DraftKings isn’t accessible from Nevada, where the casinos make sure you play there instead of online.
But even though I can’t play this week, that doesn’t mean you can’t. Here are some picks to consider when making your lineup:
— Kevin Harvick ($10,300): After winning Atlanta, Harvick looks fast again this week at Vegas. He had the second-fastest 10-lap average in final practice and had the fastest 15- and 20-lap average in numbers tweeted out by FOX Sports’ Darrell Waltrip.
— Kyle Larson ($9,800): Fastest in the January test session, where he and his team worked on their Vegas setup for two days. Then he put together the fastest 10-lap average for final practice. Larson is my pick to win the race and yet he’s only the fourth-most expensive driver.
— Denny Hamlin ($9,100) or Erik Jones ($8,300): Not sure who to go with here. Hamlin starts 19th, so you have position differential possibilities there (he was ninth-fastest in 10-lap average for final practice and fifth-fastest of eight drivers who made 20-lap runs). But Jones seems faster — he was eighth-fastest in 10-lap average and sixth in 15-lap average. The downside in picking Jones is he doesn’t always close out races and he starts 10 spots higher than Hamlin.
— Clint Bowyer ($8,100): Bowyer looked good at Atlanta, qualified 11th and had the 10th-fastest 10-lap average in final practice. He also comes at a very decent price.
— Ryan Newman ($7,100): Newman participated in the Vegas test session in January and was 11th-fastest in 10-lap average for final practice. His car seems better on short runs (he had the fifth-fastest single-lap speed Saturday) but the price is quite good here for a potential top-10 driver who starts 25th.
— Michael McDowell ($5,500): The new Front Row Motorsports driver showed up with speed this weekend. He had the ninth-fastest single lap in the first practice session Saturday, which is obviously far above what the team typically does. It makes me a little nervous to see him start 15th, because that could potentially cost you points if he doesn’t have a good race. But at this price, it’s hard to pass him up.