URL: /buzzfantasy
Member since: 09/18/2007
Number of hits: 2732
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Buzz's Fantasy Take's PHOTOS:
Buzz's Richmond Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
My team for this week is:
*Kyle Busch
*Carl Edwards
Clint Bowyer
Kurt Busch
Ken Schrader
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Matt Kenseth & Aric Almirola
Kyle Busch – Not only does his season speak for itself, he has six Top 5’s in seven Richmond starts. No wins, yet, but that list of tracks is getting smaller and smaller.
Carl Edwards – I would not necessarily have sought Carl out for this race, but I have him locked-in at 2.4 below market value. He’s does have three Top 10’s in eight starts, so it’s not completely out of the question that he could do well, here.
Clint Bowyer – It’s not so much that he won here in the spring that makes him an attractive pick. We all know that he found Victory Lane because Denny, Kyle and Junior imploded. However, he’s been incredibly consistent here, even turning in good runs before breaking out last year. He has never finished out of the Top 12 at Richmond.
Kurt Busch – Even though he won this race in his last year at Roush, he has had an up-ad-down career at Richmond. He did finish 5th and 9th last season, though. I figure he’s pretty good value and is capable, though unlikely, of turning in a Top 10 performance.
Ken Schrader – Schrader has an excellent average at Richmond considering the number of times he has run there. I know that the #96 Hall of Fame Toyota generally goes faster in reverse than it does forward. I would like to have kept Aric Almirola, but he’s not entered. I just didn’t have many options.
Cutler's Bristol Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
My team for this week is:
*Carl Edwards
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Greg Biffle
Kurt Busch
Aric Almirola
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose
Carl Edwards – Despite winning this race last year, Carl doesn’t have exemplary stats at Bristol. He owns just three top tens, and four top fifteens in eight races. Yet, he has proven he can get it done under the lights at Bristol and, more importantly, I have him locked in at 1.8 below market value.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – Since finishing 9th in this race back in 2003 he has only finished out of the top ten twice at Bristol and both of those were 11th’s. He won this race in 2004 and is ranked third behind Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick in terms of track finishing average.
Greg Biffle – Has the best average at Bristol and has scored a top ten in 64% of his starts. He has yet to find Victory Lane at this track, however. After his fourth place finish at Michigan last week, maybe he has a little momentum.
Kurt Busch – I actually could have afforded to put Kasey Kahne in this slot. (I came in 2.3 points under the salary cap.) Kasey has had a couple of strong runs recently, but has been a little inconsistent here over the span of his career. Kurt was “Mr. Automatic” here for a while when he won four Bristol races in five starts, but has waned of late. Maybe I’m holding on to the past by going with Kurt (I’m vacillating even as I write this), but it’s hard to argue with his five wins in fifteen starts.
Aric Almirola – I didn’t have a lot of room left down here at the bottom of my roster. Aric grabbed an eighth place finish in the spring race earlier this season. Maybe he can repeat that performance.
Other Guys I considered:
Kevin Harvick – See above
Kasey Kahne – See above
Cutler's Watkins Glen Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
My team for this week is:
*Carl Edwards
Jeff Gordon
Tony Stewart
Jamie McMurray
Marcos Ambrose
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, Mark Martin, David Gilliland
Carl Edwards – I would call Cousin Carl an underrated road course racer. His last two outings at Watkins Glen resulted in 5th and 8th place finishes. I also like Denny Hamlin, who has never finished worse than 10th at this track, but having Carl locked in at 1.3 under market value made my mind up for me.
Jeff Gordon – A rare mistake is the only thing that stood between Jeff and victory at last year’s “Boats at the Glen.” Each week we remark about how amazing it is that he has yet to win this season. Is there a more likely place for him to snap that streak than in upstate New York?
Tony Stewart – You know what I said about the likelihood of Jeff Gordon ending his drought at Watkins Glen? Double it for Tony Stewart... In nine races he has just two finishes worse than 6th at this track. In the last six races here he has 4 wins and a runner-up.
Jamie McMurray – Jamie is a respectable driver on these road courses. I figure he’s good for a Top 15 and that would make me happy. If I dropped “Frosted Tips” for Juan Pablo Montoya, I could have afforded both JP and Robby Gordon, but that would mean two Dodges instead of two Fords. Give me Roush/Yates power over Ganassi or GEM power every time.
Marcos Ambrose – It came down to Marcos or Patrick Carpentier. Both have tremendous upside for relatively little value. Marcos was having a great run at Infineon before his transmission blew and he practically gave a clinic at Montreal last weekend. So, he got the nod
Other Guys I considered:
Denny Hamlin – See above
Patrick Carpentier – See above
Juan Pablo Montoya – duh
Robby Gordon – double duh
Cutler's Pocono Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
My team for this week is:
*Carl Edwards
Denny Hamlin
*Brian Vickers
Mark Martin
David Gilliland
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch
Carl Edwards – It seems like I keep writing sentences about how such-and-such track isn’t one of Carl’s strongest, but I’m keeping him anyway. Each time I say that, I end up benefiting from a strong performance by the 99. Now, Pocono isn’t one of his strongest tracks, but I’m keeping him anyway.
Denny Hamlin – I had to make room for Denny Hamlin by dropping Tony Stewart. I hate to do it, because I think Tony could have a strong run. That being said, Denny Hamlin and Pocono are “two great tastes that go great together” and I don’t want to go to Long Pond without him.
Brian Vickers – Brian’s Chase hopes might have blown up, along with his engine, at Indy, but he’s still got it going on. He’s got a Top 5 finishing average at Pocono putting him in the company of guys like Johnson, Gordon and Martin. Not bad company. With his Chase chances withering on the vine, I also expect him to take some risks that could pay off with a win.
Mark Martin – Martin has over 40 starts at the triangle, yet has maintained a finishing average of 10.7. That’s impressive as hell.
David Gilliland – I could have stuck a Paul Menard or Casey Mears in here, but is there really much of a difference? I figure Gilly has as good of a chance of getting a Top 20 as either of those two jokers.
Other Guys I considered:
Jimmie Johnson – Seems to have a little bit of his mojo back.
Tony Stewart – See above
Cutler's Brickyard Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
My team for this week is:
*Carl Edwards
Tony Stewart
*Brian Vickers
*Kurt Busch
David Gilliland
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Clint Bowyer
Carl Edwards – With finishes of 12th, 9th and 18th, I wouldn’t call Indy one of Carl’s strongest tracks, but he doesn’t blow chunks there, either. Maybe this is the year he breaks through with a Brickyard Top 10.
Tony Stewart – I wrote this before the Chicagoland race, “One of these races has to end with Tony Stewart in Victory Lane, doesn’t it? This string of bad luck can’t go on forever. Chicagoland could be the race in which Tony breaks through.” Indy is even more of a Tony track than Chicagoland, so substitute Indy for each track reference above.
Brian Vickers – Vickers has a decent average at Indy, 16.5. He scored a third in 2005, albeit in a Hendrick Chevy, and has momentum and Toyota horses on his side.
Kurt Busch – If you take out Kurt’s 2002 crash, his Indy finishing average jumps to a 10.5. While I don’t expect him to contend for a win in his Penske Dodge, I do expect a top 10.
David Gilliland – Gilliland finished 17th in his one and only Brickyard. I’ll be happy if he can simply equal that this year.
Other Guys I considered:
Kyle Busch – duh
Cutler's Chicagoland Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
My team for this week is:
*Carl Edwards
Clint Bowyer
Brian Vickers
*Kurt Busch
David Gilliland
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Tony Stewart, David Ragan, Elliott Sadler
Carl Edwards – Historically, Chicago land has not been a great track for Carl with finishes of 39th and 20th his first two seasons. I’m counting on the fact that his third place finish last season was the start of something good. He’s locked-in a full point below market value.
Clint Bowyer – One of these races has to end with Tony Stewart in Victory Lane, doesn’t it? This string of bad luck can’t go on forever. Chicagoland could be the race in which Tony breaks through. He is one of two drivers with multiple victories here. So, I’m dropping him for Clint Bowyer. Clint’s two races at this track have resulted in two top tens.
Brian Vickers – I almost kept David Ragan in this slot. Ragan’s 2007 stats don’t count much as far as considering his 2008 performance. Then, I almost put Ryan Newman in this slot. He has a victory and two other top tens. However, he also has three finishes of 29th or worse. Brian Vickers it is. He has nothing but top fifteens in the home of Jake and Elwood and is a pretty good closer on downforce tracks.
Kurt Busch – I gave Kurt the nod over his teammate for the one slot I was willing to give to Dodge. While Ryan has a better average on this type of track, Kurt is fifth on downforce tracks over the past five seasons. Busch’s last three runs here have resulted in top tens.
David Gilliland – Gilly is not a bad pick for the value. While he’s only had one start here, you have to think that the Roush power will put him in good stead, especially under the lights.
Other Guys I considered:
Tony Stewart – See above
David Ragan – See above
Ryan Newman – See above
Cutler's Firecracker Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
My team for this week is:
*Carl Edwards
Tony Stewart
David Ragan
Kurt Busch
Elliott Sadler
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman & A.J. Allmendinger
Carl Edwards – Daytona is not necessarily a Carl Edwards track. He only has two top tens in seven races here. I would much rather have Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in this spot, but I have Carl locked-in. I am gambling that the new Roush plate package helps him find a strong finish and preserves my below market value rate.
Tony Stewart – It seems like I either drop him or pick him back up on a weekly basis. He’s in a pretty long drought right now, but has been running well of late despite disappointing finishes. He’s due for a win and has won this race twice in the past three years. His experience and friendship with Junior will serve him well in this plate race.
David Ragan – Perhaps, this is a bit of a reach, but he scored a fifth and a twelfth in his first two Daytona starts. He also recorded a top five at Talladega earlier this year. It’s picks like this that will either separate me from the rest of the field or prove to be my fantasy downfall.
Kurt Busch – I actually dropped his teammate to free up this spot. Three top threes in the last four races for Kurt. While his equipment might be suspect, it would not be a shock to find him in Victory Lane.
Elliott Sadler – A decent plate racer whose last five Daytona finishes include three sixths and a fourth.
Other Guys I considered:
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – See above
Cutler's Loudon Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
My team for this week is:
*Carl Edwards
*Denny Hamlin
Matt Kenseth
*Ryan Newman
A.J. Allmendinger
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Tony Stewart & Marcos Ambrose
Carl Edwards – Perhaps New Hampshire is not his strongest track, but I have him locked-in at a rate 0.9 below his market value.
Denny Hamlin – Four races. One win. Three top tens and a fifteenth.
Matt Kenseth – I dropped Tony Stewart to pick up Kenseth. I only had Smoke locked at 0.1 below market so that was not a real consideration for me. Tony has two wins, but Matt has a better average finish. Matt also has the momentum having just worked his way back into the top twelve.
Ryan Newman – Two wins. Best average start. Fifth best average finish.
A.J. Allmendinger – Honestly, using A.J. leaves me 2.8 under the salary cap. I could have afforded Dave Blaney or David Reutimann, but do either of these guys really offer more upside than A.J.?
Other Guys I considered:
Jeff Burton – Has four wins at the track
Tony Stewart – See above
Sonoma Fantasy Update
I may be chasing my tail, but after practice and qualifying I have dropped the Dinger in favor of the Aussie. Ambrose's equipment might be suspect and Bass' theory is to always give the nod to the superior equipment. Marcos has been pretty consistent over the past couple of days, though, so let's see if he can generate a superior finish with the inferior #21.
I considered dropping Stewart for Jeff Gordon, but Tony was fast in practice and Zippy can help him overcome a lousy starting position. I am having all kinds of regret about dropping Kasey Kahne, though.
Cutler's Sonoma Fantasy
Buzz Cutler’s actual picks for his actual fantasy team.
n.b., Since Buck and/or Bass will not acquiesce to play a fantasy game, I remain the only member of Rowdy World HQ whose picks have to fit within the actual parameters of fantasy racing. It’s really easy to pick out a bunch of guys who you think will do well, it’s another thing entirely to do that within the limitations presented by a salary cap style fantasy game.
A lot of my thinking this week was whether to hang on to guys I had locked-in. After all, in my stable were Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin all locked-in at rates below their market value. I will also need those guys at future races. The problem is, that if they perform so badly at Infineon that they fall below their locked-in values, I haven’t really gained anything. On the contrary, I’ve lost something. So, I figure that Denny and Carl are respectable enough on road courses to maintain or exceed their value, while Kasey and Brian are not.
My team for this week is:
*Carl Edwards
*Denny Hamlin
Tony Stewart
Ryan Newman
A.J. Allmendinger
*Locked-in
I dropped:
Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, Casey Mears
Carl Edwards – He has driven the #99 to finishes of 38th, 6th and 18th at Sonoma. If that pattern holds true, it’s time for another top ten.
Denny Hamlin – While Denny has only raced twice on this course, he finished those races 12th and 10th. I have to think that he will just keep getting better.
Tony Stewart – when you talk about Cup regulars at a road course, there are two obvious choices: Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. You also need to put Robby Gordon in there, but his volatility can get the better of him and too easily ruin his day. While this might be the race at which the #24 records his first victory of the season, I regret dropping Tony at Michigan. I will put my stock in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and two Sonoma victories.
Ryan Newman – If I was going to go with a road course ringer, this is the slot in which I would have put him. I looked at Scott Pruett and Ron Fellows because they don’t have to race their way in. I looked at Boris Said because I have faith that he can race his way in. Of the three, Said has the best stats and the best hair. You know who has better stats than all of them, though? Ryan Newman. His average finish is 9.8 and maybe he lit a fire under his team with his comments earlier this week.
A.J. Allmendinger – I freely admit that I had not considered A.J. until Dennis Michelson mentioned him during our interview. It certainly makes sense, though, considering his experience and Red Bull’s momentum. I did consider Terry Labonte for a minute, but one Dodge per race is plenty for me. Yes, I’m Toyota heavy, but they are the best machines running right now. I will look in on A.J. after qualifying and make an adjustment if necessary.
Other Guys I considered:
Juan Pablo Montoya – Do I really have to explain myself?
Jeff Gordon – See above
Scott Pruett – See above
Ron Fellows – See above
Boris Said – See above
Fantasy Experts
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BUZZ'S FANTASY TAKE'S SHOUT BOX
10/19/2007 You Rock>>Therefore You Rowdy!
09/19/2007 Whoa.
09/18/2007 Hey that looks like the guy over on Protrade!
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