DFS Alerts
Kyle Stanley is a top value play on FanDuel
Kyle Stanley is on the verge of playing his way out of a slump. Stanley burst onto the scene with a win at the 2012 Waste Management open. In addition to his win, Stanley posted 8 top 25 finishes and was able to mass season earnings in excess of two million dollars. With 5 top 25 finishes in 2013, Stanley was able to once again to mass a million dollar season. Since that time Stanley has struggled to find his form. Three seasons of missed cuts and inconsistent play left this one-time PGA Tour winner fighting to keep his status on tour. 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 right direction. This 39th ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings looks primed to return to the winner’s circle. Stanley’s price of $7,000 on FanDuel offers gamers a chance to buy low on a talented player. Taking the time to compare prices on the two major DFS sites can often reveal a site-specific price discrepancy. Stanley’s mid range price on FanDuel really sticks out in comparison to his $8,600 price on DraftKings. Stanley’s recent form makes him a good play on both sites, but his low price on FanDuel makes him easily one of the top value plays on the week.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Value Rankings
Brian Harman's near miss at the U.S. Open
Prior to last week’s U.S. Open, Brian Harman was quietly having one of the best seasons of his career. This former U.S. Amateur Champion claimed his second victory of his career earlier this season at the Wells Fargo Championship. Last week’s second-place finish at the U.S. Open should make Harman a bit more of a household name. Harman will have the daunting task of playing the week after almost winning the U.S. Open. In five attempts at the Travelers, Harman has two top 25 finishes. Due to his recent solid play, Harman’s price is $1,640 higher than his season average. Even though Harman played well in last week’s tournament, his inflated price should keep his ownership down. Harman has proven that he is ready to take his game to the next level, and it’s worth noting that in his fifteen events this season he has the second highest average score percentile of players in this week’s field. Scoring percentile is measured in terms of how a player performs in terms of DraftKings finish points. Last week’s U.S. Open he finished in the 98th percentile and for the season Harmon is averaging a very respectable 75th percentile ranking.With seven top 20 finishes ( DK Scoring) this season Harman has proved to be a source of great upside and should be considered a very viable play moving forward.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Bubba Watson comes in with good course history
The 2017 season has not been kind to Bubba Watson. Heading into this event last season Watson was the sixth-ranked golfer in the world. The combination of missed cuts and below average finishes have dropped Watson all the way to 40th in the official world golf rankings. This week Watson returns to a venue where he has excelled in the past. Watson has played the Travelers Championship 10 times and has five top ten finishes and two wins. With some bigger names entered in the field for this year’s Travelers, there is a chance that Watson could go under-owned. Watson showed signs of life in this year’s Memorial Tournament, but he was unable to carry the momentum into this year’s U.S. Open. The combination of his excellent course history and his poor recent form makes Watson a very interesting tournament play this week.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Kevin Roth's official weather report for The U.S. Open
Rotogrinders’s own Chief Meteorologist Kevin Roth has posted his weather update for this week’s U.S. Open in the main forum. It looks like for the second straight week that the forecast yields no distinct advantage for either tee time wave. The weather over the weekend could potentially yield rain, but at this point it looks safe to play golfers on both sides of the tee time draw. Erin Hills has already experienced some rain this week, so the already long golf course could potentially play longer if they end up getting any rain. Phil Mickelson’s plan of needing a long rain delay during round one looks almost impossible at this point. Mickelson is planning on attending his daughters high school graduation on Thursday, and he would not be done in enough time to make his round one starting time.
As reported by: Kevin Roth Erin Hills prepares to host its second USGA event
For the second time in three years the USGA will venture out of its comfort zone and play its most sacred championship at new venue. The process of hosting the U.S. Open is not an easy one, and many of the current venues held other USGA championships prior to hosting the open. Erin Hills is not only a new USGA venue, but the course itself is only 11 years old. The course held its first USGA event in 2011 when it hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship. 18 players from that championship are in the field this week. Last week’s ownership favorite Peter Uihlein is one of the 18 golfers to have participated in the U.S. Amateur. Uihlein earned his spot into this year’s open via sectional qualifying. With apparent momentum on his side, Uihlein quickly became one of the most talked about players for last week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic. At nearly 30% ownership his MDF finish probably left many of his supporters with a sour taste in their mouths. Uihlein is not only a low priced player for this week’s tournament, but he is also trending as a very low owned player. If you looking for some salary relief then you could do worse things than roster Uihlein. This soon to be PGA tour member is in the midst of his best season as a professional, and he has both the game and the experience to play well at Erin Hills.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Dustin Johnson's popularity is on the rise
The public perception on the world’s number one player has changed a considerable amount over the last few years. Gone are the views of a player incapable of winning on golf’s biggest stage. The defending U.S. Open champion has done little wrong since winning his first major. Johnson has 3 wins in his 11 starts this season, and he looks to become the first back to back U.S. Open champion since Curtis Strange. His ill-timed fall prior to the first major of the year has done little to deter the public’s interest Johnson for this week’s U.S. Open. As the highest priced player in the field, Johnson is also predicted to be the most owned player as well. Erin Hills is a course suited for Johnson’s game, and he is the odd’s on favorite to win this week. Johnson’s increased ownership level provides a great opportunity to pivot to other less owned players in the same price range. Fading a hot player such as Johnson is always a risky proposition, but in order to win a big GPP like the millionaire maker you must be willing to make a calculated leverage play.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Projected Ownership FanDuel lineup building strategy
The new FanDuel golf product offers gamers a chance to experience a fun new format. Rosters on FanDuel consist of 8 players that all fit under a $60,000 salary cap. The increased roster size greatly decreases the chances of getting an entire roster through to weekend play. Teams that get as few as five players through to the weekend have a great chance to compete in a almost any format. The top 60 and ties make the cut for the U.S. Open. This smaller number of players making the cut provides us an opportunity to look at roster building in order to possible gain an edge. Try to look at using two of your roster spots as a throw away play. Many balanced and well thought out lineups will struggle to get a high number of players through to the weekend. If you take your two rosters spots and put in sub $4,800 players in then you have at least 8,300 a player to spend for the final six roster spots. As long as your top end picks play well, then your last two rosters spots should not hurt your team. This week we also have a few players in the sub $4,800 range that provide value. Two such plays are Scottie Scheffler and Stephan Jaeger. Scheffler is senior on the University of Texas golf team, and is currently ranked as the 47th best amateur in the world. With his second web.com victory of the year last week, Jaeger is on the fast track to the PGA tour. Jaeger played his way into the U.S. Open via sectional qualifying and provides a great value for his price. The 2 for 1 roster strategy opens up a world of possibilities, and if you get lucky enough to have one of your sub $4,800 players make the cut, then you have a great chance to take down a GPP.
As reported by: FanDuel Will Phil Mickelson play in this year's U.S. Open
There have only been five golfers in the history of the game to win all four of golf’s modern majors at any time during their career. Phil Mickelson is one of the few golfers that has won three of those majors in his career. Six times a runner up at the U.S. Open, Mickelson badly wants the win that would put him in the elusive Grand Slam club. Mickelson has never been shy about putting his family over golf, and during last week’s event he announced that he would attend his daughter Amanda’s high school graduation in Carlsbad, California. Mickelson has not officially withdrawn for this year’s U.S. Open, and he would need a minor miracle to make his 2:30 p.m ( central time) Thursday tee time. Amanda’s graduation is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, so Mickelson would need a delay of almost 4 hours in order to compete in this year’s tournament. If Mickelson were to withdraw then Roberto Diaz would gain entry into the 156 player field. Phil Mickelson’s caddie James “Bones” Mackay made a bit of news when he showed up at Erin Hills on Tuesday. Mackay had planned a week ago to come to Erin Hills, so his presence at the course does not indicate a change in Mickelson’s plans. The diminished chance of rain on Thursday makes Mickelson’s attempt to play in this year’s U.S. Open an extreme long shot.
As reported by: US Today Rory McIlroy assessment of Erin Hills
Rory McIlroy Tuesday press conference as about as candid as it gets. This week we have seen multiple players post videos and images depicting the severity of course conditions. During his press conference this morning, McIIroy was asked how he felt about the USGA’s decision to lower the level of rough for the week. Unlike some of his competitors, McIlroy thinks the course setup is more than fair. He was very much surprised by the choice to lower the rough, and he feels that the 60 yards of fairway between the left and right rough lines is the widest area ever for a U.S. Open. McIlroy is of the mindset that those who can’t keep it in the wide fairways should pack up their bags and go home. This multiple major winner appears to be zeroed in on his game, and his skill set should fair well at Erin Hills. Current ownership levels on McIlroy are lower than expected, and this very talented player could be a sneaky pivot away from other high priced players.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Projected Ownership Like Father Like Son
Twenty one golfers in this year’s U.S. Open field made it through both local and sectional qualifying. The open aspect of this championship produces many great storylines. One of the more notable stories of the week is that Davis Love III will make his 24th appearance at the U.S. Open. The former Ryder Cup captain will not play in this year’s open, but instead he will carry the clubs for his son. Davis Love IV or ‘Dru’ as he prefers to be called, punched his ticket to this year’s U.S. Open via sectional qualifying. Playing in your first major is a combination of excitement and fear, and for Dru he will at least have someone he can trust by his side every step of the way. The elder Love may lack experience in caddying, but his 21 career wins should go a long way to helping Dru play well this week.
As reported by: CBS SPORTS USGA lowers the rough
Course setup for this year’s U.S. Open is fastly becoming the hot topic of the week. Social media reports have given us a different insight into the course conditions for U.S. Open. The latest social media post comes via budding PGA superstar Peter Uihlein. It appears that the USGA has decided to cut some of the fescue rough down for this week’s event. The extremely long course yardage of Erin Hills should put driver in play more this week, and the lower fescue will make errant shots less penal.
As reported by: Peter Uihlein Twitter Players vent about course setup
Social media has made it easer than ever to stay connected with our favorite athletes. The images and videos shared by tour players in preparation for tournaments can give us an insight to such things as course conditions. For the last few weeks we have seen footage of what appears to be a very difficult Erin Hills golf course. The USGA always strives for course setup that protects the score of par. A typical course setup for the U.S. Open puts a premium on accurate golf shots. This week players who struggle to hit tee shots in play will pay the ultimate penalty. The rough at Erin Hills is almost unplayable. During his practice round on Sunday Kevin Na posted a video of his attempts to try and find and hit a ball located in the fescue rough. The visibly agitated Na gives us a glimpse of how U.S. Open conditions test even the best players in the world.
As reported by: Kevin Na Instagram Final U.S. Open Field Set
The final six spots for this year’s U.S. Open have been set. Chris Wood gained entry into the U.S. Open via his top 60 ranking in the world. The five remaining spots were given to sectional alternates Gregory Bourdy, Ryan Palmer, Wee Kim, Davis Love IV, and Todd Light. Roberto Diaz has moved up to the first alternate spot. Diaz would gain entry in the U.S. Open if another player withdraws. One such example could take place if Phil Mickelson were to withdraw from the event in order to attend his daughters high school graduation. DraftKings should add the salaries for the new players by the end of the day Monday.
As reported by: ESPN MDF Rule in play this weekend
Eighty six golfers will tee it up for Saturday play at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, 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 play for network television, 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 +1 and there are currently 42 players between 1 over par and 1 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. Because of the MDF rule and the value offered in terms of weekend DK pricing , we could see many players choose to take a safe approach when building rosters. Charl Schwartzel is the only player on the front page of the leaderboard who has a weekend price higher than 8k.The lure 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 FedEx St. Jude's Classic weather update
The Roth report for The FedEx St. Jude Classic is out, and for the first time in quite a while weather looks to be a non issue. The weather pattern for Thursday through Sunday will consist of dry warm temperatures. Roth predicts that winds will not exceed 10mph at any point during the tournament. At this point there appears to be no favorable weather draw for the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
As reported by: Kevin Roth