August 16, 2025
Surprise, surprise. Denny Hamlin is the heavy favorite to win this weekend's Cook Out 400 race at Richmond Raceway. Hamlin is one of the premier racers at short, flat tracks, and has been great at the venues that are comparable to Richmond this weekend, including a win at Martinsville and podium finishes at Bowman Gray and Phoenix. As far as Richmond specifically goes, there arguably isn't anyone better than Hamlin--especially right now. He has five career victories at this track and an average finish of 8.1 over his 36 career starts. Over the last eight races here, Hamlin has finished first or second six times, and also has a fourth-place result to his credit. Simply put, Richmond Raceway is Denny Hamlin's playground. As far as DFS goes this weekend, Hamlin is a premier option, even as the highest-priced driver on the DraftKings slate (at a $11,000 salary).
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
August 16, 2025
New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore announced rookie
Tyler Shough will start Sunday's preseason matchup against the Jaguars. Shough and
Spencer Rattler are locked in one of the league's closest quarterback battles, but Shough may be gaining the edge after leading last week's lone touchdown drive, a 54-yard strike to
Mason Tipton. The rookie has the arm talent and supporting weapons to make noise if he secures the job. While he's off the radar in most formats, Shough could emerge as a sneaky QB2 in deeper leagues should he win the starting role.
--Shaun AlbinSource: New Orleans Saints
August 16, 2025
If the NASCAR Cup Series is at a short, flat track, Christopher Bell is always a solid option. That's exactly the case at Richmond Raceway this weekend. Over his eight career starts here with Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell has just one finish worse than sixth. In last year's race, he started fifth, won Stage 1, and led 122 laps en route to a sixth-place finish when it was all said and done. This weekend, Bell starts eighth and should be a contender all night long in Richmond. His long-run speed looked solid during practice on Friday and his falloff looked great, which should pay high dividends on Saturday night. At $10,800 on DraftKings, Christopher Bell is one of the highest-priced drivers on the DFS slate, but he has some Place Differential room and is also a prime dominator contender behind his teammate, Denny Hamlin. Remember, CBell won the All Star Race and Phoenix this season, and also finished second at Martinsville, all of which compare nicely to Richmond.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
August 16, 2025
Miami Marlins outfielder
Kyle Stowers (side) is out of the lineup Saturday against the Boston Red Sox with tightness in his left side, manager Clayton McCullough told reporters. There's no indication that Stowers will require a stint on the 10-day injured list, as McCullough said he's sitting Saturday as a precaution. While Stowers has slumped to a .228/.308/.386 line in 15 games this month, this season has been a resounding success for the first-time All-Star. Stowers, 27, has slashed .288/.368/.544 with 25 homers, 73 RBI, 61 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 457 plate appearances. With Stowers taking a seat Saturday,
Heriberto Hernandez will start in left field and hit sixth against right-hander
Brayan Bello.
--Connor ByrneSource: Daniel Alvarez-Montes
August
16,
2025
Indiana
Pacers
guard
Tyrese
Haliburton
(Achilles)
is
making
progress
toward
an
eventual
return
to
the
court.
The
25-year-old
suffered
a
torn
right
Achilles
tendon
during
the
Game
7
NBA
Finals
loss
to
the
Oklahoma
City
Thunder,
read more...
August 16, 2025
Indianapolis Colts running back
Tyler Goodson (elbow) left Saturday's preseason matchup with Green Bay and will not return. The 24-year-old has carved out a role on special teams while contributing 240 rushing yards on 45 career carries. Entering 2025, Goodson is competing with rookie
DJ Giddens for the backup role behind
Jonathan Taylor. With Giddens impressing in camp and Goodson now sidelined, his fantasy outlook takes a hit. Unless he secures the No. 2 role, Goodson should be avoided in fantasy drafts outside of the deepest formats.
--Shaun AlbinSource: James Boyd
August 16, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder
Nick Castellanos is out of the lineup against the Washington Nationals and right-hander
Cade Cavalli on Saturday.
Max Kepler will take over in right field in Castellanos' place and hit seventh. The 33-year-old Castellanos is mired in a horrible slump, having gone 25-for-138 (.181) with five home runs, 15 RBI, and 36:4 K:BB in 35 games since the beginning of July. Overall, he owns a .252/.290/.405 line - among the worst of his career - with 15 homers, 60 RBI, 57 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 487 plate appearances.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
August
16,
2025
Richmond
Raceway
has
been
an
interesting
track
for
Ryan
Blaney,
and
not
in
a
good
way.
In
17
career
starts
at
"The
Action
Track,"
Blaney
has
just
three
top-10
finishes
to
his
credit
and
has
never
ended
up
better
than
seventh.
read more...
August
16,
2025
The
Minnesota
Twins
have
recalled
outfielder
James
Outman
from
Triple-A
St.
Paul.
He'll
take
the
roster
spot
of
outfielder
Alan
Roden
(thumb),
who
went
on
the
10-day
injured
list
on
Saturday
read more...
August 16, 2025
Carolina Panthers quarterback
Andy Dalton (elbow) exited Saturday's preseason matchup with Houston and will not return. The 37-year-old veteran served as
Bryce Young's backup last season and is expected to remain in that role for 2025. Dalton provides Carolina with experience and insurance should Young go down, but his 7-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio from 2024 underscores his limited fantasy value. Even if pressed into action, Dalton would be a low-upside option, keeping him off the radar in all fantasy formats.
UPDATE: Head coach Dave Canales said Dalton has what appears to be a right-elbow sprain, and he will be evaluated on Sunday. Canales also said that Dalton told him he was alright.--Shaun AlbinSource: Darin Gantt
August
16,
2025
Joey
Logano
is
one
of
the
best
at
Richmond
Raceway,
as
the
Team
Penske
driver
is
a
two-time
winner
at
the
track
and
would
have
grabbed
a
third
victory
here
last
season
if
Austin
Dillon
didn't
dump
him
on
the
final
read more...
August 16, 2025
Chase Elliott largely fell out of contention for the regular-season championship unless his teammate William Byron crashes out of one of the two remaining regular season races after an inexplicably bad run at Watkins Glen, where he used to dominate but instead had his streak of top-20 finishes every race this season snapped. After his relatively recent win at Atlanta and dominant run at Dover, it's probably too soon to say he is trending downward, but his recent runs don't inspire confidence. Elliott is very consistent at Richmond, where he's never finished worse than 15th since 2017, but he also hasn't had many great runs and has only led more than five laps twice and has never been a massive factor for the win. In a 400-lap race, lap-leader points and fastest-lap points become more important, and he likely won't get many of those. The fact that he outqualified his teammates in fifth makes him a worse DFS choice than you might think.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
On paper, Kyle Larson looks like a must-have to start for DFS play at Richmond since you do not get this many opportunities for place-differential points for him since he rarely qualifies as poorly as 30th. The problem is that after dominating the first third of the season, he has been very sloppy and kind of slow ever since. After crashing out of both Memorial Day races due to unforced errors, his head has not seemed to be in the game, and it seems like he might be letting his social-media hecklers get into his head. If he doesn't make any mistakes, he could absolutely drive through the field and win, and not starting him would look rather stupid. However, given that he seems to have had more mistakes than great runs over the summer and costs $10,500, it's probably better to stay away.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
In a year when no one has really impressed, William Byron has probably been the best NASCAR Cup Series driver as he leads the points by nearly one full race and has also been the most dominant driver with 910 laps led. Although he's good everywhere, he's only finished in the top five once at Richmond, that being a third-place finish in the first Next Gen race in 2022 where he led 122 laps before Denny Hamlin sneaked past him with five laps left on much fresher tires. Byron does not normally qualify as poorly as 14th, so you have to consider him somewhat since he could win anywhere and no one would be surprised. However, he also costs $10,400, which is pretty pricy for a driver who is not likely the outright favorite to win. While he is probably a better choice than his Hendrick teammates, he is too expensive to start for DFS given his inconsistent record at a track that tends not to have much attrition.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
Carolina Panthers wide receiver
Jalen Coker (illness) will not play in Saturday's preseason matchup against the Houston Texans. The second-year wideout posted 32 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie but faces tougher competition for snaps this year. With rookie
Tetairoa McMillan entering the fold and
Xavier Legette already locked in as a starter, Coker will need to maximize his preseason reps to secure a role in Carolina's rotation. For now, he's off the fantasy radar outside of the deepest formats, but his development will be worth monitoring.
--Shaun AlbinSource: Mike Kaye
August
16,
2025
Ryan
Preece
is
on
the
pole
for
Saturday
night's
Cook
Out
400,
and
with
just
two
races
left
until
the
cutoff
for
this
year's
Playoffs,
he
will
need
to
have
a
major
performance
if
he
wants
to
feel
good
about
his
read more...
August 16, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Marcus Mariota (lower leg) will not play in Monday's preseason matchup with Cincinnati, as head coach Dan Quinn is resting several veterans. Mariota, entering his 11th NFL season, is locked in as the backup behind
Jayden Daniels. While the veteran brings mobility and experience, he has no standalone fantasy value. Should Daniels miss time, however, Mariota would be a priority free-agent pickup thanks to his rushing upside. For now, fantasy managers can safely leave him off draft boards.
--Shaun AlbinSource: Ben Standig
August 16, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman
Alec Bohm (ribs) will come off the 10-day injured list on Sunday, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports. Bohm has missed almost a month after going on the IL on July 19 with a fractured left rib. Before suffering the injury, the 29-year-old hit an unspectacular .278/.324/.391 with eight homers, 42 RBI, and 39 runs scored in 383 plate appearances. Bohm has never been a great source of power, but this year's .113 ISO is among the worst of his career and falls well short of the .165 mark he combined for from 2023-24. The Phillies will be glad to welcome Bohm back, though, as he should provide an upgrade over reserves
Edmundo Sosa and
Otto Kemp.
--Connor ByrneSource: Charlotte Varnes - The Athletic
August 16, 2025
After a terrible first 16 races when he sat 32nd in the championship with five crash DNFs, Brad Keselowski has suddenly looked like a playoff contender in the weeks since he and his crew chief Jeremy Bullins have developed chemistry. However, it will be too little, too late to make the playoffs unless he can grab a win in the last two races of the regular season. Given the speed he had at Atlanta and especially the very similar Iowa two weeks ago when he had his best run as an owner-driver, that's a definite possibility. Keselowski starts 6th behind his pole-winning teammate Ryan Preece but ahead of his previously faster teammate Chris Buescher. He typically is the best Richmond driver among the RFK Racing trio with two wins and 1,280 laps led here, but he only significantly contended once in the Next Gen era in 2023. Nonetheless, he seems intensely motivated to win and after his Iowa run, that's a definite possibility.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
Richmond Raceway has been a bit of a struggle for Chase Briscoe throughout his career. In eight total starts here with Stewart-Haas Racing, Briscoe never cracked the top 10, although he does have a couple of 11th-place finishes to his credit. With him moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing this season, many people expected Briscoe to instantly gain a step at "The Action Track," but that hasn't really been the case this weekend, as the No. 19 Toyota was pedestrian in practice and Briscoe qualified back in 19th-place. He was interviewed after qualifying and noted that he felt like a "fish out of water" at this race track. Although there is some Place Differential upside for Chase Briscoe in Saturday night's Cook Out 400, he's probably not worth the $9,500 salary on DraftKings, as he's unlikely to dominate much, if at all.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
August 16, 2025
After years of mediocrity at Richmond, Chris Buescher has typically been very good here in the Next Gen era, winning from 26th in 2023. Although that was the only race he led, he also threatened for the win in the 2022 summer race where he finished third and he finished ninth in the spring race last year. However, he hasn't been as fast in general this year as he was from 2022-2024 and his teammates Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski both look faster and like potential winning contenders, which is very worrisome for a driver sitting on the playoff bubble who has also seemed to frequently lose speed in the later stages of races this year. Given RFK Racing's speed, all three cars will likely run well and Buescher is certainly worthy of DFS consideration since he is qualifying worse than his teammates, but he's also more expensive than Preece, which probably makes Preece the better choice.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
People tend to think of Ty Gibbs as a short track racer more than they probably should because Bristol is arguably his best track, but he has been nowhere near as fast at Richmond and has never finished better than ninth here or led at a track where Joe Gibbs Racing has won 19 times. Furthermore, Gibbs' qualifying position of 23rd is his worst ever at this track. He qualified poorly enough for a team that has frequently dominated here that you have to give him some measure of consideration, particularly because he only costs $7,000 and will probably be intensely motivated to win his way into the playoffs, but he just doesn't seem to be fast enough here to significantly contend for a win.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
Washington Commanders tight end
Zach Ertz will sit out Monday's preseason matchup with the Bengals. While he's not listed on the injury report, the team is expected to rest the 33-year-old veteran as a precaution. Ertz has secured the starting role and should remain a steady option for quarterback
Jayden Daniels this season. The veteran played all 17 games last year, his first full campaign since 2021. Ertz projects as a low-end TE2 in fantasy and is unlikely to be drafted outside of deeper formats, but he remains a reliable security blanket in Washington's offense.
--Shaun AlbinSource: Ben Standig
August 16, 2025
Although Ross Chastain's consistently poor qualifying and somewhat improved racecraft made him a must-have a lot of weeks this year, Richmond probably isn't one of the best tracks to start him for DFS play even though he's starting 33rd. Chastain tends to finish better than he starts this season, but at Richmond, that has tended not to be the case as he finished worse than he started in four of the six races as his cars went away, especially in the 2022 race when he started second and finished eighteenth after leading 80 laps. Now his cars are much slower than they were in 2022 and Trackhouse Racing has always had shaky speed on short tracks. You can probably still count on Chastain to finish better than he starts, but he probably won't gain enough positions to make him one of the top DFS options.\
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
Carson Hocevar has had a confusing season as he has shown an increase in speed from his rookie season while also seeming to show less racecraft. Although he has probably had better performance this year, his season somehow feels like a sophomore slump because he exceeded expectations last year and failed to meet them this year, especially considering his Rookie of the Year opponent Josh Berry won this year. It seems like most of his good luck from last year when he managed to consistently pull off his dangerous moves went away this year, which has led to a regression to the mean in some respects. Nonetheless, Hocevar might be a decent choice tonight since he drove from 19th to 8th last year and is starting better in 15th this year. Since he's been faster this year, he might have a solid chance for a top ten - if he can keep his cool.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
Shane van Gisbergen has never started a race at Richmond in the NASCAR Cup Series and he wasn't much of a contender in last year's Xfinity race either, where he finished 15th a lap down. He did outqualify his teammate Ross Chastain in 27th, which isn't as much of a surprise as you might expect because Chastain has been qualifying terribly. However, SVG is still something of an oval novice and he doesn't seem to have many oval skills yet other than avoiding crashes. That won't matter much at Richmond, which has been one of the cleanest tracks in the Next Gen era with only seven DNFs in the six previous races here, only four of which resulted from crashes. His great car control won't likely help him much at a track so clean, so his lack of speed will be more paramount here, which means he should probably be avoided.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
Bubba Wallace has been strong at Richmond Raceway over the last couple of years, as the 23XI Racing driver has finished 13th or better in the last three races at "The Action Track," including a career-best fourth-place finish last year. In Saturday night's Cook Out 400, the No. 23 Toyota will roll off the starting grid from seventh-place, and Bubba should be able to contend for a solid top-10 finish. In practice on Friday, he was one of the faster cars on the long run in the second group, which will pay dividends on Saturday night during the race. Additionally, Bubba finished third at Martinsville this season--which used the same tire combination that Goodyear brought this weekend to Richmond--and he was also strong at Bowman Gray and North Wilkesboro. In DFS, Bubba Wallace is under-priced ($7,500 on DraftKings) but doesn't have much Place Differential upside. He's a tournament option, though, as a top-five finish is definitely within his reach.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
August 16, 2025
After the speed he showed earlier in the season, Austin Cindric had a downturn in performance for most of the summer, but he had one of his best short-track drives two weeks ago at Iowa when he started fourth and finished 12th. It's possible he'll be fast at Richmond. Cindric doesn't typically run well here, as he only finished better than 20th once, but he has also tends to be faster at most tracks this year than he was in previous seasons. Coming off a run of four consecutive finishes between 12th and 16th, he will probably run better than most models would predict. However, he is starting 13th, so it is likely that he will finish worse than he starts, meaning he probably doesn't have a great deal of DFS value.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
After winning his seventh NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race of the season and first at Richmond on Friday night, Corey Heim returns to the track for Saturday's Cup Series race, but it's hard to see him contending since he qualified 32nd when his more experienced teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace both qualified in the top 10, and even Riley Herbst outqualified him. Heim has never started a Cup Series race on a short track before unless you erroneously think Dover counts. As a result, it's hard to predict how he'll do in a race with more than one very good driver in it. Ultimately, it seems like it takes most drivers a couple years to figure out the Next Gen chassis on ovals, as has also proven true for Heim's truck predecessor Zane Smith. As dominant as he has been in the Truck Series, he probably won't break this trend, but he qualified poorly enough in a fast enough car that you should consider him anyway.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman
Willson Contreras (foot) remains out of the lineup on Saturday against the New York Yankees.
Alec Burleson will play first and bat second against left-handed ace
Max Fried. Contreras hasn't played since he took a pitch off the right foot on Tuesday and had to leave early in a 3-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that Conteras was doing better, but he was still sore. It doesn't seem like this is anything more than a day-to-day injury, so perhaps Contreras will return Sunday.
UPDATE: If Contreras' pre-game workout goes well, he could serve as a pinch-hitter on Saturday or start in the series finale on Sunday, according to Marmol.--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
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