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Sean's NASCAR DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (2025). His top NASCAR daily fantasy lineup plays and DFS sleepers.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is almost wrapped up, with only three races left before a champion is crowned. The third-to-last race of the year is the YellaWood 500, taking place on NASCAR's biggest oval track, Talladega Superspeedway. As one of the three "drafting" tracks on the schedule, Talladega is a wildcard race known for pack racing and the potential for large wrecks to occur; however, almost everyone in the field has a legitimate shot at claiming victory, with only one driver ultimately emerging victorious.
Talladega is the second race for the Round of 8 in the Cup Series playoffs. Currently, only one driver is locked into the championship race at Phoenix, Denny Hamlin, who won last week at Las Vegas. Everyone else still needs to race their way into the next round. Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe are ahead of the cut line on points, but Talladega is a track where even point gaps of 35 points can be erased quickly. It is essential to consider the playoff narratives, especially since they will affect driver and team strategies for this week's race and DFS.
Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the YellaWood 500 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 10/19/2025 at 2:00 p.m. EST. If you have further questions or want to discuss racing, you can find me on X at @SeanE247.
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Once you've read this article, be sure also to check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. You should also check out our NASCAR DFS lineup tools for the ultimate combination of DFS resources to help you win big, including our Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheet, Research Station, and more.
Disclaimer: All the drivers presented as picks for this week's race are meant to be some of my top DFS recommendations of the week. They are not originally intended to fit all into one lineup.
Ryan Blaney
Starts 8th - DK: $10.5K, FD: $13.5K
Drafting tracks are where Team Penske shines the most out of all track types in the NASCAR Cup Series, as far as wins are concerned this season. The Ford team has won two races at the track type this season, including the most recent one at Daytona back in August, which was won by Ryan Blaney.
WHERE DID HE COME FROM?!
RYAN BLANEY WINS IN A THRILLING LAST LAP AT DAYTONA! pic.twitter.com/H6IW6dtclh
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 24, 2025
In 22 Talladega Cup starts, Blaney has three wins, eight top-10 finishes, and 290 laps led, which is fourth-most of active drivers in the field this week. Blaney also led in six of the last seven Cup events at the site and has three top-10 finishes at drafting tracks in the 2025 season.
Blaney's starting position provides little upside this week, making him best suited for tournament lineups over cash games, but he is the best driver from Penske in terms of average finish, and they usually have some of the fastest cars in the field at Talladega based on prior races. Considering his playoff situation as well, where he is at a deficit of 31 points to the cut line, he likely will be aggressive in going for the win and leading laps in the process.
Chase Elliott
Starts 25th - DK: $9.8K, FD: $12.5K
Hendrick Motorsports is also another team showcasing solid results at drafting tracks in recent years. The team has two wins at drafting tracks this season, winning the Daytona 500 with William Byron (DK: $10,000 | FD: $13,000), who also makes for a solid DFS option to consider. More recently, the team won at Atlanta with Chase Elliott, who is positioned as a very strong DFS option for this week's race at Talladega.
In 19 Cup races at Talladega, Elliott has two wins, 14 top-20 finishes, and an average finish of 14.1, which ranks second-best of all active drivers behind his teammate, Byron. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver has four top-10s in the last seven Cup races at the site, including a fifth-place finish earlier in the 2025 season.
Chase Elliott talks about why Talladega Superspeedway has been special to him and his family during media availability on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/HeP7xJQMIQ
— Maxwell Donaldson (@_Max_Donaldson) October 18, 2025
Out of all of the Hendrick drivers, Elliott offers the most upside for lineups and has excellent history of finishing well at drafting tracks. DFS players should be able to utilize Elliott in all formats with confidence, especially as he needs a strong performance in this week's race to keep himself in the conversation to make the final round of the playoffs.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Starts 37th - DK: $8.5K, FD: $7.8K
Talladega is the type of track where names that normally don't compete for wins at most other track types can sneak up on the field and steal a victory. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a great example of the kind of driver who can shock and surprise with a win at Talladega, especially as the winner of last year's fall race at the site.
WHAT A FINISH. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. WINS at Talladega! pic.twitter.com/YQNQpb35Aj
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 6, 2024
The thing is, though, Stenhouse is actually quite good at this track historically. In 24 starts in his Cup career at Talladega, Stenhouse has two victories, and finished in the top 20 in 16 different events, which is 66% of his career races at the site. Stenhouse also placed in the top 15 in four of the last five Talladega races while also leading multiple laps in the last two fall events.
This season, Stenhouse has four top-20 finishes in five races at drafting tracks, meaning he's been one of the most consistent at the track type as far as finishing races. Also, he starts towards the very back of the field and has incredibly high upside. There are very few safe plays this week, but Stenhouse is one of the safest out there for DFS while also having the experience to show that he can collect a favorable finish easily.
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Daniel Suarez
Starts 26th - DK: $7.5K, FD: $6K
Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez is a driver who should not be overlooked for DFS lineups in this week's race at Talladega. He has been solid at drafting tracks this season, with three finishes of 13th or better in five races, while also leading in two of the last three at the track type. Suarez also finished as the runner-up to Blaney during the last drafting track race at Daytona in August.
In 17 starts at Talladega in the Cup Series, Suarez has nine top-20 finishes, including five inside the top 10, with an average finish of 19.5. The No. 99 Chevrolet driver also scored four top-10 finishes and five finishes with positive Place Differential in his last six appearances at the site.
Suarez is a driver worth rostering in all formats based on his performance at drafting tracks this season, and has favorable upside to boot. Do not underestimate the Trackhouse driver in this week's race as he is worth rostering.
Erik Jones
Starts 30th - DK: $6.3K, FD: $4.2K
There are plenty of drivers available in the value tiers to consider for DFS in this week's race. Most of them carry enormous upside from starting towards the back, but only a few of them have proven to be consistently great DFS performers on drafting tracks. Erik Jones is one of those few who tend to outperform most on drafting tracks based on his listed salary.
In 17 Talladega Cup starts, Jones has 10 top-20 finishes, with eight being inside the top 10, and an average finish of 18.5. Jones has eight finishes of 18th or better with seven top-10s in the last 11 Cup races at the site. On drafting tracks this year, Jones has four finishes of 18th or better, including two straight finishes of fifth in the last two races at the track type.
Jones has plenty of upside from his starting position in this week's race and has been one of the most successful value drivers this season. This is a great spot to roster the No. 43 Toyota driver this week.
Anthony Alfredo
Starts 38th - DK: $5.2K, FD: $3K
Talladega is a track that tends to attract unique part-timers more than most other tracks on the schedule. This is due to the track's "anyone has a chance to win" kind of attitude that makes some teams want to be able to make a start in the Cup Series. That is exactly the case for Beard Motorsports with Anthony Alfredo this week, as this is a team and driver that mainly makes starts on drafting tracks.
In five races at Talladega in the Cup Series, Alfredo has three top-20 finishes with a best finish of sixth back in April 2024 with Beard Motorsports. He led in three of his last four appearances at the site. Alfredo also collected positive PD in every start of his Cup career at Talladega.
Beard Motorsports is also known for its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, which typically fields some of the fastest cars in the field at drafting tracks. With Alfredo starting towards the back of the pack, he has massive upside this week and is an easy driver to trust for DFS lineups to not only save cap flexibility but also get a favorable result.
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