DFS: Richmond (Spring)

Draft Kings

Brad Keselowski has the best average finish at Richmond in the past three years. He is expensive at $9,700, yes, but not quite as high as Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, or Kevin Harvick all of whom line up right behind him on the chart. On short tracks, it pays to start at the bottom or middle and work one’s way up the grid, but Richmond International Raceway is a hybrid and this is a track that rewards a variety of driving styles. That also means that players need to approach it differently and identifying their “stud” early on is not a bad strategy.

To take a driver even close to $10,000 like Kez, one is going to have to look for some dark horses. Kurt Busch has not exactly been one of our favorites during in most races, but he has the fifth-best Draft Kings’ points average during the past three years. He’s been mostly consistent with four results of 11th or better and he has also scored the most points on one occasion in spring 2015. Skewed by that 152-point day, he has an average of 55.21, but he also has a minimum of only 20.5 points in one race. That came back in 2014.

Jamie McMurray is another good value. With a price tag of $7,800, he is another consistent driver. The No. 1 racer has a maximum of 59 points and a minimum of 26.5. Like Busch, his worst points’ came back in spring 2014. Since then, he has earned at least 34.5 points, so his price tag of $7,800 is certainly reasonable.

Right behind him in both price and value is Kasey Kahne. He can be signed for $7,600 and he continues the theme set by Busch and McMurray. His poor showing came nearly three years ago and since then, he has been one of the 16-best values in Draft Kings. In last year’s pair of races, he had top-10 points with a best of 54.5 in the spring. His average makes him the 11th-best driver on the three-year average chart, but he has the 17th-highest price tag. Simple mathematics makes him a good value.

Aric Almirola is the top bargain of the week. He settles in for a bargain-basement price of only $6,200. That puts him well below the mid-range of $8,333 and yet, he has never earned points that ranked him less than 19th. When he is on his A-game, Almirola is capable of scoring near-maximum points. In fall 2015, he earned 68 markers, which was the third-best in the field. He has not scored negative points in this game a single time and had a worst showing of 27 points.

Trevor Bayne is not quite the same value as Almirola, but he certainly deserves a second look and can help extend one’s cap. In four Draft Kings contests, he has been consistent and has always earned positive points. His worst showing was 26 points in fall 2015. His best was 34 last fall. Better still, he is coming off a strong Bristol Motor Speedway run and that give him momentum entering the Toyota Owners 400. If a player needs to expand their cap structure, Bayne is a good choice.