With four rounds remaining in the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Championship Series, Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb are going at it tooth and nail, with Chase Sexton watching intently. A week ago, it looked like Sexton was out of the title chase. However, a Sexton win and non-podium finishes by Tomac and Webb bring Sexton right back in it. The series moves to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Saturday. It’s time to get your 2023 East Rutherford picks in, and we have the facts you need to beat your friends in RMFantasySX.com and other Supercross fantasy leagues.
1. Forget about what happened last week. The Atlanta Supercross round is an anomaly. It was held in daylight, in warm weather, and at a superspeedway. None of those will be the case in East Rutherford. Be sure to check our 2023 Supercross Television schedule so you don’t miss a gate drop in New Jersey. Also, don’t miss our track maps at the bottom of this page.
2. Weather could be a factor at MetLife Stadium. As of this writing on Tuesday, there’s about a 50 percent chance of rain starting at 8 p.m. and continuing through the rest of the racing. The cream usually rises to the top in Supercross regardless of the weather, so it won’t impact my picks, though it may change yours if you have a favorite wet-track specialist or two.
3. The days of easily picking the podium are over. It used to be a matter of picking Sexton, Tomac, and Webb in the correct order. However, Justin Barcia has established himself as a podium regular, with three podiums in a row, and four podiums in the last five races. Beyond that, Barcia has six consecutive top-five finishes.
4. There are two choices for the East Rutherford winner—Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac. Sexton is on a 5-2-1 run, so he has serious momentum flowing in his direction. Tomac is 1-1-5 in the last three rounds. Throw out the Atlanta daytime race, and it’s clear. Go with Tomac to win and Sexton to follow him when the checkers fly.
5. The final spot on the podium is between two riders—Justin Barcia and Cooper Webb. Webb has been off the podium two races in a row, and Barcia has three podiums in a row. Barcia tends to catch fire, and right now, he is a hot podium pick. With Webb struggling and the pressure mounting, Webb has been off the podium at the last two races, though keep in mind that one was a Triple Crown and the other a daytime superspeedway race. With nine podiums in 13 rounds, it’s hard not to put Webb on the podium. However, Barcia has the momentum, and Webb does not. So, Barcia in P3 and Webb in P4.
6. Ken Roczen feels like a strong pick for the final top-five position. Roczen is on a 5-6-5-3 run, and has nine top-five finishes in 2023. The only other rider close is Jason Anderson, with eight top-five rides. However, new-dad Anderson came into Atlanta unprepared and pulled off the track in the Main after winning his Heat—not a good look. Anderson has work to do. He is on a disastrous 9-4-10-21 run, so he needs to reverse that before being considered a decent top-five pick.
7. The Wild Card is P14, so it’s a challenge. As always, the lower you go in the order, the trickier it gets to pick a Wild Card. There are plenty of choices to go around. My favorite is Benny Bloss, as he has gone 15-14-13 in the last three races. Also worth considering, in order, are Fredrik Norén (14-16-15), Kyle Chisholm (18-11-14), Shane McElrath (16-13-12), Josh Hill (12-15-11), and Grant Harlan (13-17-17). Amazingly, I picked a Wild Card right last week for the first time in 2023. Thanks, Colt Nichols!
8. Last week would have been terrible for me if I hadn’t hit the Wild Card. It was a tough week for everyone playing RMFantasySX.com. The top score was 107 points out of a possible 133. My meager showing was still enough to put me comfortably in the top 30-percent of players.
tl;dr 2023 East Rutherford Supercross Fantasy Picks
- Eli Tomac
- Chase Sexton
- Justin Barcia
- Cooper Webb
- Ken Roczen
Wild Card P14: Benny Bloss
2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series Standings (after 13 of 17 rounds)
- Eli Tomac, Yamaha, 292 points (7 wins, 9 podiums, 11 T5)
- Cooper Webb, KTM, 286 points (2W, 9P, 13 top fives)
- Chase Sexton, Honda, 275 (3W, 10P, 12 T5)
- Justin Barcia, GasGas, 239 (5P, 7 T5)
- Ken Roczen, Suzuki, 238 (1W, 3P, 9 T5)
- Jason Anderson, Kawasaki, 214 (2P, 8 T5)
- Aaron Plessinger, KTM, 213 (1P, 4 T5)
- Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki, 155
- Christian Craig, Husqvarna, 150
- Justin Hill, KTM, 140
- Dean Wilson, Honda, 136
- Colt Nichols, Honda, 113
- Josh Hill, KTM, 98
- Shane McElrath, Suzuki, 97
- Joey Savatgy, Kawasaki, 85
- Justin Cooper, Yamaha, 76
- Benny Bloss, Yamaha, 76
- Kyle Chisholm, Suzuki, 64
- Grant Harlan, Yamaha, 58
- Dylan Ferrandis, Yamaha, 56 (2 T5)
- Kevin Moranz, KTM, 54
- Fredrik Norén, Kawasaki, 51
- Josh Cartwright, Kawasaki, 49
- Justin Starling, GasGas, 45
- Cade Clason, Kawasaki, 35
- RJ Hampshire, Husqvarna, 15
- Malcolm Stewart, Husqvarna, 15
- John Short, Kawasaki, 12
- Marvin Musquin, KTM, 11
- Cole Seely, Honda, 7
- Chase Marquier, Kawasaki, 5
- Jared Lesher, Yamaha, 3
- Anthony Rodriguez, Honda, 3
- Logan Karnow, Kawasaki, 3
- Joan Cros, Kawasaki, 2
- Alex Ray, Yamaha, 2
2023 East Rutherford Supercross Track Maps
