CDM Driver Salaries Analysis

Ladies and gentleman, we all know that fantasy NASCAR games aren’t created equal. Some people may be happy with just playing one team a week, but if you’re similar to me, you probably like to have a whole bunch of rosters every week (probably more than we can handle) and not just those played with free games. Everyone likes to win money, so why not put your money where your fantasy racing picking is? If you haven’t signed up for any CDM Sports games yet, I highly suggest you do. You can do so by going to the “Fantasy Cup” tab on the top of this page and choosing which one you’d like to sign up for. Personally, I’m signed up for Circuit 1, where players have a chance to win $10,000. This is a salary cap game, and you have to manage a roster of eight drivers with a $10,000,000 cap.

One major factor in having success in salary cap games is the ability to maximize your points per dollar with the low-cost drivers. For this to happen, you have to find gold in the “low-dollar drivers”. Obviously, you won’t be able to pick a driver with a small cap hit every race, but it is important to capitalize on your opportunities when they arise. To start off the season, Aric Almirola is listed at just $310,000, or 3.1% of your total cap limit. Talk about a gold mine! In 2012, Almirola will take over the #43 Petty Motorsports Ford, so you know his equipment is (at least) better-than average, and he has found some success in the Sprint Cup Series with this team. In 2010, Aric took over the #9 Ford for the last five races of the season, and consistently finished in the mid-20’s before ending the season with a solid 4th-place run at Homestead. Almirola won’t fight for wins, but with such a small cap hit, there isn’t a better value heading into this year’s fantasy season.

Other drivers that I see as undervalued to start out the season are:

Greg Biffle – $880,000 – The Biff is ranked 18th on the salary chart but I think he’ll bounce back this season and could challenge for a Chase spot. He’s not great at Daytona, but if Biffle’s salary stays this low once the series gets to Las Vegas, he’ll be a great pick.

Kasey Kahne – $1,170,000 – Yes, I know his salary is a bit high compared to the other drivers listed, but many fantasy experts think Kahne will have a great year now that he’s with Hendrick, and I agree. He will be a force in more than just one or two races in 2012.

Good Value Drivers For Daytona: Elliott Sadler ($300,000), Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. ($300,000), Robby Gordon ($300,000), David Gilliland ($300,900), Danica Patrick ($320,000), Trevor Bayne ($400,000)

Along with finding gold in the low-salary drivers, it is also important to avoid overpriced drivers at all times. The best drivers will, of course, cost the most money, but they are there for a reason, and you will be able to afford them if you have one or two low-dollar drivers on your roster.

Overvalued drivers entering the new season:

Kurt Busch – $1,025,000 – The elder Busch brother will have worse equipment this year than last, and with the way he was last season, I’m not even convinced Kurt will still be with Phoenix Racing  by the end of the season. I think Busch will be a good pick at Daytona but the $1,025,000 cap hit is too much to pay for 15th-20th place finishes.

Mark Martin – $1,100,000 – He’s not even running the entire season and hasn’t been a great pick in fantasy racing for awhile. At a little over $1 million, I feel like there are much better value picks for that amount of money.

Clint Bowyer – $1,250,000 – I’m not convinced that this was the best decision for Bowyer to make (moving to Michael Waltrip Racing), and with the 11th-highest salary in this game, Clint will probably cost too much compared to the points you will get out of him.