Richmond International Raceway is the setting for the ninth race of the 2017 NASCAR season, as drivers are set to compete in the Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday afternoon. And with it comes lots of compelling storylines from both a real-life and DraftKings perspective.
What can Jimmie Johnson do for an encore? After a mostly underwhelming start to the season, the 41-year-old has caught fire the last two weekends, winning at both Texas and Bristol to vault into sixth in the Cup Series standings. As such, he presents an interesting DFS case this weekend. He has tallied four Top-10 finishes in his last five starts at Richmond and he has a solid starting position at 17 (full starting lineup here), so there's a good chance he he has another big day, but at the same time, he's the fourth most expensive driver ($9,900) and will surely be a popular play, making him also a potential fade candidate.
Kyle Busch will be another one to watch. He has won this race four times, has two second-place finishes in his last three trips to Richmond and has the best career average finish--by far--of any driver on this track.
Another important note to keep in mind. Drivers who start near the front are typically riskier in DFS, but according to Fantasy Sports Network, the pole has produced more winners (24) than any other position at Richmond, while 78.5 percent of races at this track have been won from a Top-10 starting position. Ultimately, a good mix of drivers near the front who can rack up laps led and drivers near the back who can get bonuses for place differential seems to be the way to go.
With that in mind, you can click through the gallery for my ideal DraftKings lineup for Richmond. (Getty)
Kyle Larson
Price: $10,300
Larson has been a machine so far this season, picking up a Top-2 finish in five of eight races. The only exceptions were the Daytona 500, where he led on the last lap but ran out of gas, last week's Food City 500, where he led for 202 laps, had 54 fastest laps and finished sixth, and the STP 500, which was really only his disappointing race from a DraftKings perspective.
It's tough passing on Kyle Busch--who has so much success here--for the top lineup spot, but Larson had the fastest time in practice on Friday, and his recent dominance plus favorable starting position (Busch is starting seventh) gives him the nod. (Getty)
Chase Elliott
Price: $9,500
Still no win other than the Can-Am Duel, but the 21-year-old continues to be a force. He has finished inside the Top 10 in six of eight races this year, he's been in the Top 14 in every start, and he has scored at least 40-plus DraftKings points in every race since the Daytona 500.
Though he hasn't had much success in his three Cup Series starts at Richmond, Elliott's consistency plus starting position gives him both a high floor and a high ceiling. He's a strong play in all formats. (Getty)
Matt Kenseth
Price: $8,800
Starting at the front can be risky, as there is big place differential downside, but as previously mentioned, the pole has produced more winners at Richmond than any other spot. What's even more encouraging is that Kenseth has produced six Top-10's in eight Richmond races since joining Joe Gibbs Racing, while JGR overall has produced seven wins in 14 races here since 2010.
Even if Kenseth doesn't win, he should have a high finishing position, and he should be able to rack up a ton of fast laps and laps led in this 400-lap race. He's easy value as just the 10th most expensive driver. (Getty)
Ryan Blaney
Price: $7,900
Here are Blaney's DraftKings point totals in his last five races: 1, 45, 3, 85, -11. He's a true boom-or-bust pick, and when you consider he's starting on the front row, there's a good chance that a lot of people are going to fade him this week. And while I probably wouldn't use him in cash, he's an ideal GPP play, as his ability rack up fast laps (62 in the last two races) and laps led (148 when he started on the front row a couple weeks ago) gives him massive upside. (Getty)
Austin Dillon
Price: $7,400
Dillon will start at the back, which makes him a must-own play. He could be close to 100 percent owned, but I still wouldn't consider fading him. Whenever you have a driver with his quality and equipment starting at the rear, the floor and ceiling are simply too high to pass up. Even a mere 20th-place finish would give him 42 DraftKings points without even counting fast laps or laps led. (Getty)
Ty Dillon
Price: $6,100
Dillon has been remarkably consistent this season, tallying at least 24 DraftKings points in every race since the Daytona 500. He's also finished inside the Top 20 in four of his last five starts, and continuing that trend would provide immense value at a far-too-cheap $6,100. (Getty)
DraftKings NASCAR Lineup: Toyota Owners 400 2017 Picks