NASCAR DraftKings Fantasy Driver Rankings: CarShield 200 Presented by CK Power at Gateway

Rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by value of each driver.

Set your DraftKings lineups here: NTS $50K Octane [$10K to 1st] (Trucks)

1. Brett Moffitt ($10,000) - Gateway is a blend of Darlington and New Hampshire. The main takeaway for DFS players is that it’s very hard for the trucks to pass. This is a single groove track unlike any track the Truck Series has visited this season. Moffitt’s starting position is huge.

2. Sheldon Creed ($11,500) - His seventh place finish at Gateway in his rookie season was disappointing. In 2018, Creed won the ARCA race at Gateway and led 71% of the laps.

3. Chandler Smith ($10,900) - The Chandler Smith hype is real, but the results are not. He’s wrecked at Kentucky, Michigan and Dover. The kid is talented and the truck is great, but he needs to get it together. Fortunately, Gateway is a good track for him. He drove through the field in last year’s race.

4. Johnny Sauter ($11,100) - Last year, Sauter was suspended for the Gateway race, but his replacement, Myatt Snider, finished tenth. From 2014 to 2018, Sauter has either finished third or fourth at Gateway.

5. Grant Enfinger ($8,600) - He controlled stage one and two at Gateway last year, but he lost the lead on pit road. That’s about the only way to lose the lead at Gateway. It will be tough for Enfinger to win from his starting position, but he can earn a top 5.

6. Tyler Ankrum ($8,400) - In order to be eligible for the 2019 playoffs, Ankrum had to start every race. This meant a couple start-and-parks along the way. Gateway was an S&P. In 2018, Ankrum won a K&N race at New Hampshire and led every lap.

7. Austin Hill ($10,500) - The intermediate tracks were Hill’s best tracks last year. This year, the trucks have only ventured away from the intermediate tracks for one road course race. Gateway is a change of pace, and Hill might struggle.

8. Matt Crafton ($9,800) - This track has not been too kind to Crafton of late. Over the last six races at Gateway, Crafton’s average finish is 18th. It’s not necessarily a lack of talent. Three of those races were wrecks and, in another, he suffered a mechanical failure.

9. Zane Smith ($9,500) - Gateway will be a major test for Smith and his GMS team. He has two wins in his rookie season, but virtually every race on the COVID schedule has been an intermediate track race. Gateway is not a short track, but it’s not the typical multi groove, high downforce race where the driver with the best ride has a huge advantage.

10. Derek Kraus ($8,200) - K&N West stats are not great stats because the series is very weak, but it’s better than nothing. Kraus won the 2018 K&N race at Gateway and finished second in 2019. The finishes do not mean that he’ll run well this weekend, but the experience helps.

11. Ben Rhodes ($9,200) - The no practice, no qualifying format has worked for Rhodes. In the one race this season where drivers practiced and qualified (Las Vegas), Rhodes was terrible in practice and qualifying. It’s possible that Rhodes is terrible with feedback, and the team just makes the car worse during practice sessions.

12. Christian Eckes ($10,300) - A late race wreck ruined a chance at a win for Eckes in the No. 51 KBM truck last year. He had the best truck in practice and started first based on owner’s points. This year, he can’t tune on the truck in practice and he’s not starting on the pole.

13. Todd Gilliland ($9,000) - His Gateway success is surprising. Gilliland did not race at Gateway in the K&N series. However, Gililand did win at a flat track in Martinsville in 2019. Here’s a theory: Gilliland struggles in the Truck Series because most of the races are aero-dependent intermediate tracks.

14. Ty Majeski ($7,800) - The truck won the Gateway race last year. Majeski isn’t going to win, but he should have a good setup when the green flag drops. Gateway is more of a driver’s track than any other oval the trucks have raced at this season. Majeski is supposed to have a lot of talent, so this weekend will be one of the biggest tests in his NASCAR career.

15. Raphael Lessard ($8,000) - His typical finish of 14th will work this week. The only concern is that his typical finish is at cookie cutter intermediate tracks. Gateway is not typical.

16. Austin Wayne Self ($6,400) - There’s not a lot of value on the board this weekend, so AWS is an option. There isn’t much upside, but he can move forward and he saves DFS players a couple bucks. He’s been a 15th-to-20th place driver this season, and that’s what he’s been at Gateway the last two seasons.

17. Carson Hocevar ($7,300) - It will be tough for Hocevar to move forward, but his Niece truck is strong enough to compete with the top 10. The top 20 drivers are strong in the Truck Series, and not having practice really hurts the part-time rookies.

18. Sam Mayer ($7,500) - He’s in the same spot as Hocevar. Both are talented and in quality trucks. They are starting in nearly the same spot and have similar price points. The problem is that they do not get to practice and there are 20 competitors that are talented and have good trucks.

19. Natalie Decker ($4,800) - The Niece No. 44 truck is better than a 29th place truck. If Decker does not wreck, then she should at least finish 25th and that’s 5x value. That might be a stretch because she did wreck at Gateway last year.

20. Danny Bohn ($5,300) - Brennan Poole is a full-time Cup driver, so he was only allowed a limited amount of Truck Series races. Poole hit that limit, so Bohn will take over. The price might match the driver’s experience, but it does not match the quality of the truck.

Set your DraftKings lineups here: NTS $50K Octane [$10K to 1st] (Trucks)

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