The field is set for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Darlington Speedway with A.J. Allmendinger and Austin Cindric on the front row. Let’s dive into this week’s top NASCAR DFS picks for the Steakhouse Elite 200 Xfinity race on DraftKings.
Steakhouse Elite 200 NASCAR Xfinity DFS Picks | DraftKings
Austin Cindric, 2nd ($9,900)
Debating Allmendinger versus Cindric, this boils down to vehicle versus vehicle. Allmendinger is still technically in the prime years of his racing career. However, when it comes down to the Penske No. 2 versus the No. 16 of Kaulig Racing, it is better to side with Cindric. Looking at results in 2021, Cindric has been leading laps and finishing in the top 10 in nearly every race. Through eight races, Cindric has led 312 total laps, nearly twice as many as the next closest competitor and 220 more than Allmendinger.
Meanwhile, Allmendinger’s finishes have been nearly as good, but his upside as a lap leader peaked at Homestead and Las Vegas. Since the fourth race of the season, Allmendinger hasn’t led a single lap despite three top-five finishes. At $9,900, he is a discount while being the top potential lap leader. If all Cindric does is hit his 2021 average (54.9 DraftKings points), then he is a value once more.
Jeremy Clements, 12th ($7,200)
It is easy to see what path most DFS players are going to chase on Saturday: A yellow brick road lined with place differential. Therefore, there could be lots of overlapping lineups, sort of like last week’s Cup race at Kansas. If that’s the case, the easiest way to get off this chalk is to simply swap out one mid-priced place differential driver for someone starting too far forward for most player’s taste. In the Cup race, it was pivoting from Erik Jones to Matt DiBenedetto. In Saturday’s Xfinity race, it’s going from B.J. McLeod or Alex Labbe to Clements.
Clements is having another typical season for the No. 51, on the cusp of the Xfinity playoffs via points. He has only failed to finish off the lead lap in one race (Las Vegas, one lap down) with just one finish outside of the top 20. This will be Clements’ 12th career Xfinity start at Darlington, so knowing what to do around this track shouldn’t be a concern for him. Expect another finish hovering around ninth to 14th.
Justin Allgaier, 16th ($10,700)
2021 has been a tumultuous season for Allgaier, with multiple finishes of 25th or worse, including three straight to open the season. However, Allgaier had rebounded before his 29th-place finish at Talladega two weeks ago. During that rebound came Allgaier’s only win of 2021, a 47-lap-leading performance at Atlanta in which his veteran prowess showed at a race where tire management is king. That showing gives hope for Allgaier, as Darlington is another venue where if a driver doesn’t take care of their tires, they’ll never get anywhere.
Furthermore, in the other corollary track of Dover, Allgaier won the first race of the 2020 double-header, leading 120 laps in the process. In cash games, the preference would be to start a lineup with Allgaier instead of Cindric. The 14 spots of place differential more than make up for the $700 difference.
Brandon Jones, 22nd ($10,400)
Somehow, Jones is the only past Darlington winner in Saturday’s field. However, that 2020 win rings hollow in most DFS players’ memories, as Jones led just the final two laps after passing Ross Chastain late. That same disappointing number hovers over Jones’ head in the 2021 season, as he has led 55 laps through eight races with three crashes. Therefore, it is hard to endorse Jones as anything more than a place differential driver. Thankfully, at his salary, Jones does not need to offer much more than place differential and perhaps a few dominator points.
Kyle Weatherman, 26th ($4,600)
While salaries up at the top are not out of control, gamers still may need some salary relief in order to get Gibbs, Jones, Allgaier and Cindric. Weatherman is undoubtedly this week’s underpriced punt, starting 26th at just $4,600. In past weeks, Weatherman has been starting in the teens, justifying his punt salary as he was a threat to lose place differential. However, this week DraftKings seemingly didn’t care that Weatherman is in a spot where he shouldn’t go backward so long as he doesn’t have mechanical issues.
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If playing a Mike Harmon Racing driver feels ridiculous, just look at what Weatherman has done year to date. Through eight races, Weatherman has zero DNFs and an average finish of 24.9. The No. 47 is actually competing week to week, and if he has another top-25 effort, he could come close to hitting value. When comparing what Weatherman has to do to be worth rostering versus everyone priced at $5,000 or below, he has the easiest path.
Ty Gibbs, 29th ($11,100)
The driver projecting with Saturday’s highest ownership rolls off the grid back in 29th thanks to Ty Dillon’s wreck out at Talladega. Gibbs is an easy driver to analyze, based on his three-race sample, it’s not far-fetched to assume Gibbs will race his way to the front despite this being Gibbs’ first race at Darlington. While a high-tire wear venue like Darlington should raise some concerns, Gibbs has managed to march into the Daytona Road Course and Martinsville and compete for the win with no prior track history.
J.J. Yeley, 35th ($7,700)
Whenever Yeley starts in the No. 17 for Rick Ware, it’s one of the easiest slam dunks of the week — especially as DraftKings never prices up Yeley to where he should be this season in the Xfinity Series. In three starts for Rick Ware, Yeley has finishes of 12th at Homestead, 13th at Phoenix and 24th at Martinsville. With a starting spot mired in the 30s, Yeley can safely be projected for another top-20 finish, mirroring his career finishes here sans his RSS Racing seasons.
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