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The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Texas this weekend for the first race of the Xfinity Series playoffs. 12 drivers are alive in the race for the 2022 title.
After the points were reset and the playoff points were added to those reset points, Noah Gragson begins the playoffs with a 13-point lead over second-place Ty Gibbs. Justin Allgaier is third, followed by A.J. Allmendinger. On the the other end, Sam Mayer, Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg begin the playoffs below the cut line for the next round.
Here at RotoBaller, we want to help you make informed decisions about your DFS lineups, which is why I'll be breaking down the slates for the Xfinity Series. Let's look at some NASCAR Xfinity DFS lineup picks for the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 on DraftKings. Be sure to also check out our NASCAR Premium Tools for Xfinity Series including our DFS Lineup Optimizer and powerful Research Station. This slate locks on 9/24/22 at 3:47 p.m. ET.
Xfinity DFS Picks - DraftKings
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Noah Gragson - Starting 2nd ($11,100)
Gragson comes into this race as the hottest driver in the Xfinity Series, as he's won three races in a row. Winning four in a row is tough to do, but it's really hard to bet against Gragson right now, especially because he'll share the front row with Brandon Jones, someone he should be able to get clear of quickly.
And with how tough it can be to pass here, that's all Gragson needs to do to lead a ton of laps in the first stage. From there, it's just about hitting the right strategy to stay out front.
Also of note here: Gragson crashed after leading 32 laps here earlier this year, but before that he had three straight top 10s here.
Josh Berry - Starting 16th ($10,300)
Berry has a decent amount of place differential upside on Saturday as he'll fire off from the 16th position.
Earlier this season, Berry led 46 laps here at Texas before finishing seventh. While he's known more for his performance on short tracks, Berry has been solid this season on intermediate tracks, including winning at Charlotte. He was seventh in his most recent intermediate race at Kansas.
Berry should be able to finish somewhere around sixth or seventh in this one, with the upside to get a top five if things break right.
Jeffrey Earnhardt - Starting 27th ($8,000)
There are some really intriguing place differential plays this week in this middle tier of pricing. Let's start with Jeffrey Earnhardt.
Earnhardt hops into the 26 car for Sam Hunt Racing this week, marking his ninth start for the team this season. He's had some bad luck at times, but he does have a seventh at Nashville and a 12th at Bristol in this car.
This is a risky play because of how Earnhardt has performed this season, but there's a good mixture of speed in this car and PD upside that makes me intrigued.
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Myatt Snider - Starting 31st ($7,600)
Snider starts deep in the pack this race, as he'll leave the grid in 31st place. That offers a good amount of upside for Snider in DFS when it comes to place differential.
Snider has shown some solid speed lately, with two top 20s in the last four races. This Jordan Anderson Racing car hasn't really performed like people hoped this year, but Snider does have four top 10s, including one at Charlotte.
At Texas earlier this year, Snider finished just 22nd, and he's never had a top 20 at this track, so...definitely some risk here. I think the upside is worth it, though.
Anthony Alfredo - Starting 25th ($7,500)
Alfredo has had consecutive top 20 finishes, including an 18th at Kansas, a similar track to Texas.
Looking at Alfredo's track record at this track is...weird. He's run here three times, with a pair of DNFs...and a third-place finish in 2020, albeit when he was driving for a strong Richard Childress Racing team. Our Motorsports isn't RCR.
But Alfredo does have three top 10s this season, and he's looked solid on intermediate tracks. I think Alfredo could gain about 10 spots on Saturday, finishing around 15th and paying off in terms of value.
C.J. McLaughlin - Starting 35th ($5,300)
My deep value pick this week is C.J. McLaughlin, who will be in the 38 car for RSS Racing. He starts way back in 35th, offering some really nice place differential opportunities for this car.
There's been a notable difference between McLaughlin's qualifying and racing in his eight starts this year, as his average start is 32.8, but his average finish is 26.9.
Looking at the 1.5-mile tracks he's run this year, we see McLaughlin was 24th at Vegas, 25th at Texas, 23rd at Charlotte and 34th at Kansas. So, in three of those four races, he finished good enough to put him in play for fantasy, especially considering he started 31st or worse in all of those races.
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