2011 Preview

With the 2011 Season inching closer by the day it's time for us to break down the A, B, and C lists and let you know who we think the are the drivers you'll be turning to during your 2011 Yahoo Fantasy Nascar Season.

A-LIST:
#11 - Denny Hamlin
#14 - Tony Stewart
#16 - Greg Biffle
#17 - Matt Kenseth
#18 - Kyle Busch
#22 - Kurt Busch
#24 - Jeff Gordon
#29 - Kevin Harvick
#48 - Jimmie Johnson
#99 - Carl Edwards


No need to "start save" anyone in this list, with 9 starts available you should have plenty of options all season long from the A-List once again.

In the A-List, you're looking for race winners for the most part. That being said, you are going to be turning to Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards mostly this season. These are guys that I am going to have a hard time using at Daytona/Talladega with the risk of losing a start to a poor finish. Jimmie Johnson is a given, Kyle Busch is (slowly) getting better with maturity and I say 2011 is his breakthrough year where his cooler head prevails, and Carl Edwards will lead Roush Fenway Racing as they continue to get stronger through the 2011 season.

Guys like Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, and Kevin Harvick will also be contenders that you will lean on at certain tracks on the schedule, but I don't see using any of them the allotted 9 starts, so feel free to roll out these guys at Daytona/Talladega. Hamlin will be good, but not as good as last year as I feel the chemistry will breakdown between him and Mike Ford, I say Hamlin declines as the season moves on so don't be afraid to use him early in the season if he is hot. I see Tony Stewart having and up and down year, great on certain tracks but average on others, however Stewart would be my sleeper pick in the A to over-perform expectations. Kevin Harvick moves from the B to the A, and I see him having a similar season to 2010, good finishes but not a lot of race wins.

Remember, the A-List you are looking for race winners, and sadly I don't see Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, or Matt Kenseth being in contention for a race win more than once or twice this season. Matt Kenseth was great on the B-List last year as your consistency pick for a Top 10, but that's not what we're looking for on the A. Similar situations for Gordon, Kurt, and The Biff, they are going to have to impress me early in the season to get any consideration on making the team later in the year.


STUDS: Johnson, Ky. Busch, Edwards

CONSISTENT: Hamlin, Stewart, Harvick

DUDS: Gordon, Ku. Busch, Biffle, Kenseth

SLEEPER: Stewart


B-LIST:
#00 - David Reutimann
#1 - Jamie McMurray
#2 - Brad Keselowski
#4 - Kasey Kahne
#5 - Mark Martin
#9 - Marcos Ambrose
#20 - Joey Logano
#31 - Jeff Burton
#33 - Clint Bowyer
#39 - Ryan Newman
#42 - Juan Pablo Montoya
#43 - A.J. Allmendinger
#56 - Martin Truex Jr.
#83 - Brian Vickers
#88 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

As we get to the B, there are a names that stick out on both sides of the totem poll, the good and the bad. Those on the good we will have to look into start saving a few key names, and a few names we will be throwing by the wayside.


Here in the B I'm looking for guys with consistent finishes and every now and then a potential race winner. I'm a firm believer in championships are won and lost in the B so this list is the most important of them all.


The two names that stick out as definite on using the 9 starts is Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano. Both of which proved all of last season they can rack up consistent finishes and contend for race wins, and I see both of them only getting better in 2011 with experience. At least one, if not both of these guys will be making my team almost every week as I believe we can get a few race wins and consistent finishes out of them all year long.


Your next tier will be Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, and Jeff Burton. I see both Newman and McMurray getting more consistent this season and potentially contending for a race win here and there. I have limited faith in Jeff Burton early in the season to nab some Top 10 finishes, but I see him fading late and much like Denny Hamlin I could see a crew or crew chief change happen during the season. Don't be afraid to use Burton early.


Wild Cards include Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers, and Kasey Kahne. Mark Martin will be much like Jeff Burton, use him early in the season when I think Martin will be performing well. Later in the season with the drama around Kasey Kahne taking the seat from Martin in 2012, there will be friction and drama, and the potential that Martin will get punted from the seat during the 2011 season especially if Kahne struggles at Red Bull. Juan Pablo Montoya is my sleeper of the B, much like Kyle Busch I think maturity and team confidence at Ganassi could propel Montoya to an every week consistent driver and potential race winner. Red Bull is the biggest question mark coming into 2011, I see Brian Vickers being up and down all season, he'll potentially get used at a few tracks where he's proven to be successful. I don't see the 1-year transition going well for Kahne, but his talent and previous performance bumps him from the basement into the wild card spot for now.


Your lower tier drivers include David Reutimann, Martin Truex Jr, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. I don't see using these guys much except at maybe some wild card plate or short tracks. MWR doesn't seem to be progressing at the rate other teams are in the sport, and Dale Jr has never took to the new COT and even if he does improve this year I don't see him being much of a factor fantasy wise.


Basement I have Brad Keselowski, A.J. Allmendinger, and Marcos Ambrose. With consolidation down to 2 cars and gaining experience I believe Brad K will be a better sleeper pick mid-to-late in the season but I'm steering clear early on. I don't see Roush putting much effort into helping Allmendinger or Ambrose and I think the new RPM struggles terribly, so much so that I will even go out on a limb and say that Ambrose might even be on the bench on the road courses.


STUDS: Bowyer, Logano


CONSISTENT: Newman, McMurray, Burton

WILD CARDS: Montoya, Martin, Vickers, Kahne


DUDS: Reutimann, Truex Jr, Earnhardt Jr, Allmendinger, Ambrose


SLEEPERS: Montoya, Keselowski


C-LIST:
#09 - Bill Elliott
#6 - David Ragan
#7 - Robby Gordon
#21 - Trevor Bayne
#27 - Paul Menard
#47 - Bobby Labonte
#78 - Regan Smith
(and the rest...)


The C-List is thin but I think we're still better off than we were last year when Allmendinger and Menard were our only real options and the rest was up to luck-of-the-week. I still say Menard should of been in the B and Allmendinger in the C. You will definitely need to use your starts wisely here in the C.


Your going to use all 9 of your Ragan and Menard starts without question, it just comes down to a matter of when and where. To me, I'm going to be very liberal with my Ragan starts early in the season. The hottest seat in NASCAR right now is that #6 ride, if Ragan doesn't perform early in the season it's almost certain he will get the boot for Trevor Bayne. I could easily see using all 9 Ragan starts by the time the chase begins. Paul Menard will be on the flip side of Ragan, I see Menard getting better as the season progresses and Menard should be the guy who will carry your C List late in the season.


You will be using a good 5-6 starts out of Bobby Labonte and Regan Smith, I see both of these guys as the "good but not great" option of the C List, if you can get a Top 20-25 out of them you'll be satisfied to survive the week and move onto the next race.


Trevor Bayne and Bill Elliott will be sleepers to watch this season. I like Elliott in the 09 on plate tracks for sure, and depending on sponsorship he could make the team as a start-saver on 1.5 mile tracks. Trevor Bayne will be someone I hope to get 3-4 solid starts out of, he'll be right in there with Labonte and Smith and he'll be the gamble you'll have to take to potentially get a better finish.


If Steven Wallace ends up running a handful of races I believe he will be tempting to use but I don't see him ever getting the start as I believe he's still too green and will be in the wall more than in the Top 25. Of course you get to watch out for your ringers and Robby Gordon on the road courses to save you some starts as well.


STUDS: Ragan, Menard



CONSISTENT: Labonte, Smith

WILD CARDS: Bayne, Elliott


DUDS: Steven Wallace, R. Gordon, "The Rest"



SLEEPERS: Elliott on the plate tracks, R. Gordon & Ringers on the road courses.



This wraps up our preview of the 2011 Yahoo Fantasy NASCAR Season. We're down for the rest of the week, next week we will review NASCAR Pre-Season Thunder from Daytona and get some initial thoughts on what to watch for going into the 500.