dillon in 2016. I personally think he will remain inconsistent like most young Cup series drivers. He should show more progress as a driver with Slugger as crew chief. He took a big step with Slugger as crew chief, but he will need to take another step. That step would be becoming a top 15 driver on a regular basis. Heading into 2016, I view him more of a top 20 driver. I don't expect a lot out of him, but I do think we will see him with more top 5 and top 10 finishes. I felt like last season, his luck was pretty poor at times. If that changes for him, then that should add a few more top 10 to his total. Overall Dillon just needs to be himself and gain more experience as a Cup driver in year 3. The more races he does, the better he will become.

**All Stats are from DriverAverages.com 

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Brad Keselowski

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Driver Name: Brad Keselowski

Car #: 2

Make: Ford

Season Debut: 2011 (First full season)

Number of Championships: 1

# of Career Starts: 233

# of Career Poles: 9

# of Career Wins: 17

# of Career Top 5s: 59

# of Career Top 10s: 104

# of Career DNFs: 12

# of Career laps led: 4,283

Career Average Finish: 14.8

Career Average Start: 14.6

# of 2015 Wins: 1

# of 2015 Top 5s: 9

# of 2015 Top 10s: 25

# of 2015 poles: 1

# of 2015 DNFs: 1

# of 2015 laps led: 1,184

2015 Average Finish: 11.06

2015 Average Start: 10.0

2015 Fantasy Recap: I had higher hopes for Brad Keselowski than 1 wins and 9 Top 5 finishes last offseason. Even though I expected a dropoff in production from the 2014 season. Instead of racking up a lot of top 5 finishes, he became more consistent. It always helps to be considered a safe fantasy option, but he also lost fantasy value. Considering he a elite driver in our sport. Just top 10 won't cut by most people standards. Still 25 Top 10 finishes in 36 races is pretty impressive by itself. That what kept Brad relevant in fantasy this season. His big problem was finishing out races, and I pointed this out several times during the season. He often had a top 5 car heading into the race, but could not finish there on Sunday most weekends.

Strong tracks: Chicago, Phoenix, New Hampshire and Las Vegas.

Weak tracks: Sonoma, Atlanta and ACS

Additional Info:  In 2015, Keselowski's lone win came at Auto Club Speedway (ACS) aka California. An 2.0 mile racetrack located in Fontona,CA . This was probably the last track I would expect him to find victory lane at. In his previous 6 starts (all with Penske), he have only 1 Top 20 finish. His win remains his sole top 10 finish at this 2-mile racetrack. Also was the first time he recorded a driver rating over 95.0.  I am very interested how he fairs in 2016 at ACS. Did last season's race help him over the hump? Good question. We will find out.

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: A-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Consistency with top 5 upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I expect a lot of good things from both of the Penske cars in 2016. I fully expect Brad to visit victory lane least twice. I also expect him to remain consistent. The one thing both of the Penske's cars do well is consistency finish in the top 10. On any given weekend, Brad Keselowski can pretty much be locked in for a top 10, if everything goes according. Most weekends, he will have the potential to finish inside the top 5 as well. During the 2015 season, his biggest flaw was making late race mistakes. Plain and simple that what held him back most often. Not always though. Sometimes he just faded, and that is reasonable. The one thing, I am wondering is how well will the 2 and 22 adopt to the 2016 rule package? Based on what I saw at Darlington and Kentucky, I would say they are in for a very strong season. If the package is similar what we saw there.

**All Stats are from DriverAverages.com

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: JMac

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Welcome to TimersSports

Driver Name: Jamie McMurray

Car #: 1

Make: Chevrolet

Aka: JMac

Season Debut: 2003 (first full season)

Number of Championships: 0

# of Career starts: 474

# of Career Poles: 11

# of Career Wins: 7

# of Career Top 5s: 56

# of Career Top 10s: 131

# of Career DNFs: 48

# of Career laps led: 1867

Career Average Finish: 18.6

Career Average Start: 18.8

# of 2015 Wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s: 4

# of 2015 Top 10s: 10

# of 2015 Poles: 0

# of 2015 DNFs: 2

# of 2015 Laps led: 14

2015 Average Finish: 14.9

2015 Average Start: 16.3

2015 Recap: JMac impressed the heck out me in 2015. He went from one of the most inconsistent drivers to one of the most consistent drivers in the series. Like many drivers who drives for 2nd-tier teams (no disrespect towards CGR), they tend have limited finishes near the front of the pack , along with that consistency. In 36 races, he only 10 Top 10 finishes and most of them came in the first 18 races of the season. JMac had a very successful season and should be proud of that, but really was nothing more than a 15th place driver once we got near and into the chase. But probably even got more consistent with his finishes. In 10 of the final 14 races, JMac finished in the 10th-16th finishing position. He best efforts came at the shorter flat racetracks with top 4 finishes coming at Martinsville, Phoenix and Richmond. His only top 5 at a non-short flat track was Dover during the chase.

Strong tracks: Martinsville, Richmond, Sonoma and Charlotte

Weak tracks: WGI and Kansas

Additional Info: JMac have a lot of great qualities and assets such as showing up at big time races and getting qualities finishes at his best racetracks. The downside to JMac and it showed down the stench of the 2015 season. That would be his talent level. No disrespect to him, but he cannot take a 15th place car and turn it into a top 10 run. He doesn't have that type of ability like his teammate Kyle Larson does. Which brings me to my next point of his equipment will only take him so far. Which why a lot of times, we don't see him pushing his car to the limits. He know what he needs to do in the racecar to get a solid finish. In 2015, he did exactly that.

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: B-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Inconsistent with some upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I think both of the CGR cars will improve in 2016. With that said, I think he will be more inconsistent as well. As much as enjoyed Jamie's consistency throughout the 2015 season, I don't think he can sustain that this upcoming season. I also expect to see more speed out of him though. That the plus I am hoping for to be honest. His best days will continue to be on the shorter flats and some intermediate racetracks. If you were going to use JMac, I would use him at tracks like Martinsville and Richmond. I also would use him at Sonoma and Charlotte as well. There will be other opportunity along the way, too. Like at Daytona and Talladega. Personally I think he is a tad overrated at those venues, but he does have wins there. But anyone have shot there, right? I will follow up this in January in my full driver fantasy previews.

**All stats are from DriverAverages.com

Twitter - @JeffNathans