DraftKings NASCAR: Folds of Honor 500 Picks

DraftKings NASCAR: Folds of Honor 500 Picks

This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.

QuikTrip Folds of Honor 500 
 
Location: Hampton, GA 
Course: Atlanta Motor Speedway 
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval 
Laps: 325 
 
Race Preview 
 
Some argue that the Sprint Cup season doesn't truly begin until after the Daytona 500. The reason behind that perception is that Daytona International Speedway is a unique track and success there doesn't necessarily translate to success on the rest of the schedule. This week we have a bread-and-butter 1.5-mile oval at Atlanta Motor Speedway. These types of tracks make up the majority of the schedule, and this week we'll get more of an indication of who has done their homework through winter and who has fallen behind. The track requires horsepower and handling, and provides multiple grooves in the turns. Teams will try to set up chassis neutral at first, and then dial in some loose characteristics to help the cars turn. Corner speed is imperative, and maintaining momentum on turn exit will set up passes at the end of each straight. 
 
Key Stats at Atlanta Motor Speedway 
 
Number of previous races: 108 
Winners from pole: 14 
Winners from top-5 starters: 60 
Winners from top-10 starters: 85 
Winners from 21st or lower starters: 8 
Fastest race: 166.633 mph 
 
Last 10 Atlanta Winners 
 
2015 spring - Jimmie Johnson 
2014 fall - Kasey Kahne 
2013 fall - Kyle Busch 
2012 fall - Denny Hamlin 
2011 fall - Jeff Gordon 
2010 fall - Tony Stewart 
2010 spring - Kurt Busch 
2009 fall - Kasey Kahne 
2009 spring - Kurt Busch 
2008 fall - Carl Edwards 

Qualifying in Atlanta will be much more important than it was last week. Teams that set high lap speeds early in the weekend tend to have a better chance at performing well in the race on Sunday. This fast Georgia oval often enables quick cars to jump into the lead and drive away from the rest of the field. It will be important to maintain track position and be mistake-free on pit road to set up a fighting chance for a win at the finish. The power that Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports demonstrated in Daytona could be an omen to the rest of the field at this super-fast circuit. 

 
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS
(Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap) 
 
DraftKings Tier 1 Values 
 
Kevin Harvick - $10,500 
Joey Logano - $10,400 
Matt Kenseth - $10,000 
 
DraftKings Tier 2 Values 
 
Denny Hamlin - $9,700 
Carl Edwards - $9,600 
Kurt Busch - $9,200 
Martin Truex Jr. - $9,100 
 
DraftKings Tier 3 Values 
 
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $8,800 
Kyle Larson - $8,300 
Jamie McMurray - $7,400 
 
DraftKings Long-Shot Values 
 
Clint Bowyer - $7,000 
Ryan Newman - $6,900 
Austin Dillon - $6,700 
Greg Biffle - $6,300 
 
MY PICKS THIS WEEK 

Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap) 

Kevin Harvick - $10,500 
Joey Logano - $10,400 
Matt Kenseth - $10,000 
Ryan Newman - $6,900 
Paul Menard - $6,400 
Regan Smith - $5,500 

With two top-fives and four top-10s from his last five trips to Atlanta, Harvick is a standout among fantasy options this week. The team is consistently fast on 1.5-mile ovals, and that isn't expected to change in 2016. Penske Racing's Logano scored two top-five Atlanta finishes in the last three races. Kenseth will be itching to recover from a late miss of last week's victory, and he boasts an impressive driver rating of 97.9 and average finish of 8.6 in his last 17 Atlanta races. Seven Atlanta pole positions in his career and no finish worse than 10th in his last three visits make Newman a good choice this week as well. Lastly, Menard has developed into a consistent top-15 runner at this track, while Smith offers one of the better values among drivers in Atlanta due to his consistent ability to finish better than he qualifies. Smith has an average finish of 23.3 from an average starting position of 32.7 at the track. 
 
Higher-Risk Lineup
($50K Salary Cap) 

Jimmie Johnson - $10,200 
Carl Edwards - $9,600 
Kurt Busch - $9,200 
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $8,800 
Greg Biffle - $6,300 
Ty Dillon - $5,600 

This week's higher-risk lineup is headed by Jimmie Johnson. It's tough to win at a track in back-to-back seasons, but Johnson certainly has the pedigree to accomplish the feat after winning for the fourth time in 2015. Edwards has three Atlanta wins, and his 12th-place finish last year was only his second race with Joe Gibbs Racing. Kurt Busch is another three-time Atlanta winner, and hasn't finished lower than 13th there since 2009. Earnhardt is the only one with an Atlanta driver rating above 90 to be priced less than $9,000, which seems like a steal. A new nose and an improved Roush Fenway Racing team structure could bring exciting things for Biffle, who struggled here last year but is a regular top-15 driver at the track. Lastly, Ty Dillon takes over the strong No. 14 car this weekend at a track where he finished 25th late in 2014. This could be the week we see Dillon announce his candidacy for a superstar of NASCAR's future.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. C.J. Radune plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: cjradune, RaceDayScore: cjradune.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.J. Radune
Radune covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and soccer for RotoWire. He was named the Racing Writer of the Year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association in 2012 and 2015.
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