DFS Alerts
An Under the Radar Top Value
The 2017-2018 PGA Tour season hasn’t been all that kind to Summerhays, but he’s a more talented golfer than most of his neighbors in this salary range. He also has better current form than his game logs would suggest. He finished inside the top ten in the team event in New Orleans (with Tony Finau), and he finished inside the top ten in a Web.Com Tour event last week. That’s back-to-back top tens no matter how you slice it, and this field isn’t THAT much stronger than a Web.Com Tour event. Don’t sleep on Summerhays as a nice value play with some upside here.
A Sensible Mid-Range Option
On a projected points per dollar basis, it’s really hard to argue with Laird this week. His form is solid, his game fits this type of course nicely, and he seems under-priced in DFS given the strength of this field (especially on DK). His approach game is right around Tour average, but he has been sharp around the greens with a strokes gained ranking of 13th in that department. Throw in six made cuts in his last seven starts with three top 15 finishes, and he checks the box for the current form angle as well. Laird is a great mid-range option that is viable in all DFS formats here.
Ride This Texas Horse
The Texas theme and member of the course theme comes through with Hossler just as it does for Spieth. Of course, Hossler doesn’t have the PGA Tour pedigree and seasoning that Spieth has, but we have seen Hossler play well in stronger fields so far this season. He almost won at the Houston Open a month and a half ago and has made four consecutive cuts since that runner-up finish. While his approach game doesn’t fit the bill as much as some other golfers I am targeting this week, his course knowledge and form trump that. He also ranks well above average with his short game, which was surprisingly poor last week at THE PLAYERS. If he gets that dialed in here, we could see him contend for a victory. Hossler is one of my favorite plays of the week, especially on FanDuel where the price is just far too cheap.
The Top Option By A Wide Margin
Spieth is the overwhelming favorite to win this tournament, as he currently sits with Vegas odds around six to one to win. That’s a mammoth line for a golf tournament, and it speaks to the weak nature of this field. Spieth also checks all the requisite boxes this week. He’s from Texas, he’s a charter member of this course, he loves this event because they gave him a sponsor exemption to play here when he was 16 years old, and he’s generally great on approach. He fought back from a tough start last week and had himself in position for a top 20 until he bungled up his final hole, but all I can hope is that the mess up there happens to keep his ownership down this week. He is far and away my favorite option in this tournament, and the pricing is soft enough to where you can easily fit him in. Some of the other high-end options in this field like Garcia and Matsuyama are in poor form right now, leaving Spieth in a tier of his own at the top.
Grayson Murray provides a source of value this week
Normally the thought of adding Grayson Murray to a DFS roster is something typically reserved as a risk-reward option. With one win already under his belt and a handful of top finishes, Murray is starting to perform at a level that makes him less of a risky play. In what is a very watered down field, Murry has the talent to be a value play this week. Known for his prowess on Bermuda greens, Murray is the type of player that can really excel at Trinity Forest. Currently ranked inside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings, Murry could use this week to really propel his position towards making a deep run in this year’s race. Murry’s only win on tour came at the watered downed Barbasol Championship, a venue that also has Bermuda greens. DFS pricing is very relative this week, and in comparison to other players within his pricing tier, Murry is trending towards being a value play with immense upside.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown
Maverick McNealy playing this week on a sponsors invite
A lot has changed since Maverick McNealy played in his last PGA Tour event. This former college standout will get to play in only a handful of PGA Tour events this season, but will primarily focus on gaining his card through solid play on the Web.Com Tour. After missing the cut in his last PGA Tour start at the AT&T Pebble Beach Open, McNealy has started to find his game on Web.Com Tour. McNealy has made his last six cuts in a row including nearly winning The United Leasing & Finance Championship at the end of April. Priced a bit higher than what we would normally like to pay, McNealy will certainly get overlooked this week. Looking to improve on his career-best T29 at The Farmers Insurance Open, McNealy is in a good spot to play well again this week. Given the opportunity to get more professional rounds under his belt, McNealy should be a little more prepared to play well this week. Still considered to be a very talented young player, this former top-ranked amateur player will look to transition his recent great form on the Web.Com tour to this week’s Byron Nelson. The combination of his price and low ownership makes the choice to roster McNealy an interesting GPP option this week.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Stephan Jaeger hopeful to build on a Web.Com victory
Stephan Jaeger PGA rookie season has not gone as planned. Fueled by 3 wins in the 2017 Web.Com season, Jaeger put himself in the position to be a rookie worth keeping an eye on this year. Plagued by overall poor play, Jaeger has only made one top 25 in 17 starts this season on the PGA Tour. Having not qualified for last week’s Players Championship, Jaeger took the Web.Com Tour in order to keep his game sharp. With back to back rounds of 64 on the weekend, Jaeger claimed his fourth career victory on the Web.Com Tour and now heads into this week with perhaps a bit more confidence. The 2018 Byron Nelson will provide an opportunity for young players to gain valuable points in the FedEx Cup race. The combination of a new course and the lack of overall talent in the field should level out the playing field a bit this week. Currently projected for a very low ownership number this week, Jaeger is the type of player that could be a difference maker in your GPP lineups.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership First-Round Form
Has gained the reputation as a first-round king and rightfully so. He’s already positioned himself at T12 or better thru R1 in EIGHT starts this year. Since a trio of missed cuts to start the season, he is 12-for-13 (excluding the team event). What’s best about Mitchell is his elite fantasy scoring skills. He’s posted a birdie rate better than the field average in 9 of his last 11 starts. He’s also picked up four eagles in his last six events. UPSIDE.
Big-Hitting Bermuda Specialist
Early in his career, the North Carolina resident has made it very clear that bermuda is his cup of tea. His baseline strokes gained per round hovers just below 0.90 strokes while he gains 1.41 strokes over the field on bermuda. Over the course of four rounds, that is TWO whole strokes over his baseline. He brings recent form into the mix too, posting top 30s in four of his last six starts. Fantasy scoring is always one of his strong suits, as well. He’s posted a birdie rate better than the field in six of his last seven starts. Murray has also posted T2G numbers of 4.4 or greater in five of his last six events. His lone PGA TOUR win came one a course with firm bermuda greens and short rough.
Fairways and Greens
The accuracy specialist lived in the area for more than 10 years before a relatively recent move to Nashville. He’s very comfortable in the Dallas area and mentioned that fact just a few years ago at this event, “Obviously a special day and this is a special place for us. We lived here for 12 years. So, many friends and family walking around with us. I just want to walk outside the ropes and hang out with my friends. It’s been a cool week.” He was the 36-hole leader that week and ultimately grabbed a top 25. This time around he arrives with a T11 in his most recent individual start. When Coore & Crenshaw say their course puts the shorter hitters on an even playing field with the longest of hitters, that instantly draws me to someone like Crane. One of the shortest hitters on TOUR, he will be able to use the firm-and-fast runways to scoot his ball down the fairway.
Hometown Pedigree
This is where the gut play comes into play. I don’t have any strong stats to back this one up unless you want to go back to his college stats where he crushed at Wake Forest. He was an elite amateur who skipped his senior year to turn pro. It hasn’t been instant rainbows and butterflies on the big stage, but this week presents a good chance to pop. Big Z went to high school just down the road and his coach, Cameron McCormick, is based out of Trinity Forest which tells us he should be quite comfortable at Trinity Forest this week. If you want a super deep dart throw with big upside, Zalatoris deserves a look.
Kevin Na looks to build on a good week
With the exception of a second place finish at The Genisis Open in February, the 2018 season has been somewhat of a disappointment for Kevin Na. Known for his steady play, Na had missed three cuts in a row prior to last week’s respectable top 50 finish at The Players Championship. With somewhat of a low price tag on DraftKings this week, Na finds himself near the top in terms of PT/$/K for The Byron Nelson Championship. In what is a very lackluster field, Na is one of the few players in his price range that has a pedigree worth paying attention to this week. Currently ranked inside the top 80 in the FedEx Cup standings, Na has made The Tour Championship 3 out of the last 4 seasons and could use a good week vs this field if he plans on making a serious run towards the top 30 this year. Past course history means nothing this year, as The Byron Nelson has changed venues. For the most part, players will all have the same obstacles in front of them in terms of learning the course. Trinity Forest is a links style golf course that could potentially suit a wide variety of skill sets. Na has the skills to navigate this new track and the experience to lean on his solid iron play and putting in order to play well this week. Reliable value with upside is a scarce commodity this week, and while Na is not always the most appealing player to pick, the lack of talent around him makes The Byron Nelson a good spot to take a look at him as an option for GPP roster builds.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool Ten minutes to roster lock and no major news to report
Outside of the already reported withdrawal of Paul Casey its all quiet on the news front this morning. Rosters lock in ten minutes, but for now, there is no news to report. Good luck this week grinders, as always if any late news breaks we will provide the updates needed.
Weather update for The Players Championship
Kevin Roth’s weather report for The Players Championship is up in the main forum, and for now, it looks like the weather should not be a factor. With the exception of possible thunderstorms on Sunday, the weather for this week’s tournament is absolutely ideal. The forecast calls for warm days with mild wind, thus making the course a little less of a challenge. There is no reason to stack either tee time this week, and at this point, weather should have almost zero impact in terms of your roster choies.
As reported by: Kevin Roth Weather Report Webb Simpson ranks as a top value play amongst our experts
PGA Tour veteran and past U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson is quietly putting together a great season. Currently ranked in the 23rd standings in the Ryder Cup standings, Simpson still has an outside shot of making an appearance on the team for the third time in his career. Typically known as a player who is held back by poor putting, Simpson is having one of his best seasons in terms of putting stats. Gaining .669 putts per round, Simpson currently sits inside the top 10 in the strokes gained-putting category this year. The improved putting by Simpson has translated to 8 top 25 or better finishes in his 13 events this season. The combination of his consistent play and a discounted price has Simpson ranked as one of the top value plays amongst our experts this week. Looking to build on his T16 at last year’s Players Championship, Simpson makes for a great value play this week.
As reported by: DraftKings PGA Value Rankings