DFS Alerts
He's Finally Won me Over
I’ve been under-weight on Berger far too many times since the restart. It’s time to right my wrongs. I’ve long viewed him as more of a bermudagrass specialist, but that’s no longer the case. He posted three top 10 finishes before COVID forced the long break and has since made eight of nine cuts with a win and three more top three finishes. He’s played well on tough tracks and in birdie-fests and he’s played well on all grass types. On top of that, he doesn’t have a weakness in his game. He’s ranked in the top 17 in this field in strokes gained off the tee and strokes gained on approach. We know he has one of the best short games on tour and he rates out number one in this field in my hole yardage statistic. He offers a high floor/ceiling combination, he’s appropriately priced, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be extremely popular.
Will his Ball Striking Improve or his Short Game Regress?
There are two camps when it comes to DFS players and Xander — ones that have been playing him during this crazy stretch that say his ball striking can improve and ones that have been fading him during this crazy stretch that say regression is bound to hit with his short game. I’ve been on X almost every event he’s played since the restart, so I am obviously a member of the first camp. I do wish his ball striking numbers were a little better, but there is plenty of room for improvement in that aspect and he’s still managed to reel off nine straight top 25 finishes. We know he loves no-cut events (so many wins and seconds in his career) and he is actually contemplating a move to Vegas. He’s said how much he loves the area and his girlfriend’s parents actually live there. Does this make him any better of a play this week? Absolutely not, but it can’t hurt right? A win is on the horizon and I will be there when it happens.
Punt Value In A No Cut Event
If you want to bank on improving form, Cameron Smith also stands out as a potential value here. He gained over five strokes combined on approach and around the greens last week, and that bodes well for success heading into Shadow Creek. He has quietly gone without a missed cut since June, and his last five events have resulted in no worse than a 38th place finish. While there is no cut this week, Smith’s lack of recent missed cuts show that he is trending well. He is also capable of making it rain with his flat stick if a birdie fest breaks out. I like the potential for him to get a top 20, which is really all you need at this salary.
Trending In The Right Direction
These price tags feel a bit too light on Niemann. He generally prefers putting on bentgrass greens, which we have here at Shadow Creek. He grades out slightly above field average statistically in ball striking and birdie or better percentage, and Niemann is another golfer who tends to get hot in stretches. He has started the fall swing with a solid 23rd place finish at the U.S. Open and a 13th place finish last week, and he gained more than three strokes off the tee at TPC Summerlin. Niemann is trending in the right direction, and it won’t be long before he is priced well above this mark. I like him as a sleeper for an outright bet as well at 66-to-1 odds on DK Sportsbook.
Discounted At This DFS Salary
Sure, English missed the cut last week, but I am not going to hold one missed cut against a player, especially when you consider the form that English displayed heading into last week’s event. He had not missed a cut since mid June, finished inside the top five at the U.S. Open, and and was riding a streak of eight top 25 finishes in nine starts prior to last week’s hiccup — and he still shot five under par in two rounds last week. That just wasn’t good enough to make the cut at the birdie fest that was the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The price tag is far too cheap on every site, and English is a great option here with his consistency and ball striking ability.
Back To The Well
Matsuyama was a highly owned option in all formats last week, and he proceeded to shoot five under par in his two rounds at the Shriners. All good, right? Five under through two rounds should keep him in the mix for the weekend. Wrong. The cut line was an unprecedented seven under par at the end of the day Friday, which kept the likes of Matsuyama, Morikawa, and others a shot or two short of playing the weekend. Oddly, it wasn’t really the putter that let Matsuyama down, as he gained strokes with the flat stick in those two rounds. I’m not going to write off his ball striking after one fluky event where everyone was making birdies. In fact, I hope it serves to lower his ownership this week. His ball striking should return to more normal levels here, making him an elite play in any format.
Natural Winning Upside
Well, nobody is hurt by the venue change for this event more than Justin Thomas. He won two of the three editions played overseas and is the “defending champion” of this event. I’m not concerned about his ability to transition to a new venue. He’s a quick study on any golf course, and the lack of experience that most players have here should give Thomas a slight edge. He has had plenty of success during his career in no cut events, as well. Over the last 50 measured rounds, he leads this field in tee to green play and ranks second in strokes gained on approach. All of the favorites for this event are strong options, but I’ll happily side with Thomas.
Despite poor recent form, Patrick Cantlay remains a great option for the Shriners Open
When you look at the second half of the 2020 season, it’s really hard to quantify the true form of a golfer. Three times since the restart we saw players win the following week after missing a cut. There is a strong argument to be made that the restart adjustment was harder than most of us would put much stock in. With the tour somewhat back to normal ( minus fans), we should start to see some players settle into some familiar routines. Despite his somewhat lackluster play since the restart ( only one top ten in 8 starts) Cantlay looks to build on a very strong course history at TPC Summerlin. In his 12 rounds at this course, Cantlay has shot 67 or better 8 times. In his three starts at The Shriners Open Cantlay has one win, a third, and lost in a playoff last year to Kevin Na. Cantlay loves this course and is an odds on favorite to play well once again this week.
As reported by: PGA GPP Breakdown
Brandt Snedeker looks to build on a good week
Prior to last week’s top 20 finish at The Sanderson Farms Championship, Brandt Snedeker had all the signs of a struggling golfer. Since the tour’s restart in June Snedeker had only made 4 of 8 cuts with no top 40 or better finishes. For those willing to dig in and find out a bit more about Snedeker’s struggles, you would have seen that he had recently just switched coaches. Now working with former tour player Bradley Hughes, Snedeker is hopeful to build on a good week. With a change in coach and perhaps some swing philosophy there is always a chance of poor form in the short term, but despite his poor results, you could see flashes of Snedeker finding his game. His missed cuts were often due to a poor start or just a few bad holes. Snedeker is often a streaky golfer and with a price that is still low in comparison to his talent level there is strong merit to adding this short game specialist to your roster builds for the week.
As reported by: PGA DFS Core Plays 
Smylie Kaufman is no longer in the field
Smylie Kaufman will not play this week and has been replaced by Chase Seiffert. Due to the timing of this move, we should not see Seiffert added to the full week player pools, but he could show up in the round 2 showdown slates.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Other tagged players: Chase Seiffert 
Francesco Molinari returns after a long layoff
Making only his 5th start of the 2020 calendar year, Francesco Molinari returns to action at this week’s Shriners Open. Molinari was able to follow up on his breakthrough 2018 season ( winning The Open Championship) with his 10th career victory at the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Unfortunately for Molinari, the 2020 season was derailed by a combination of his poor play to start the season and then by the stoppage of play due to COVID-19. Returning to action this week there is almost no buzz about Molinari’s return to golf. Even at his extremely cheap price, Molinari is projected at sub 2% ownership on DK for the week. While there is the element of uncertainty of how Molinari will play after a long layoff, it would not take much in terms of roster shares ( MME) to gain an edge on the field this week. If you are betting on long term talent, then this week would be a great spot to start looking at Molinari.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership 
Tony Finau is no longer in the field
Tony Finau has tested positive for Covid-19 and has withdrawn from this weeks Shriners Open. He will be replaced in the field by Bronson Burgoon.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Other tagged players: Bronson Burgoon 
Elite Value
I absolutely love targeting Luke List in tournaments this week. He missed the cut on the number a week ago, and his game isn’t too far off, and he gained nearly three strokes off the tee in his two rounds last week. He has a sparkling history at the Shriners with top 20 finishes in his last three trips, and he should be able to bomb and gouge the three par fives given his distance. While he is a bomber, he is also a reasonable approach player in general, as he ranked inside the top 35 on Tour in ball striking during the 2019-2020 season. The price tag is very affordable on every site, and List is a fine upside candidate on a week where many will be hesitant to go back to the well.
Surprisingly Affordable
Doc Redman simply gains strokes on approach every single week. He continued that trend by gaining two strokes over the field last week at the Sanderson Farms, and he finished the 2019-2020 season ranked 4th in that metric. He grades out solidly above average in virtually every metric that I am looking at here, and the form has been rock solid of late. Despite a missed cut at the Northern Trust, Redman still has two top fives in his last four starts, and he posted four consecutive under par rounds last week. He’s a fine target for his combination of safety and upside in the mid-range. He made the cut here a year ago, and he is playing better golf on the whole this time around.
Improving Form Brings Upside
Like Matsuyama, Im also went through a rough stretch after the restart. The good news is that those struggles also seem to be a thing of the past for Im. His approach play was very strong at the Tour Championship and the U.S. Open, and he closed out last week’s event with one of the best rounds of the day on Sunday. A lot of that was buoyed by a hot putter, but it is clear that Im is gaining confidence right now. It also helps that he has seen TPC Summerlin before, finishing 15th here in his debut two years ago. With the form improving and ownership likely not through the roof here, I’m a buyer on Im in GPP formats.