11 hours agoTy Gibbs qualified sixth for this week's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Gibbs continues his strong qualifying performances in 2024 with his sixth top-10 starting position gained and the highest of his Cup career at Kansas. In three Cup races at the site, Gibbs has two DNFs and a best finish of 14th in his last appearance there. The driver of the No. 54 Toyota also made two starts in the Xfinity Series at Kansas, where he has two podium finishes including a win. After 11 races so far this year, Gibbs has six top-10 finishes, which include a finish of fifth at Las Vegas, a comparable track to Kansas. In practice, Gibbs showcased top-10 speeds in almost every category, including the fifth-best overall lap average. With top-notch equipment and great history at Kansas in the Xfinity Series, Gibbs is a driver expected to have a top-10 result on Sunday.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
11 hours agoDuring qualifying for the AdventHealth 400, William Byron scraped the wall and ended up with a starting position of 36th. This is the lowest starting position for Byron in his Cup career at Kansas as well as his lowest for the year so far. In 12 Kansas races
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12 hours agoFor this week's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Busch qualified fifth. This marks the third consecutive race where the driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet will have a top-5 starting position. In 32 starts at Kansas, Busch has two wins and 15 top-10 finishes,
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12 hours agoOakland Athletics starting pitcher
Paul Blackburn went seven innings in Saturday's 20-4 victory, holding the Marlins to just one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three on his way to earning his third win of the season. Blackburn began the season with three straight quality starts where he didn't allow a single run, then had a three-game rough patch before getting back on track Saturday. The 30-year-old now has a 3-1 record with a 3.00 ERA and 1.02 WHIP through seven starts. The righty's FIP, xFIP, and SIERA are all below 4.00 which suggests he's pitched as well as it seems, and with Oakland being more competitive than expected to this point, Blackburn could continue to be solid pitching depth for fantasy as long as he's selectively deployed. However, you'll need to look elsewhere for strikeouts with just 31 in 42 IP and a 12.7% K-BB%.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
12 hours agoOakland Athletics designated hitter
Brent Rooker homered twice in Saturday's 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins, going 3-for-4 with five RBI in the contest. Rooker also got on base once via the walk. The 29-year-old has some serious pop in his bat, blasting 30 home runs a season ago in just 137 games, and has eight through 22 games played this year while posting an elite 20.5% Barrel%. The former 35th overall draft pick is even hitting for average as of late, going 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, five runs scored, and four walks over his last seven games.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
13 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals third baseman
Nolan Arenado reached base five times in five plate appearances in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the White Sox. The veteran went 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run, two singles, and two walks, raising his season slashline to .296/.362/.408. The 33-year-old is having a solid season overall, although somewhat underwhelming based on the Arenado we've grown accustomed to. The 8x All-Star has seen his home run, RBI, and run totals drop in consecutive years now. With a 1.9% Barrel% this season, a career-low by far, the home runs may come few and far between, just like this last one. Saturday's home run was Arenado's first since April 12. He should remain a solid fantasy contributor nonetheless, so you're still using him in season-long formats.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
13 hours agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Kevin Gausman earned his second win of the season in Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Nationals. The veteran went five-and-a-third innings, allowing no runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight. After a bumpy start to the season, this was Gausman's fourth straight start of allowing one earned run or less. The 33-year-old now sports a 3.78 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with a 16.0% K-BB%. The 2x All-Star's next start currently lines up next weekend at home against the Twins, the hottest team in baseball and winners of 12 straight.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
14 hours agoChicago Cubs starting pitcher
Jameson Taillon picked up his third win of the season in Saturday's 6-5 victory over the Brewers. Taillon fired six innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out seven. The 32-year-old has been superb since coming off the IL, posting a 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 5:16 BB:K over four starts. With a FIP of 3.53, SIERA of 4.30, and a career ERA of 3.93, it seems some regression may be in the offing, so deploy the veteran with caution. The former first-round draft pick's next start lines up with a fading Pirates team next Friday in Pittsburgh.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
14 hours agoKyle Larson entered the AdventHealth 400 race weekend as the favorite to win, and after practice and qualifying, sportsbooks are even more confident in that prediction, as Larson is now the heavy favorite among the industry to take the checkered flag. Larson qualified fourth for this weekend's race and is in prime position to dominate the event, as the other favorites (Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin) qualified outside of the top 10. Looking back at the Las Vegas race earlier this season, Larson led 181 of the 267 laps en route to victory, and we could definitely see a similar situation play out at Kansas on Sunday. Over the last five races at this track, Larson has one win, four top-fives, and a worst finish of eighth. He has also led a combined 343 laps over those four races. At $11,000 on DraftKings, Larson is definitely a driver to be heavy on in DFS this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
14 hours agoFresh off of his third win of the season at Dover last weekend, Denny Hamlin is looking to get to victory lane once again at Kansas Speedway this weekend--and he definitely has a shot to do so. Hamlin leads all drivers with four wins at this race track, including a victory in this exact race one year ago. In the two Kansas races last season, Hamlin led a combined 97 laps and finished first and second. This weekend, Denny qualified back in 14th for the AdventHealth 400, so he has some Place Differential upside for DFS players as well. Even though his salary on DraftKings is the highest on the slate ($11,300), Hamlin can easily make it into the optimal lineup this weekend if he has just an "expected" race on Sunday. Denny has the second-best average running position on the low-wear, 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen era.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Win The Race
14 hours agoKeep an eye on Ross Chastain in Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Although the Melon Man has only led a total of eight laps at this track in his 10 career starts, he should be able to contend for some dominator points in this weekend's race. Chastain qualified second for Sunday's races at Kansas and now has four straight starts of sixth or better at this track. At Las Vegas earlier this year, Ross was able to walk away with a fourth-place finish despite starting back in 20th, and he should have similar finishing upside here at Kansas this weekend. At $9,100 on DraftKings, Chastain makes for an interesting tournament play as a potential off-sequence dominator, but it's nowhere near a guarantee.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
14 hours agoWhen it comes to winning the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway this weekend, most analysts are pointing toward the favorites: Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Denny Hamlin. And rightfully so. Those three have been the best on the low-wear, 1.5-mile race tracks recently, and all have stellar records at Kansas Speedway. But one driver that could be getting overlooked this weekend is Martin Truex Jr. In the Next Gen era at Kansas, Las Vegas, and Charlotte--all three low-wear, 1.5-mile tracks--Truex has the third-best Average Running Position (8.79) and third-best average finish (9.82) as well. This weekend at Kansas, Truex qualified 13th, which gives him some Place Differential scoring upside in DFS contests. In practice, he ranked inside the top five in 10-, 15-, and 20-lap averages, so the No. 19 Toyota should have speed on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Win The Race
14 hours agoNew York Yankees first baseman
Anthony Rizzo hit his sixth home run of the season in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Tigers, a three-run shot off Detroit starter
Casey Mize. Rizzo also had a single, finishing the day 2-for-4 and bringing his batting average to .263. The 3x All-Star has collected at least one RBI in three straight games now, bringing his season total to 20, and has also scored 16 times. With a .338 wOBA and 122 wRC+, the veteran is having a solid season thus far. He'll have a difficult matchup in Sunday's series finale, facing off with LHP
Tarik Skubal, although Rizzo is 1-for-3 with a double and no strikeouts against the southpaw in his career.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
14 hours agoOne of the most surprising results from qualifying at Kansas Speedway this weekend was Ryan Blaney's lack of speed, as the Penske Racing driver will start from back in 26th place for this weekend's AdventHealth 400 race. This is Blaney's worst starting position at Kansas since the 2017 season, when he started back in 40th but ended up finishing third when it was all said and done. Yes, Ford has been down on speed this season, but Blaney was still a top-five finisher at Las Vegas earlier this year, which is the sister track to Kansas. In DFS contests, Blaney is a core driver to consider this weekend. With his huge place-differential upside while being priced at just $8,600 on DraftKings, it's hard to pass up Blaney's upside at Kansas this weekend. He has the fifth-best average running position at Kansas, Las Vegas, and Charlotte in the Next Gen era.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Win The Race
15 hours agoBubba Wallace qualified back in 23rd for this weekend's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, but he should be much better than that during the race itself. Kansas is one of Bubba's best tracks on the schedule as of late, as he has posted top-10 finishes in three of the last four races here, including a win in the fall 2022 race while he was driving the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing. Last spring, Bubba qualified back in 17th but ended up finishing fourth when it was all said and done. On DraftKings this weekend, Wallace is priced at $9,500, which is pretty expensive considering he doesn't have a ton of dominator upside. However, if he comes away with another top-five result on Sunday, it'll be well worth it for DFS players to pick him.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
15 hours agoAlex Bowman is a solid mid-tier DFS play at Kansas Speedway this weekend. In his three starts at this track in the Next Gen era, Bowman has able to post top-10 finishes in each of them, including a 10th-place result last fall despite starting back in 23rd-place. This weekend, Bowman qualified 18th for this AdventHealth 400, which gives him solid Place Differential upside for his $8,000 salary on DraftKings. In terms of practice, Bowman was the slowest Hendrick Motorsports car on Saturday--he was 21st-fastest on the speed chart--but his teammates all showed top-five potential when it came to their speed, so there's really no cause for concern with Bowman this weekend. He could challenge for a top-10 finish at Kansas this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
15 hours agoCarson Hocevar is priced at $6,300 on DraftKings this weekend and starts in 22nd place. When you combine those aspects with the fact that he could contend for a mid-teens finish in the AdventHealth 400, you're looking at a very good value in the DFS world. Since Hocevar has entered the Cup Series, he has been one of those drivers that stays out of trouble and just runs quietly well all weekend. In three races at Kansas and Las Vegas, Hocevar has an average running position of 18.84, with an average finish of 23.67. Earlier this year at Las Vegas, he started 14th and finished 15th. Hocevar should be a solid DFS pick at Kansas this weekend in the AdventHealth 400 and should be used accordingly.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Win The Race
15 hours agoThe NASCAR Cup Series is at a 1.5-mile intermediate track (Kansas Speedway) this weekend, so you have to have Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on your radar. Here at Kansas specifically, Stenhouse has posted finishes of 12th and eighth in the last two spring events, and he came home with top-10 results at both Charlotte and Texas last season. Earlier this year at Las Vegas (the sister track of Kansas), Stenhouse walked away with a respectable 17th-place finish. During practice this weekend, Stenhouse's No. 47 Chevrolet was seventh-fastest on the speed chart, which is another good sign for this JTG Daugherty Racing team. Stenhouse is priced at $6,600 on DraftKings this weekend and starts 21st, making him a viable DFS option on race day.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
15 hours agoAustin Dillon is having the worst season of his NASCAR Cup Series career this year, but that shouldn't make you stay away from him this weekend at Kansas Speedway. We just went through a very rough stretch of races for Dillon, so his struggles are likely a little over-blown right now. The fact of the matter is, Austin Dillon has been a solid sleeper on low-wear, 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen era, and he has that potential at Kansas this weekend. Additionally, over the last seven races at this track, Austin has finished between 10th and 14th six times. AD3 qualified 16th for this weekend's AdventHealth 400, and while it's risky to take a struggling driver starting that high in DFS, Dillon is definitely a tournament option to consider in DraftKings this weekend with his $6,500 salary and his record of getting decent finishes at this track type.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: DriverAverages
15 hours agoAt intermediate race tracks such as Kansas Speedway, you can typically pencil Todd Gilliland in for a finish in the high-20s, although sometimes he is able to sneak in a better result if there is some attrition. He ended up 24th at Las Vegas earlier this season, and last year at Kansas he was able to walk away with 24th- and 25th-place finishes in the two events. This weekend for the AdventHealth 400, Gilliland qualified in 25th-place for the big race, which makes him an interesting DFS option because he typically starts further back than that. At just $5,200 on DraftKings, though, Gilliland could end up being a cheap value play for DFS players. His 10-lap average during practice ranked 22nd-fastest, so with a little bit of track position late, we could see Gilliland find himself in the mix for a top-20 result. He's a viable option to round out for DraftKings lineups this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
17 hours agoJosh Berry started off practice around 25th griping about tightness in his Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. As qualifying went on, the car seemed to gain a little speed. That resulted in a 17th-place effort. That is the good news. Now, the bad news for the No. 4 Ford was again late-run speed in those lap intervals. Berry started around 30.3 seconds in practice but after 20 laps, those times were going above 31 seconds. Berry's Ford kept losing speed and grip off the turns. The 1.5-mile track could cause issues for the Ford driver as speed slips away on longer runs on Sunday.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
17 hours agoJoey Logano turned in a nice qualifying lap at Kansas, which gave him a starting position of 11th for Sunday. However, the Team Penske Ford endured a much rougher practice session with frequent laps of 31-plus seconds. He was 30th overall in practice and was griping about several issues in the car. One was late-run speed. That may become more and more of an issue on Sunday. Logano's higher qualifying position could impact place differential if the same problems persist. This makes Logano less attractive for DFS and betting purposes despite fifth- and sixth-place finishes last year on the intermediate track.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
17 hours agoKaulig Racing had one rough Saturday as Derek Knaus finished 38th in qualifying for Sunday's AdventHealth 400. Kraus had issues similar to William Byron but was 1.775 seconds off the pole lap by Christopher Bell. Kraus was 36th in practice, running laps a little above 175 mph. His lap averages in the No. 16 car seemed to get worse and worse. His overall performance in practice was 31.545 seconds. With 15- and 20-lap averages approaching 31.6 seconds, the likelihood is that Knaus stays very close to the bottom of the field on Sunday. Place differential is only possible if there is a lot of field attrition.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
17 hours agoAustin Hill had a rough Saturday in the Richard Childress Racing Chevy. Hill qualified 34th overall for Sunday afternoon's race in Kansas. It did not help that the No. 33 car had all sorts of issues coming out of the turns. Furthermore, turning in 31+ second laps during practice will not get it done on this track. At least in qualifying, Hill managed a lap of 30.392 seconds. It was a marked improvement but still 0.901 seconds off from Christopher Bell's pole lap. Hill also qualified 34th at Texas and some of the same issues persisted. Sunday could see Hill slow down again.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
17 hours agoJimmie Johnson will start the AdventHealth 400 from the 19th position on Sunday afternoon. The Legacy Motor Club part-time driver inched out Corey Heim for the honor. The last time Johnson raced at Kansas was in October of 2020 where he finished 31st for Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson has been pretty consistent in the Toyota in 2024 producing nine, eight, and nine points in his three appearances. The expectation is that the No. 84 car loses track position as the race goes on. Johnson was 35th in practice and his best lap there was dead last in the field.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
21 hours agoAs Zane Smith adjusts to the Next Gen car, which seems to take longer for most rookies to adapt to than previous chassis, he is currently the slowest full-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series with a speed percentile of 21.54. However, his qualifying speed at Kansas this weekend was competitive with his Spire Motorsports teammates, as Smith qualified 24th, one position behind Carson Hocevar and two positions ahead of Corey LaJoie. Smith has never started a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas, but he has been solid in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he won the 2022 spring race, finished second in this weekend's event, has led 250 career laps here, and has never finished worse than 11th. It's unlikely that any of his setup notes from the Truck race will carry over, but this might be one of his best chances for a decent run regardless.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
21 hours agoJohn Hunter Nemechek has been one of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series's biggest lowkey disappointments. After triggering the pileup that injured his teammate Erik Jones at Talladega, Nemechek has now been out-qualified by both Jones's substitute, Corey Heim, and his part-time car owner, Jimmie Johnson, back-to-back weeks at Dover and Kansas despite having more experience in the Next Gen car than either of them. Nemechek did post a faster qualifying time than Heim, but he starts 29th while Nemechek starts 20th because the first qualifying group was much faster. Nemechek is better at Kansas than he is at most tracks, as his average finish of 18th in the Cup Series is better than his average at most other tracks. He has also won two Xfinity Series races and one Craftsman Truck race there, but his struggles in the Next Gen car will probably override that.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
21 hours agoJustin Haley has certainly improved Rick Ware Racing's competitiveness and reputation to a significant extent this season, as his speed percentile this year of 27.10 is considerably higher than the drivers in the other RWR car, but the team continues to lack the speed necessary to significantly contend, particularly on a track where horsepower is paramount in a year when Ford has been winless across all three national series. Haley qualified only 35th for this weekend's AdventHealth 400, beating his teammate du jour Riley Herbst by .015 seconds. Haley is a plodding, methodical driver who usually finishes better than he starts, as he did in his last three Kansas starts, where he had an average start of 29 and an average finish of 19.33. He'll likely do so again this weekend, but it's hard to imagine the team finishing better than 25th on a horsepower track.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
21 hours agoAustin Cindric continued his string of consistent qualifying runs with a seventh-place start for this weekend's race at Kansas, but despite outqualifying all his Penske teammates as well as the Front Row Motorsports and Wood Brothers satellite cars, he has seldom been able to convert his strong qualifying runs into solid race finishes. He has never scored a top-10 finish at Kansas nor has he led a lap and he finished worse than his starting position in each of his last four starts there. In the last intermediate race at Texas earlier this year, he qualified eighth and finished 25th and he has finished worse than his starting position in 10 of the 11 races this season. Expect this trend to continue on Sunday.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
21 hours agoHarrison Burton qualified 31st at Kansas this weekend and there's little to suggest he might contend on Sunday. Not only has he never led a lap or finished better than 21st in a race at Kansas, he has never even scored a top-10 finish on a non-drafting intermediate to date. Even in the Xfinity Series, Burton only managed a single top-10 despite driving dominant Joe Gibbs Racing equipment. Additionally, almost all Ford teams except for Stewart-Haas Racing have underachieved expectations in the NASCAR Cup Series this year, so when considering Burton's lack of performance on this track type, Ford's lack of performance in general, and the fact that recent Kansas races tend to have minimal attrition, bettors should stay away from Burton entirely.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
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