With two rounds remaining in the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series, and the RMFantasySX.com fantasy supercross league, injuries have turned everything upside down. If you get it right, the last two rounds could mean big jumps in the standings. We’re here to sort it all out with our 2023 Denver Supercross fantasy tips. Hang on, we’re going WFO through the whoops.
- The injury list for the next two rounds is stunning. Riders with a total of 31 top-five finishes are out—Cooper Webb (14), Justin Barcia (8), Jason Anderson (7), and Dylan Ferrandis (2). As hard as it is to believe, three of the top six riders in the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series standings are out for the final two rounds. Aaron Plessinger is expected to return from injury, but his condition is not known.
- Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, and Ken Roczen have 38 top-five finishes between them, and they’re the only riders with podium finishes in 2023 who will be racing at Empower Field at Mile High. Obviously, they are your podium picks. At this point, we can keep it simple. Look for Sexton to sprint to a win. Tomac will play it safe and take P2, leaving him with a commanding 15-point lead over Sexton going into the final. Although Roczen won’t be hanging with those two, he will be far ahead of whoever is in P4. Mark it down: Sexton to win, Tomac as runner-up, and, Roczen to round out the podium.
- Outside the podium trio, only two riders will be lining up on Saturday with a top-five finish in 2023—Colt Nichols and Justin Hill, with one each—if Aaron Plessinger isn’t back. Even more amazing, both Nichols and Justin Hill nabbed their top-five finishes last week in Nashville, so they don’t have much of a track record. There are two other legit contenders for the top five in Denver—Adam Cianciarulo, a reliable top 10 finisher, and Dean Wilson, who has four top 10 finishes in a row. After that, it is slim pickings for the top five.
- Colt Nichols and Adam Cianciarulo are your best bets to finish off the podium, but in the top five. Cianciarulo was considered a title contender at the beginning of the season. While Cianciarulo has yet to crack the top five, he does have a pair of P6 finishes, and has been in the top eight in the last six rounds he has ridden (he was hurt in practice at East Rutherford). In addition to Nichols’ P4 finish against a diminished field last week, he had a P6 against everyone at A1. Nichols is capable, proven, and a factory rider, as is Cianciarulo. I have Nichols for P4 and Cianciarulo breaking into the top five with a P5 in Denver.
- With my top five settled, it’s between Justin Hill and Dean Wilson for the P7 Wild Card. Justin Hill is surging, and has beaten Wilson at the last two rounds. So, I’m going with Justin Hill to take P6 and give the P7 Wild Card slot to Wilson.
- Plessinger is certainly a Wild Card possibility, if not a a top-five candidate. However, it’s best to wait until the qualifying results are in before making a decision.
7. Last week was a tough week for everyone in RMFantasySX. It only took 88 points to win the week—congrats to Brandi005 for accomplishing the feat. I did well enough to be knocking on the door of the top 25-percent of players for the year. Anything can happen in Denver, so hang on tight when the gate drops. We encourage you to check our 2023 Supercross Television Schedule so you know when to tune in for the racing.
tl;dr 2023 Denver Supercross Fantasy Picks
- Chase Sexton
- Eli Tomac
- Ken Roczen
- Colt Nichols
- Adam Cianciarulo
Wild Card P7: Dean Wilson
Photography by Align Media, BrownDogWilson, Feld Motor Sports, and Ryne SwanbergÂ
2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series Standings (after 15 of 17 rounds)
- Eli Tomac, Yamaha, 338 points (7 wins, 11 podiums, 13 top fives)
- Chase Sexton, Honda, 320 (4W, 11P, 14 T5)
- Cooper Webb, KTM, 304 points (2W, 9P, 14 T5)
- Ken Roczen, Suzuki, 280 (1W, 5P, 11 T5)
- Justin Barcia, GasGas, 267 (1W, 6P, 8 T5)
- Jason Anderson, Kawasaki, 242 (2P, 7 T5)
- Aaron Plessinger, KTM, 213 (1P, 4 T5)
- Justin Hill, KTM, 172 (1 T5)
- Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki, 170
- Dean Wilson, Honda, 165
- Christian Craig, Husqvarna, 150
- Colt Nichols, Honda, 139 (1 T5)
- Shane McElrath, Suzuki, 117
- Josh Hill, KTM, 116
- Benny Bloss, Yamaha, 91
- Kyle Chisholm, Suzuki, 88
- Joey Savatgy, Kawasaki, 85
- Kevin Moranz, KTM, 81
- Justin Cooper, Yamaha, 76
- Grant Harlan, Yamaha, 67
- Justin Starling, GasGas, 66
- Fredrik Norén, Kawasaki, 63
- Josh Cartwright, Kawasaki, 58
- Dylan Ferrandis, Yamaha, 56 (2 T5)
- Cade Clason, Kawasaki, 43
- Chase Marquier, Kawasaki, 18
- RJ Hampshire, Husqvarna, 15
- Malcolm Stewart, Husqvarna, 15
- Tristan Lane, GasGas, 13
- John Short, Kawasaki, 12
- Marvin Musquin, KTM, 11
- Logan Karnow, Kawasaki, 11
- Devin Simonson, Kawasaki, 7
- Cole Seely, Honda, 7
- Max Miller, KTM, 5
- Jared Lesher, Yamaha, 3
- Anthony Rodriguez, Honda, 3
- Joan Cros, Kawasaki, 2
- Jeremy Hand, Honda, 2
- Alex Ray, Yamaha, 2
