Fantasy NASCAR DFS Picks on DraftKings for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas

"The Chase" rolls on the plains just east of Kansas City.

Last week's bad blood between Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar just shows how high the stakes are for any bad race right now, and a tight points battle should rage on at this 1.5-mile track.

In DFS, this is a 267-lap race, so laps led aren't quite the priority they were in the last few weeks as a Darlington or Bristol. Unfortunately, a rainy Saturday once again wiped away practice and qualifying, leaving some fast cars for this track type scattered toward the back that didn't have a great run a week ago. You can pass at this multi-groove oval, so I welcome them with open arms.

The green flag for Sunday's race is expected at 3:10 p.m. EST on USA Network.

Every week, DraftKings Daily Fantasy has NASCAR contests for all three of the top touring series. Here are my favorite picks for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Kansas DraftKings NASCAR DFS Studs to Target

Denny Hamlin ($10,500)

After his win at June in Michigan, Denny Hamlin said he had supreme confidence at any place "fast and going left". A summer of road courses, short tracks, and drafting ovals have stunted that momentum, but this seems like we're back to his strength.

Hamlin has the fastest median lap time at four of the five 1.5-mile tracks in my sample, ranking (obviously) first in the blended speed rankings. The lone exception? A speed ranking of 3rd at Charlotte.

He led a race-high 131 laps in April before ceding the win to Tyler Reddick. Of course, he was also inches short in a thriller here a year ago:

WHAT A FINISH. CHASE ELLIOTT GETS BY BUBBA WALLACE AND DENNY HAMLIN TO WIN AT KANSAS! pic.twitter.com/QkSw4rSWt2
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 28, 2025

I don't know if he'll be as popular as he should be with Reddick starting 15th and Kyle Larson, building momentum, sitting as a potential lap-leader on the front row.

Christopher Bell ($10,200)

Deeper into tournaments, I want to make sure I add Christopher Bell to Hamlin, Larson, and Reddick.

Bell is just 17 points off the points lead with, arguably, speed to match his teammate at the 1.5-milers. He's had a top-seven median lap in all five within my sample, including tying Hamlin for the best mark in Las Vegas.

A late issue denied Bell a sixth straight finish in the top eight at Kansas in April. Still, he finished fifth in both stages.

I can feel my own fear of him not having a "ceiling" to lead and win this race, and the field will share it. But, he's second in my blended speed rankings and will have a lower roster rate.

Kansas DraftKings NASCAR DFS Mid Tier Picks

Chase Briscoe ($9,600)

Chase Briscoe is three-for-three on top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with Joe Gibbs Racing. This would be a good time to extend the streak.

Briscoe had just the 12th-fastest median in April but still got it done, and he's steadily improved on this track type with top-five median laps at the two most recent 1.5-mile tracks, Charlotte (5th) and Chicagoland. He got it done at the latter.

CHASE BRISCOE TAKES IT HOME IN CHICAGOLAND 🏆🔥 pic.twitter.com/R9cqlLFsIP
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) July 6, 2026

Briscoe is a cash-game staple with a starting spot (23rd) that will attract plenty of attention for someone sitting an impressive 7th in my blended speed rankings.

Chase Elliott ($9,000)

Chase Elliott is 117 points back in the standings. He needs a couple of dominant weekends with stage and race victories -- and soon. I'd argue it's now or never at his best track.

Elliott is a two-time Kansas winner with top 10s in six of his last seven races here. But, the #9 has been down on speed in recent seasons, and that has not been the case with a top-eight median lap in every 1.5-mile race this year except Charlotte, where he crashed out early.

I don't exactly know how popular of a click Elliott will be when he's finished 14th or worse in five straight races. He's just kind of bad at every track type except this one.

Kansas DraftKings NASCAR DFS Budget Plays

Ryan Preece ($7,000)

RFK Racing likely won't win the title this year, but they've brought solid speed to the postseason. Ryan Preece has scored four top-10 finishes in his last five starts.

He's been extremely strong at this track type, as well. He's posted a top-16 median lap at four of the five tracks in my sample, and the only exception was Chicagoland, where he was involved in a Lap 1 incident with Connor Zilisch and got crash damage.

There's not a perfect blend of speed and place-differential upside in this salary tier this weekend, but Preece represents the former.

Riley Herbst ($6,500)

Here's a guy to represent the latter -- but with passable speed, too.

Riley Herbst drives a car owned by Hamlin, and he's sort of suffered from the same plague in a Toyota that probably shares data. Herbst was exceptionally fast in terms of median lap speed at Kansas (14th), Texas (10th), and Chicagoland (7th), but he's really plummeted on this stretch of shorter tracks, scoring six straight finishes of 24th or worse.

I reckon his speed is still around a bit, and there's not much risk when he starts 34th. I just hope the field's memory is a little short.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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