DFS Alerts
Sung Joon Park has withdrawn from The Greenbrier Classic
Sung Joon Park gained entry in this week’s GreenBrier Classic via the early week withdrawal of Will McKenzie. Park has struggled in his only two starts this season, and it appears that his injured shoulder is not yet well enough for him to compete. Park’s withdrawal opens the way for Johnathan Byrd to play in The Greenbrier Classic.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter
Phil Mickelson prepares for his first event with a new caddie
It’s pretty rare for a caddie/player breakup to make headline news. Mickelson’s relationship with his caddie Jim “ Bones” Mackay was not only one of the longest such partnerships, but it was one of the more recognizable tandems on tour. Mickelson and Bones mutually parted ways earlier this season ending an unbelievable 25 year run as one of the best player/caddie duos in the game. This week’s Greenbrier will mark a new era for Mickelson. In search for his first win in over 3 years, Mickelson will hand the caddie duties over to his brother Tim. We are left with another relatively weak field for the Greenbrier, and Mickelson’s name recognition is enough to make him one of the higher priced players for the week. Mickelson has only played in this event three times, and he has missed the cut in all three tries. Players like Mickelson judge years by victories, and even though his season has five top 25 or better finishes and no missed cuts, Mickelson wants nothing more than to climb back into the winners circle. The caddie/player relationship can certainly have a big impact on a player’s perfromance, and there could be an adjustment period for Mickelson. The art of handicapping intangibles is one of the many great mysteries of this game, and while Mickelson is always a popular pick, the combination of his poor course history and the addition of a new caddie should lower the ownership levels on Mickelson. There are very few players in this field who have the talent to win on any given week, and this future hall of fame player could make for an very interesting low owned GPP pivot play.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Tony Finau is a DraftKings top 20 machine
A PGA Tour players season can be defined by more than just wins. The addition of tracking both top 10 and top 25 finishes gives us an insight to how a player performs in comparison to the field. For DFS purposes it’s very useful to track finish positions in terms of site specific scoring. Looking at the number of top 20 finishes in terms of DraftKings scoring is a great way to give us a different view of how a player is performing. Tony Finau ranks number one in this week’s field in terms of DraftKings top 20 finishes. Finau has played in nineteen events this season, and he has posted a very impressive 10 top 20 or better finishes. This 31st ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings is well on his way to making his third straight appearance in the season end race. Finau’s solid 2017 campaign has made him a player worth rostering in all formats.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Justin Thomas looks to rebound from a missed cut
This year’s U.S. Open allowed Justin Thomas to experience his first taste of playing near the lead in a major championship. A spectacular third round of 63 put Thomas in the final pairing on Sunday. It’s always hard to follow up a great round like 63 with another low round, and it’s even harder to do so in a major championship. Thomas struggled to find any form on Sunday, and by the back nine, he was in the unenviable spot of falling out of contention. The major championship hangover carried over to the next week, and Thomas played poorly while missing the cut at The Travelers Championship. This very talented young golfer looks to rebound at this week’s Quicken Loans Invitational. The 12th ranked player has proven he has the game to win on tour, and he is in a great bounce back spot. The lack of great talent in this week’s field should prevent people from jumping off the Thomas bandwagon, and he still projects to be a very high owned player.
As reported by: RotoGrinders David Lingmerth returns to the site of his first U.S. Victory
This year’s Quicken Loans Invitational will move to the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms. For many years the TPC Avenel played host to the now extinct Kemper/Booz Allen golf tournament. Due to the lack of player approval and overall poor course design, the TPC Avenel hosted its last PGA Tour event in 2006. The newly renovated TPC Avenel course reopened in 2008 and soon regained its status as course capable of hosting a tour event. Since the time of the renovation the Web.com and Champions tours have played events at this course, and now it’s time for the PGA Tour to return. David Lingmerth is one of the few players to have any familiarity with the TPC Avenel. Lingmerth won The Neediest Kids Championship in 2012, so he should have good memories as he tee’s up in this week’s event. Lingmerth’s one career PGA Tour victory came at the 2015 Memorial tournament. Like many other first-time PGA Tour winners, Lingmerth experienced a small slump in his game. Downswings should not last forever, and Lingmerth appears to have found a bit of good recent form. Lingmerth has posted top 30 or better finishes in five out of his last six tournaments, and he looks to be in good spot prior to this week’s tournament.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Brendan Steele is trending as the week's highest owned player
The Rotogrinders Projection ownerships have been updated and Brendan Steele is currently listed as the highest owned player. Steele is having the best season of his career. Propelled by his win at the Safeway Open, Steele is primed to make a deep run in this year’s FedEx Cup race. Steele’s steady play has quickly made him a fan favorite among the DFS community. In addition to not missing a cut ( individual events only), Steele has posted 8 top 20 or better DraftKings finishes. Steele has been one of the few golfers to regularly pay off his salary this season, and his very reasonable price for the Quicken Loans Invitational will make him one of the highest owned golfers of the week. Normally you can look to gain an edge by fading the highest owned golfer, but Steele offers too much upside at this price.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Projected Ownership Kyle Stanley projects as a top value play
The RotoGrinders DraftKings players projections have Kyle Stanley ranked as the top play in terms of PT/$K.The 2017 season has been all about improved play for Stanley. With 8 top 25 finishes this season, Stanley appears to be headed in the direction of trying to claim his second career PGA tour victory. Stanley’s play has not yet caught up to his price, and this 38th ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings can still be found at a great discount. The key to most weeks of DFS golf is to try and find the value plays that can potentialy out perform price. His four top ten finishes in the the 2017 season offer enough upside to make Stanley an excellent GPP play for the Quicken Loans Invitational.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Player Projections Bill Haas looks to stay hot
Winning on the PGA tour is a very hard task, and it’s not uncommon to see some big names on tour with only a one win on their resume. Bill Haas is one of the few players in this week’s field who has the distinction of being a multiple tour winner. This former FedEx Cup Champion has six tour wins to his name, and coming into this week with very good current form. His T5 at this year’s U.S. Open is his best finish ever in a major championship. Pricing for the week will make for some interesting roster strategies, and the combination of pedigree and recent form should make Haas a viable play in the large majority of roster constructions. A roster that has Haas as your highest priced player is a great way to differentiate your lineup this week.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Charles Howell set to return after a long layoff
It’s been over three months since Howell’s last PGA Tour event. Howell is typically a PGA tour workhorse, so this long absence is something worth noting. There has been no official word on the reason why Howell missed the last three months. Unconfirmed reports of a rib injury could have forced Howell to take time off in order to heal his body. With nothing official on the nature of his absence, gamers will most likely approach Howell with a bit of caution this week. Prior to his injury Howell had a streak of 14 straight cuts, 8 top 25’s, and 4 top tens. Howell returns to a course where he has a bit of good course history. This weeks host course the TPC Avenel was once the host for the Booz Allen Classic. In the 2004 Booz Allen Classic, Howell used a first round score of 61 to propel him to a second place finish. Fear of the unknown could suppress his ownership this week, and Howell has enough talent to more than pay off his deflated price. The wait and see approach should be used on those who play cash games, but GPP players should jump on the opportunity to get Howell in a few lineups.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Very few big name players in the field for the Quicken Loans Invitational
Last week’s Travelers Championship had more than it’s fair share of top name players in the field. This week’s Quicken Loans Invitational is a completely different story. Outside of the few big names, the overall field strength for this week is very low. Only 28 of the top 100 players in the official world golf rankings are in attendance this week, and Rickie Fowler is the only player to have a ranking inside the top 10. Fowler’s ranking and overall popularity should make him one of the week’s highest owned players. Outside of Fowler we really only have a couple of big-name players in the field. Patrick Reed and Justin Thomas are the only other two players to have a ranking inside the top 20. Reed has started to play solid golf of late, and Thomas played well for three rounds of this year’s U.S. Open. Both players should garnish a fair ownership level, but Fowler will most likely turn out to be the highest owned of the three. Outside of those three golfers, there is not really much in the way of star power. The average world ranking for the remaining players in this week’s field is a very dismal 232.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Other tagged players: Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas MDF Rule in play this weekend
Eighty five golfers will tee it up for Saturday play at the Travelers Championship, but due to the MDF rule only around 70 players will compete in Sunday’s final round.The MDF rule comes into play when more than 78 players make the cut. In order to speed up the pace of play the PGA tour will make another cut on Sunday closer to the top 70 and ties. When making roster choices for the weekend slate, keep in mind that only seventy or so players will participate in Sunday’s final round. The cut line fell at even par and there are currently 43 players between the scores of even par and two under par. The weekend DFS golf scoring system does not reward points for a players finishing position. Typically we are looking to roster players who can make a ton of birdies on the weekend. Rory McIlroy is one of the many players to barley make the cut at The Travelers Championship. At even par, McIlroy is in danger of possibly falling to the MDF rule. McIlroy is always a threat to make a ton of birdies, and it will be interesting to see if his spot on the leaderboard potentially lowers his ownership. With a large number of players within a few shots of the Saturday cut line, there is always the chance that a weekend lineup could suffer the dreaded second missed cut. The appeal of picking the safe play may provide comfort, but reality is we just need players who can make the most DK points for the weekend. In order to differentiate from the crowd, picking players closer to the cut line could provide you with an excellent leverage play. In the end, we are still just looking to roster players who make birdies.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Webb Simpson projects as a top value play
The RotoGrinders DraftKings players projections have Webb Simpson ranked at the top play in terms of PT/$K. Simpson’s last victory came at the 2013 Shiners Hospital for Children Open. The USGA announced its future ban of any anchored putters during the 2014 season. The ban started on January 1st 2016 and was put into place in order prevent players from anchoring any part of a putter to their body. Simpson’s preferred putting style prior to the news of the ban required the use an anchored belly putter. Unlike many other players who used an anchored putter, Simpson chose to make the switch long before the start of the 2016 season. Simpson’s decline in performance can be directly linked to his lack of ability to constantly hole putts. Simpson has an excellent tee to green game, and when his putter gets hot he has shown that he can still compete on the PGA tour. With three top 25 finishes in last six starts Simpson projects to be an excellent value play at this year’s Travelers Championship.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Player Projections Phil Mickelson makes a big change
Mickelson is not in the field at this week’s Travelers Championship. As one of the more recognizable names on tour, Mickelson has the ability to make news even when he is not participating in an event. Mickelson confirmed reports that he and his longtime caddie Jim “Bones” MacKay have decided to part way. Mackay has been on Mickelson’s bag for 25 years, and his talent and reputation should land him a marquee bag in the near future. Mickelson will turn to his brother Tim as a caddie for the remainder of the season. Both player and caddie had nothing but great things to say about each other and the split appears to be completely mutual. Caddies can be a big part of a players success and it will be interesting to see how much this change affects Mickelson’s game in months to come.
As reported by: ESPN Paul Casey emerges as a popular play
It’s still very hard to believe that Paul Casey has only one career victory. For whatever the reason this very talented player has struggled to return to the winner’s circle. This season Casey has played in 16 PGA Tour events and he has posted a very impressive 10 top 25 finishes. Current ownership projections on Casey have him listed as the second highest owned player for the Travelers Championship. Casey’s consistent form often makes him an ideal cash game play, but his rise in price and inability to win makes him a very interesting GPP fade. At $9,700 he would need to make the cut and contend for a top 10 finish in order to pay off his salary for cash, but in order to justify the play in a tournament, you would most likely need a victory from Casey. The talent level is too high for Casey to not eventually win, but you would have to think that last week’s disappointing weekend performance might carry over into this week’s Travelers Championship. A solid but not spectacular week at The Travelers Championship is needed for Casey to make value in cash games, but if you are playing in GPP’s then you really need Casey to break through and claim his second career victory.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Projected Ownership Top ranked players in the field for The Travelers Championship
Events held the week after a major championship tend to have a hard time getting bigger names to commit. This year’s Travelers Championship has done a wonderful job of getting big names to play in their tournament. The field includes 38 of the top 100 and 15 of the top 50 in the latest Official World Rankings. Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and Jordan Spieth are among the three biggest names in the field this week. Both McIlroy and Day missed the cut at last week’s open, and recency bias has given the early lead to Jordan Spieth in terms of ownership projections. Spieth and McIlroy are both making their tournament debut, and Day has a top 30 or better finish in his two attempts at the Travelers. While you could make a case for rostering any of the big three, pricing and the depth of field should make it hard to build a roster containing two of the big three. As popularity grows for both Spieth and McIlroy a leverage opportunity emerges by pivoting to Day. As of Wednesday morning Day’s projected ownership is significantly less than either McIlroy or Spieth.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Other tagged players: Rory McIlroy, Jason Day