DFS Alerts
Let's Avoid the 13s on the Scorecard this Year
Kuchar has made more headlines with his antics than his play recently, but he has quietly strung together some nice finishes on tour. In case you don’t remember, he won this event two years ago and was well on his way to another solid finish before posting a 13 on the par five here last year. His tee to green game has been terrific over the last couple of months and while he’s not a great putter, he knows how to putt on these lightning fast bentgrass greens. The price is very reasonable for a golfer with winning upside.
As Close to a Lock as I've Seen in a Long Time
I rarely play more than 40% of a golfer in MME, but I might have to make an exception this week. I have a hard time seeing Kuchar fail at this price point. He’s been in solid form over the last six months, racking up two wins and a number of top 10 finishes. He’s another one of the six that has racked up at least 13 strokes tee to green in his last two events. He has made each of his last nine cuts at The Masters, posting four top eight finishes during that stretch. His statistics look solid other than a lack of distance off the tee. He’s going to be popular, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad play.
Sneaky Trend for the Masters Winner
Fleetwood is one of six golfers that has gained at least 13 strokes tee to green over his last two events leading up to the Masters. It could be random, but each of the last four winners of The Masters have met that criteria. He is ranked in the top 25 in this field in strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained approach, birdie or better percentage, par five scoring, and bogey avoidance. He tends to show up in the majors and nearly won the U.S. Open last summer. His recent form has been solid and he’s coming off of a T17 finish in his last Masters appearance.
Career Grand Salami Time?
It’s hard not to like Rory this week. Whether you are looking at statistics, recent form, long term form, or course history, he’s near the top of every list. We’ll start with his statistics — he is number one in this field in strokes gained tee to green, fourth in birdie or better percentage, and second in bogey avoidance. We obviously know he’s been one of the best golfers on tour over the last 10 years and he comes into this week in great form, posting six straight top six finishes with a win at THE PLAYERS. And finally, we have his history at Augusta National — five straight top 10 finishes. if only there were some narrative that we could add to the mix… oh wait, he’s chasing the career grand slam.
Charles Howell returns to The Masters for the first time in seven years
PGA Tour Veteran Charles Howell will make his return to a very special place this week. Born and raised in Augusta Georgia, Howell will get to once again play at a tournament is near and dear to his heart. After winning at The RSM Classic last fall, one of the first thoughts to run through Howell’s mind is that he just won a 72 hole qualifier to return to Augusta. Playing in his first Masters since 2012, Howell stands out as the number one player in our projections model for the week in terms of Pt/$/K. As the owner of 11 straight cuts including 6 top 15 or better finishes, Howell enters this week playing some of his best golf to date. Priced down in this very strong field, Howell has the game suited to play well at Augusta. Always a great tee to green player, a more experienced Howell in very good form stands out as a great value in a very special return trip to Augusta.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool
Justin Rose returns to the number one spot in the world
Justin Rose enters the year’s first official major as the number one player in the world. Rose moved ahead of Dustin Johnson when rankings were updated on Sunday night. Rose will also have full-time caddie Mark Fulcher back on the bag this week. Fulcher had missed time earlier this season in order to recover from heart surgery. With two runner up finishes in his last five starts at Augusta, Rose has been close to adding his second career major. Having gained an average of 13 shots tee to green in his last five starts at Augusta, Rose has both the current form and the course history worthy of a top pick to win this week.
As reported by: ESPN Fifteen minutes to roster lock and no major news to report
Fifteen minutes until roster lock and there is no major news to report. This has been a very quiet week in terms of player movement. ResultsDB will be up and running within 10 minutes of roster lock. Make sure to check out how your lineups stack up against the field.
Weather update for The Texas Open
Kevin Roth’s weather report for The Valero Texas Open is up in the main forum. Rain showers late Wednesday night should soften the course prior to Thursday’s play. Golfers on Thursday morning will face a potentially wet and softer golf course than those who tee off later in the day. Friday morning golf will start off with winds in the 5mph range with a chance of winds picking up as the day progresses. In terms of DFS weather, each wave has the potential to gain an edge, but at this point, it’s a coin flip in terms of predicting that potential edge. Stacking each tee time wave for a few of your lineups could be in play this week, but by no means should you avoid either side of the tee time draw.
As reported by: Kevin Roth Weather Report Tony Finau looks to the next step in his game
Playing in his third Texas Open TonyFinau stands out as one of the better top spends for the week. Finau is hungry to start adding wins to his strong resume and this somewhat weaker field is a great spot to do just that. Finau has quickly gained a reputation as a top 25 machine, but if he wants to take his game to the next level he will eventually need to start winning. Statistically speaking Finau has very few weaknesses to his game and should be in a great spot to contend. As one of the longer drivers on tour, Finau ranks as the number player in terms of strokes gained tee to green in this field. Putting has always been the Achilles heel in his game but with strokes gained in four straight events with the putter, Finau is trending as a top play this week. Winning is the next big step for Finau and this week’s Texas Open is a great spot to start making a bigger impact on tour.
As reported by: PGA Cash Breakdown Charley Hoffman looks to build on a solid course history to turn his season around
Prior to his recent string of poor performances, Charley Hoffman had become a very steady and reliable DFS option. From the start of the 2015 season until the end of last year Hoffman posted a very respectable 39% rate on top 25 or better finishes 110 ten starts. Currently ranked outside the top 150 in The FedEx Cup standings, Hoffman has been far from that golfer this season. With 6 missed cuts in his 11 starts this season, Hoffman has struggled to find the success of years past. The good news for Hoffman is that he posted a very respectable T18 in his last start at The Valspar. Hoffman also gets the added benefits of playing at a course that typically fits his game. In addition to his win at the 2016 Texas Open, Hoffman seven other career top 15 or better finishes in this event. Looking to keep his perfect cut record intact, Hoffman is 39 under par in his last 36 rounds at The Oaks Course. Poor current form has this past Texas Open Champion trending towards a low ownership number, but as we have seen in the past it does not take much for Hoffman to get hot and he should feel at home on a course that suits his game.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Dylan Frittelli is trending as a top value play
Currently ranked in the 140th position in the FedEx Cup rankings Dylan Frittelli needs to start producing better results if he has any hopes of making a deep run into this year’s PGA season. As a two time winner on The European Tour, Frittelli has the game to compete with the best players in the world. In his 10 starts this season, Frittelli has seven made cuts but only two top 25 or better finishes. The lack of a few strong signature finishes has kept the price down on what appears to be a very good international player. Frittelli ranks out well in a few of the key strokes gained stats for this week, and is flashing as a strong play in our projections model in terms of Pt/$/K. Frittelli heads into this week with back to back strong finishes and is a player worthy of taking a shot on in terms of finally making a bigger impact on tour. Priced down due to just average play, a made cut and a top 35 or better finish should pay off his price for the week, but if he can contend for his first top ten of the season then Frittelli will be one of the top point per dollar golfers for the week.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool Jimmy Walker is trending towards low ownership
Jimmy Walker enters this week as a perfect example of how polarizing course history can be in DFS golf. In his past five starts at The Texas Open Walker is 23 under par with 4 top 20 finishes including a win. Walker has gained 42 strokes tee to green over that time and is priced at $7,800 on DK for the week. With a current form that includes a handful of missed cuts and zero strong finishes, Walker is trending towards a low ownership number. The line has been drawn in the sand and it appears those who value course history can gain an edge by taking a chance on a player with less than desirable recent form. Walker is not without risk, but if he can perform well at a course that fits his game then there is more than enough upside to pay off his price for the week.y
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Matt Jones is starting to trend in the right direction
The line between success and failure on The PGA Tour is often smaller than most realize. After missing the top 150 in the final FedEx Cup standings the past two seasons, Matt Jones has started to show some positive signs in his golf game. Prior to his decline in form towards the end of the 2016 season, Jones played his way inside the top 75 in FedEx Cup standings for three years in a row. Jones returns to The Texas Open this week with both a strong course history and a bit of good form. This former Texas Open Champion has made six cuts in a row including back to back top 20 or better finishes. Jones is a good driver of the golf ball and enters this week with the type of form worthy of a roster choice in terms of value and upside.
As reported by: PGA Cash Breakdown Nick Taylor looks to continue his solid play
PGA Tour veteran Nick Taylor heads into this week with great current form. In his last five starts on tour, Taylor has not finished outside the top 35. Still priced down across the industry Taylor stands out as a great value play for the week. From a stats perspective, Taylor ranks inside the top 50 in every major category and has gained 16 shots tee to green in his last three starts. Taylor is not the flashy type of player that will garnish a ton of ownership for the week, and in addition to being a good value, he could be a great pivot off other low owned chalk. Playing in his fourth Texas Open, Taylor will look to improve on a pair of top 25 or better finishes.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown Let's Hope he Doesn't Live up to his Name
Schenk was a bit of a letdown last week at the Corales Championship, but he still managed to make the cut and post a top 35 finish. He has made eight of his last 10 cuts on tour and has posted four top 35 finishes in his last five outings. He’s rounding into form at the right time and presents great value in a weak field at the Valero Texas Open. While his statistics don’t really jump off the page at us, he’s good with his irons and ranked above the field average in birdie or better percentage, bogey avoidance, and strokes gained putting on Bermudgrass. He has only played here one time, but he made the cut and finished in a tie for 58th.