NASCAR DFS Consumers Energy 400 Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel

Following Saturday’s race, the field is set for Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400. Therefore, let’s jump into tomorrow’s top NASCAR DFS plays for DraftKings and FanDuel.

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Inversion Impact

As per the NASCAR rulebook, the top-20 from Saturday gets flipped while drivers 21-40 stay put. This, in turn, means that Chris Buescher is on the pole while Saturday’s race contenders are now in positions 15-20. Combine this inverted field with a short race, once again, and it presents a unique lineup construction for both DK and FD.

Essentially, our need for dominators is gone but not really. Let me explain. Normally when we talk dominators we consider the drivers starting in the top-10 who will lead laps. Well, now, all of our potential lap leaders are in the teens. At some point, these drivers will make their way forward and compete for the lead.

However, initially, these drivers offer place differential. It’s that place differential that makes these drivers so valuable because of the lack of laps. On both sites, you’ll try to anchor as many of these inverted drivers in your lineups without getting too crazy with punts. It’s going to look like a plate-race build, just not so aggressive though.

Drivers 1-10

Instead of the typical cash and tournament picks, let’s diverge with the starting grid. I’ll highlight my favorite plays from each tier and try to give you some different food for thought. As per this section, these are all tournament pivots from the highly owned place differential drivers.

Aric Almirola, 5th ($10,800 FanDuel, $9,200 DraftKings) – Because of the inversion, we have a lot of drivers upfront who normally never see this part of the grid outside of pit-road strategy. If anyone from the top 10 could jump up front, grab some dominator points and possibly be optimal, it would be Almirola. His only real competition for the early jump is his teammate Clint Bowyer.

Clint Bowyer, 2nd ($9,000 FanDuel, $7,600 DraftKings) – That all being said, having some Bowyer isn’t the worst idea in the world. Bowyer was in a similar situation to this in the second Darlington race when he started fourth and ended up leading 71 laps. The only competition to Bowyer will be Chris Buescher initially, and I believe Bowyer can and should win that drag race.

Neither Almirola nor Bowyer are guys you should go overboard with. These are definitely drivers you add to your portfolio in case someone upfront leads a chunk of laps and the drivers in the teens don’t march forward so quickly.

Drivers 11-20

Ryan Blaney, 17th ($12,000 FanDuel, $9,900 DraftKings) – Blaney showed everything we wanted to see out of a driver; a fast car with a great set up that can move in and out of traffic. Multiple times Blaney made his way through the field, leading 27 laps, and eventually finishing 4th. This tire package suits him well and we should see him move back up to the front with ease tomorrow.

Kyle Busch, 16th ($11,700 FanDuel, $9,400 DraftKings) – This is a simple equation and it comes down to salaries. Why pay nearly $2,000 more on both DK and FD for Denny Hamlin, when Busch looked just as good? Besides, this is finally our time to capitalize on the idea of Busch needing practice to excel. He and Adam Alexander have over 312 miles worth of data to pour over now in anticipation of tomorrow. If Rowdy doesn’t lead laps and challenge for the win I’ll be shocked.

Kevin Harvick, 20th ($14,000 FanDuel, $11,500 DraftKings) – Yes, he’s the most expensive driver on both sites. However, that was done in anticipation of this very thing happening – Harvick winning.

Now, why pay that much for Harvick when the rest of these drivers are cheaper? It goes back to this #4 car. Not only is the race-winning car, but it’s also what Harvick did with it en-route to victory. He led well over half the race (92 laps) which is amazing but it’s his fastest laps that opened my eyes. Harvick captured 33 fastest laps, pretty good at a big track like Michigan. With that kind of speed, he should have no issue driving through the field and fighting for dominator points again.

Drivers 21-30

Alex Bowman, 21st ($9,200 FanDuel, $8,400 DraftKings) – For the sake of argument, we can lump Bowman into the group starting 14-20. You’re getting a good driver, in much better equipment than anyone else has in the 20s. For his salary on DraftKings, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find another driver in his price range with a similar floor. Before Saturday, his last 2 finishes at Michigan were back to back 10th place outings.

Michael McDowell, 29th ($5,500 FanDuel, $6,200 DraftKings) – The majority of drivers in this tier are no-goes. Because of the way the field is set, we have lots of drivers starting way too far forward for my taste. For instance, you can’t safely play either Corey Lajoie or Ty Dillon where they start. Daniel Suarez and Ryan Preece are practically off the board too for cash considerations. Thus, finding cheap drivers to round out cash games is going to be a pickle. Thankfully, McDowell had a poor outing on Saturday and now starts 29th. He’s not my favorite driver in his salary range but he’s the best punt in this starting tier.

Drivers 31-39

Austin Dillon, 31st ($7,700 FanDuel, $6500 DraftKings) – Both Dillon and teammate Tyler Reddick were victims of circumstance Saturday. Reddick’s just happened to take place a lot sooner in the race. Thus, Reddick was able to recover. However, Dillon’s tangle with Ryan Newman happened late enough it sunk him in 31st. Before the late spin, Dillon was riding around solidly in the top-10.

While we know the car won’t be the same, we can trust Dillon to maneuver his way past the 20s and into the teens. Dillon makes a great last driver in selection for cash on either site.

Cole Custer, 34th ($7,600 FanDuel, $7,500 DraftKings) – Once again, a driver who was doing well before he found himself in the wall. While he’s a little more expensive than I would prefer on DraftKings, there’s no else I would rather play in his salary range. Every reason I wanted to play Custer on Saturday gets amplified Sunday with much better place differential upside.

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Author

Phillip Bennetzen

Phill Bennetzen is the creator of the RaceSheets; all-inclusive stats and data NASCAR DFS spreadsheets for the Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup Series. Phill and the RaceSheets can be found at racesheetsdfs.substack.com