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Fantasy Football Weekly RankingsFantasy NASCAR practice recap: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400
By Brian Polking QB | RB | RB-PPR | WR | WR-PPR | TE | TE-PPR | PK | DTWith 46 cars on vying for 43 spots in Sunday's Cup race at Michigan, the go or go home drivers were all focused on qualifying setups during practice Friday. As a result some unusual names appeared near the top of the charts. Fantasy owners should know the drill by now. The average speeds of the drivers not locked into the field can be ignored when trying to figure out which drivers to pick for your team this weekend. In the opening session, the red hot David Ragan topped the charts. He has been banging on the door of a win this past month, and the 2.0-mile tracks have always been among his best. With Roush Fenway Racing equipment running strong, Ragan is certainly an excellent sleeper option, and he could be a threat for the win as well.
A.J. Allmendinger ranked second on the charts in the first practice, followed by Kevin Harvick. Harvick won the August race at Michigan in 2010, and owners should have him on the short list of contenders once again. David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five, and Kahne needs to be the driver that owners target. He is a former winner at MIS, and he finished second at the track last June. Only three drivers ran 10 consecutive laps in the opening practice, led by Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray. Other heavy hitters that posted top-10 laps included Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The three have combined for five wins at the track, and all three figure to be in the mix for top-10 finishes. Owners looking for a possible winner out of the bunch should consider Busch. He has led a ton of laps the last two races, and the Penske Racing No. 22 is running strong right now. Ignoring the go or go home drivers, Jimmie Johnson paced the final practice Friday. That being said, he is definitely a driver owners might want to sit in formats that limit the number of starts for each driver. Johnson has never won at Michigan, and he has just two top-five finishes in 18 starts. You don't want to waste a start from one of the big guns in the sport. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Junior and Mark Martin followed Johnson in Happy Hour, and two-time Michigan winner Greg Biffle ranked fourth. Kurt Busch continued to flex some muscle, rounding out the top five. Martin is the biggest question mark out of the group. Despite winning the June race in 2009, his lackluster performances this season and tracks that have been historically kind to him make him a shaky play at best. In terms of 10-lap average speeds, Clint Bowyer was at the top of the charts. Bowyer hasn't exactly been a star at Michigan, but he did almost win the fall race in Fontana last season. The 2.0-mile track in Fontana and the MIS track facing drivers this weekend have very similar shapes, and there is a chance that Bowyer could be a threat if the setup carries over. Martin and Harvick ranked second and third in the session, while Jeff Gordon and Ragan rounded out the top five. Gordon didn't quite have the overall practice numbers of some of the other big names, but coming off his second win of the year last weekend, he isn't a bad play either. The same cannot be said for the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. It was a rough afternoon for the JGR bunch, culminating with NASCAR confiscating the oil pans for all three teams. On top of that, Joey Logano lost an engine, and engine issues have been a problem for JGR all season. The practice times weren't all the impressive for Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano either, throwing the fantasy value of all three into question. With just one top-five finish at the track in 12 starts. Hamlin is the one JGR driver that deserves the benefit of the doubt. He is the defending winner of this weekend's race, and he has finished third or better in three of his last four starts at Michigan. The Stewart-Haas Racing teammates of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman struggled in both sessions as well. In fact, neither driver was able to crack the top 25. Stewart especially is always capable of pulling out a top-10 finish, but with plenty of other big names running well, fantasy owners might want to look elsewhere this weekend. Happy Hour Speeds (sorted by Avg. Speed) Rk indicates Best Lap standing
10-Lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps)
First Practice Speeds (sorted by Avg. Speed) Rk indicates Best Lap standing
10-Lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps)
Combined Average Speeds (weighted by # of laps run in each session)
QB | RB | RB-PPR | WR | WR-PPR | TE | TE-PPR | PK | DT
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Author Bio
Brian Polking Racing has been part of Brian's life ever since he can remember, and he spent his childhood at dirt tracks throughout Ohio and Kentucky watching his father race. NASCAR naturally became his favorite sport, and he has been following the Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series for most of his life. Brian majored in journalism and economics at Ohio State University and becoming a sports writer has always been his dream. Although he has covered everything from minor league baseball to the NCAA tournament, his passion has always been NASCAR. Brian has served as a NASCAR writer for a variety of sites, eventually becoming head editor of the NASCAR section for Fanball.com. His knowledge of NASCAR comes from his life-long love of racing, and he tries to add a personal touch to every article he writes. Brian is always up for talking NASCAR with anyone that wants to. Brian joined KFFL's team in 2011. Recent articles:
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