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Welcome to RotoBaller's Tiered Rankings for the third race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For those that are viewing these rankings for the first time, here is how the sheet works.
There are two sets of DFS tiered rankings featured below, with one set of rankings focused on DraftKings DFS contests while the other is focused on FanDuel. Every driver that will officially be starting in this week's race will be listed in a particular tier based on their salary for each site. The tiers feature drivers that have similar price ranges and are ranked based on their final outlook, which is determined by a combination of a driver's expected performance for this week's race as well as their salary.
These ranks will help you make tough lineup calls, telling you which drivers must be started over others in each tier. DFS players from any skill level can use these rankings in order to create a lineup that will cash out.
Since this week's race is at a 1.5 Mile Intermediate track like last week, anchoring lineups around dominators, which are drivers expected to lead plenty of laps, are crucial. High upside place differential options for Las Vegas this week are fewer than Homestead last week, but there are still a few drivers DFS players should consider with some possessing strong history at LVMS starting far back. As the second race at a 1.5 Mile Intermediate Track in 2021, the ranks for this week greatly factor from the first race at the track type at Homestead, as well as past results and loop data at Vegas. Good luck RotoBallers!
Premium Tiered Rankings - NASCAR DFS
Normally, you can expect these rankings to be published on Thursdays or Fridays for every week that there is a Cup Series race, depending on the schedule of pre-race events. These rankings will also be updated as pre-race events progress throughout the week when applicable and also will include an analysis of each tier of drivers at the conclusion of all pre-race events.
* = This driver will be starting from the rear in this week's race
DraftKings Rankings Analysis
DraftKings Tier 1: Leading off this tier are the Team Penske drivers, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski. Logano won the last two spring races at Las Vegas and finished in the Top 10 in eight of the last nine races at the site. Since 2019 in Vegas, the driver of the No. 22 Ford ranks fifth in Laps in the Top 15 (847), third in Fastest Laps (88) and Average Running Position (8.2), and second in Driver Rating (120.4). As one of the favorites to win and with strong Place Differential upside from his starting position (15th), Logano is a driver to anchor lineups around. Blaney offers the most PD upside from his starting position (26th) of all drivers in this tier and placed 11th or better in seven of the last eight Vegas races. The driver of the No. 12 Ford also scored positive PD in three of his last five starts at LVMS and led 19 laps in last year’s spring race. Other than September 2020’s race at Las Vegas, Keselowski has placed seventh or better in every race at the site since 2013. Since 2019, the driver of the No. 2 Ford also has the fifth-most Quality Passes (269), which are passes of cars in the Top 15 under green flag conditions. Keselowski ranks lower than his teammates due to less upside from his starting position (10th). Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are other solid options to start from this tier. Truex provides the least PD upside of all racers in this tier from his starting position (fourth), but he placed third and led 37 laps in last week’s race at Homestead. Since 2019 at Vegas, Truex ranks fourth in Fastest Laps (83), Laps in the Top 15 (907), Average Running Position (8.4), and Driver Rating (106.4). Look for the driver of the No. 19 Toyota to compete for the win this week. Busch only has one top-10 finish at Vegas in the last three Cup races but provides good PD upside from his starting position (14th). The driver of the No. 18 Toyota also placed in the Top 10 in his last five 1.5-Mile Intermediate track starts including last week’s race at Homestead (10th).
DraftKings Tier 2: Kevin Harvick, who ranks first in this tier, is one of the top favorites to win this week’s race. Since 2019 at Las Vegas, Harvick ranks second in Fastest Laps (113) and Laps Led (227), and first in Laps in the Top 15 (1,034), Average Running Position (4.9), and Driver Rating (121.2). The driver of the No. 4 Ford starts first and will be expected to lead plenty of laps as he is a racer to greatly consider this week. Denny Hamlin led the most laps (121) and placed third in his last start at Vegas. Hamlin ranks fifth of all drivers since 2019 at LVMS in Fastest Laps (64) and Driver Rating (98.0). He will start sixth and has equipment better than most to place in the Top 5. Kyle Larson has never won at Las Vegas but historically has been great at the track with six top-10 finishes in nine races. Larson also led five laps and placed fourth in last week’s 1.5-Mile Intermediate race at Homestead. Matt DiBenedetto provides amazing PD upside from his starting position (30th) and should bounce back this week after a lackluster start to the 2021 season. DiBenedetto placed second in both races at Las Vegas last season and picked up positive PD in his last four starts at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks.
DraftKings Tier 3: The first driver of this tier, Aric Almirola, is one of the best picks of the week. Almirola presents the most PD upside of all drivers in this group due to his starting position (28th) and he has three top-10 finishes in his last six Vegas races. The driver of the No. 10 Ford also has five top-10 finishes in his last nine starts at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks. Alex Bowman is another driver DFS players must consider from this tier. Since 2019 at Las Vegas, Bowman ranks fifth of all drivers in Average Running Position (9.9), third in Laps in the Top 15 (923), and first in Quality Passes (295). The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet also earned top-10 finishes in the last six Cup Series races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks including fifth at last September’s race at LVMS.
DraftKings Tier 4: Some of the drivers from this tier must be considered for lineups while others are risky plays for Las Vegas this week. Chase Briscoe and Ross Chastain, ranked first and second in this tier, are both quality picks with solid PD upside from their starting positions. In the Xfinity Series last season at Las Vegas, Briscoe swept both races with wins and led the most laps. Briscoe, who starts 24th this week, also racked up positive PD last week at Homestead with a finish of 18th. Chastain, who starts 21st this week, scored positive PD in four of his five career starts at Las Vegas in the Cup Series. The driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet also is a former winner at the site in the Xfinity Series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. historically is decent at Las Vegas with five top-20 finishes in 11 starts at the site. He also scored positive place differential in five of his last nine Vegas races as well and should finish in the Top 15 based on equipment. Christopher Bell is the next driver to consider in this tier as he scored positive PD in three of his last four races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks including last September’s Vegas race. Bell also two top-10 finishes in his last three Cup starts at the track type. Bubba Wallace is the last driver here to consider as a bargain value. Wallace offers respectable PD upside starting 23rd and last season, the driver of the No. 23 picked up five top-20 finishes at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks. He also earned positive PD seven times in that span.
DraftKings Tier 5: The first four drivers here are the only ones DFS players should consider for lineups this week. The other three drivers at the bottom are either present PD downside or in the case of the last driver, Corey LaJoie is overpriced based on his expected performance from his equipment. Cole Custer has the best equipment of all drivers in this tier because of his Stewart-Haas Racing Affiliation. Custer also gained two top-20 finishes in three starts at Las Vegas while procuring PD twice at the site. Daniel Suarez has four top-20 finishes in seven starts at LVMS in his Cup Series career. The driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet also picked up positive PD in four of his last five Vegas races and placed in the Top 15 in last week’s race at Homestead. Chris Buescher provides less PD upside than Custer and Suarez from his starting position (18th) but has displayed favorable results at Las Vegas. In eight races at the site, Buescher has four top-15 finishes including a ninth-place finish last September. Anthony Alfredo secured a finish of eighth in his only Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas while scoring positive PD in the first three races this season in the Cup Series.
DraftKings Tier 6: Unless cap flexibility is needed from starting multiple drivers in the first two tiers, DFS players must avoid rostering drivers from this tier as much as possible. The majority of racers here have inferior equipment in comparison to the field and will finish either multiple laps down or will not make it to the end. Justin Haley, who has the best equipment of all drivers here is the best bet to start if you must use someone from this tier.
FanDuel Rankings Analysis
FanDuel Tier 1: Just like DraftKings, Team Penske driver Joey Logano leads off this tier. Logano won the last two spring races at Las Vegas and finished in the Top 10 in eight of the last nine races at the site. Since 2019 in Vegas, the driver of the No. 22 Ford ranks fifth in Laps in the Top 15 (847), third in Fastest Laps (88) and Average Running Position (8.2), and second in Driver Rating (120.4). As one of the favorites to win and with strong Place Differential upside from his starting position (15th), Logano is a driver to anchor lineups around. Kevin Harvick, who ranks second in this tier, is one of the top favorites to win this week’s race. Since 2019 at Las Vegas, Harvick ranks second in Fastest Laps (113) and Laps Led (227), and first in Laps in the Top 15 (1,034), Average Running Position (4.9), and Driver Rating (121.2). The driver of the No. 4 Ford starts first and will be expected to lead plenty of laps as he is a racer to greatly consider this week. Denny Hamlin led the most laps (121) and placed third in his last start at Vegas. Hamlin ranks fifth of all drivers since 2019 at LVMS in Fastest Laps (64) and Driver Rating (98.0). He will start sixth and has equipment better than most to place in the Top 5. Joe Gibbs Racing's Martin Truex Jr. is one more solid option to start from this tier. Truex provides the least PD upside of all racers in this tier from his starting position (fourth), but he placed third and led 37 laps in last week’s race at Homestead. Since 2019 at Vegas, Truex ranks fourth in Fastest Laps (83), Laps in the Top 15 (907), Average Running Position (8.4), and Driver Rating (106.4). Look for the driver of the No. 19 Toyota to compete for the win this week.
FanDuel Tier 2: The other two drivers from Team Penske, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski are great choices to consider for this week’s race at Vegas. Blaney offers the most PD upside from his starting position (26th) of all drivers in this tier and placed 11th or better in seven of the last eight Vegas races. The driver of the No. 12 Ford also scored positive PD in three of his last five starts at LVMS and led 19 laps in last year’s spring race. Other than September 2020’s race at Las Vegas, Keselowski has placed seventh or better in every race at the site since 2013. Since 2019, the driver of the No. 2 Ford also has the fifth-most Quality Passes (269), which are passes of cars in the Top 15 under green flag conditions. Keselowski ranks lower than his teammate due to less upside from his starting position (10th). Kyle Busch only has one top-10 finish at Vegas in the last three Cup races but provides good PD upside from his starting position (14th). The driver of the No. 18 Toyota also placed in the Top 10 in his last five 1.5-Mile Intermediate track starts including last week’s race at Homestead (10th). Kyle Larson has never won at Las Vegas but historically has been great at the track with six top-10 finishes in nine races. Larson also led five laps and placed fourth in last week’s 1.5-Mile Intermediate race at Homestead.
FanDuel Tier 3: Alex Bowman is the top driver DFS players must consider from this tier. Since 2019 at Las Vegas, Bowman ranks fifth of all drivers in Average Running Position (9.9), third in Laps in the Top 15 (923), and first in Quality Passes (295). The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet also earned top-10 finishes in the last six Cup Series races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks including fifth at last September’s race at LVMS. Christopher Bell is the next driver to consider in this tier as he scored positive PD in three of his last four races at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks including last September’s Vegas race. Bell also two top-10 finishes in his last three Cup starts at the track type.
FanDuel Tier 4: Just like DraftKings, the first driver of this tier, Aric Almirola, is one of the best picks of the week. Almirola presents great PD upside due to his starting position (28th) and he has three top-10 finishes in his last six Vegas races. The driver of the No. 10 Ford also has five top-10 finishes in his last nine starts at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks. Almirola’s teammate Chase Briscoe, who is ranked second in this tier, is a quality pick with solid PD upside from his start position (24th). In the Xfinity Series last season at Las Vegas, Briscoe swept both races with wins and led the most laps. Briscoe also racked up positive PD last week at Homestead with a finish of 18th. Matt DiBenedetto provides amazing PD upside from his starting position (30th) and should bounce back this week after a lackluster start to the 2021 season. DiBenedetto placed second in both races at Las Vegas last season and picked up positive PD in his last four starts at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks. Cole Custer, like Almirola and Briscoe, has quality equipment because of his Stewart-Haas Racing Affiliation. Custer also gained two top-20 finishes in three starts at Las Vegas while procuring PD twice at the site. Look for the driver of the No. 41 Ford to take a bit of positive PD this week as he finishes in the Top 15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. historically is decent at Las Vegas with five top-20 finishes in 11 starts at the site. He also scored positive place differential in five of his last nine Vegas races as well and should finish in the Top 15 based on equipment.
FanDuel Tier 5: Similarly to DraftKings, The first four drivers here are the only ones DFS players should consider for lineups this week. Ross Chastain, who starts 21st this week, scored positive PD in four of his five career starts at Las Vegas in the Cup Series. The driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet also is a former winner at the site in the Xfinity Series. Bubba Wallace is the next driver here to consider as a bargain value. Wallace offers respectable PD upside starting 23rd and last season, the driver of the No. 23 picked up five top-20 finishes at 1.5-Mile Intermediate tracks. He also earned positive PD seven times in that span. Daniel Suarez has four top-20 finishes in seven starts at LVMS in his Cup Series career. The driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet also picked up positive PD in four of his last five Vegas races and placed in the Top 15 in last week’s race at Homestead. Chris Buescher provides less PD upside than other drivers from this tier due to starting position (18th) but has displayed favorable results at Las Vegas. In eight races at the site, Buescher has four top-15 finishes including a ninth-place finish last September.
FanDuel Tier 6: Comparable to DraftKings, Unless cap flexibility is needed from starting multiple drivers in the first two tiers, DFS players must avoid rostering almost all drivers from this tier as much as possible. The majority of racers here have inferior equipment in comparison to the field and will finish either multiple laps down or will not make it to the end. Anthony Alfredo is the best value pick from this tier that should be considered for lineups. Alfredo secured a finish of eighth in his only Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas while scoring positive PD in the first three races this season in the Cup Series.
