DFS Alerts
Dylan Frittelli a value worth looking at for GPP's
Dylan Frittelli is not like many of the other Web.com hopefuls playing in The Safeway Open this week. Currently ranked inside the top 70 in the world Frittelli in an accomplished international player that has a great skill set for this course. With two European wins on his resume, this South African golfer looks to make his impact on the PGA Tour this season. Playing in the field due to his Web.Com ranking, Frittelli is no stranger to competition on the PGA Tour. In 11 starts last year on the PGA Tour Frittelli posted 5 top 40 or better finishes including a T31 at The PGA Championship. In what appears to be a very weak strength of field tournament Frittelli has the talent and game worthy of a GPP roster option for the week.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown
Kramer Hickok set to make his PGA member debut
Web.com Tour graduates making their PGA Tour debut will be a hot topic of discussion over the next few weeks. Kramer Hickok enters this week looking to continue the solid play that allowed him to finish second on the season-long Web.com money list. In 26 starts last season Hickok posted 10 top 25 or better finishes including a win at The DAP Championship last month. While Hickok lacks the consistency of a Sunjae Im, his upside is worth looking at in terms of GPP’s early in the season. Currently projected to have a sub 2% ownership Hickok makes for an interesting tournament flyer this week. Missed cuts have been a problem for Hickok as he has missed 4 out of his last 10 on the Web.com Tour. The thing we are really looking at in rostering a guy like Hickok is that when he makes a cut he usually plays well. Hickok’s last six made cuts have resulted in the following finish positions ( 8,3,36,1,14, 8). While the cut risk is definitely a real concern, Hickok has the upside need to make for a great tournament pick for the first event of the PGA Tour season.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Other tagged players: Sungjae Im Martin Laird looks to improve on an excellent course history
There is always an interesting debate on the importance of course history in DFS golf. Regardless of what side of the debate you are on it never hurts to see a player with good past performances at a venue. Martin Laird heads into this week with a very good track record at Silverado Country Club. Over his last 16 rounds at this course, Laird has gained almost a total of 24 strokes. With three top 20 or better finishes in his last four starts at Silverado Laird is a player worth looking at in terms of both salary relief and upside for the first event of the 2018-2019 season. On DraftKings Laird stands out as one of the better value plays on the slate, and at $7300 he should be considered a great option for cash games this week. Many players will gravitate towards the shiny new toys and pick the fresh faces from the Web.com Finals, but in a cash game setting, it’s never a bad idea to go with a proven commodity.
As reported by: PGA Cash Game Breakdown Abraham Ancer has withdrawn from The Safeway Open
Abraham Ancer has withdrawn from The Safeway Open with a hand injury. Ancer has been replaced in the field by Robert Garrigus. This is an unfortunate start to the season for Ancer as he really played well over the last few months.
Good Cut Maker at this Price Point
Reavie looks like a sure thing this week, which typically means he is going to miss the cut. He’s accurate off the tee, he’s solid with his irons, and he has never missed a cut here. Not only that, but he hasn’t finished outside of the top 25 in any of the last three editions of the Safeway Open. He ended last season on a strong note and he should enjoy the West Coast swing, as he lives in Phoenix, Arizona. At this price point, we will gladly take another top 25 finish here.
Elite Talent Flying Under the Radar
Henley is a big name that is getting overlooked this week. The DFS community tends to play Henley at a handful of events and they tend to avoid him the rest of the time. In a weak field, he sticks out like a sore thumb from a talent perspective. He’s ranked ninth in this field in strokes gained approach and tenth in proximity. He didn’t have a great finish to last season, but he does have a strong track record in the fall throughout his career. I’m hoping the talent wins out here.
Consistency with Upside
Kirk is a golfer that I always seem to be on the wrong side of, but this is a new season. I hope we start the 2018-19 season off on the right foot. He hits fairways, he’s great with his irons, and he’s a talented golfer that is priced at a discount in this field. He has made the cut here in all three of his appearances, highlighted by an eighth place finish in 2016. He ended last season on a high note, making 14 straight cuts and posting four top 11 finishes during that stretch. Consistency is never a bad thing to target, especially in the fall swing season.
Flashing Form with the Flatstick
Varner has gained strokes putting in five straight tournaments. That has never happened in his PGA Tour career. Perhaps he has finally figured something out with the flatstick. Hey, if Webb Simpson can do it, anyone can. At the very least, his recent play should lend some more confidence on the greens. I like Varner this week because he makes a ton of birdies (fourth in the field) and he is one of the best on tour when it comes to par five scoring. There are four par fives that the golfers will be able to feast on this week.
Time for a Breakout Win
PGA is back and what better way to kick off the new season with a win from the Chilean stallion? Niemann is ranked first in this field in strokes gained off the tee, first in birdie or better percentage, and first in par four scoring. He’s basically near the top of every single statistic that I’m looking at with the exception of putting. He had an outstanding rookie season on the PGA Tour and we can expect bigger things in his sophomore campaign. I’m willing to overlook a lack of course history given his talent level and upside.
Chez Reavie gaining steam amongst our experts
PGA tour veteran Chez Reavie heads into his 10th Safeway Open as a player gaining the trust of our experts this week. Priced lower than other less proven players in this field Reavie has a game that fits this style of course well. Ranked inside the top 50 in each of his last four seasons in strokes gained approach, Reavie has the iron game needed to play well at Silverado C.C. With 12 top 25 or better finishes last season, including a T13 at this event, Reavie has more than just the cut making ability associated with his discounted price. The combination of price and expected performance makes Reavie a great addition to any roster build for The Safeway Open.
As reported by: DraftKings PGA Value Rankings Brendan Steele needs a good week to regain form
The two time defending champion of The Safeway Open Brendan Steele heads into this week with hopes of improved form. Steele has only made 5 of his last 12 cuts on tour and has not posted a top 15 or better finish since February of last year. Priced up due to his strong course history Steele could make for a very interesting fade in all formats this week. Early ownership numbers have Steele stating to slide in interest, but with a projected ownership number over 20%, it’s easy to look the other way at his high price tag for the week. To put things in perspective in terms of his price to actual performance Steele has not seen a price tag over $7,600 since April of last season. The combination of his high price and poor recent form makes for a good spot to jump on the fade train of what appears to be a very popular player for the first event of the wraparound season.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Sungjae Im set to make his PGA member debut
In terms of DFS golf, this is an exciting time of the year. With many new faces getting the opportunity to make the most of a Web.com promotion there is plenty of excitement surrounding the idea of figuring out which players have the chance to make an impact at the next level. Sungjae Im is a name that has already received a ton of industry buzz this week. Im finished on top of the 2018 Web.com Tour Regular Season money list and heads into this week as a player worth paying attention to early and often during the fall season. With two wins and 14 top 25 or better finishes in his 25 starts on The Web.com Tour last season Im has earned the number one overall ranking in our DraftKings projection model this week. Currently ranked inside the top 100 in the world Im last played on The PGA Tour during the PGA Championship where he posted a very respectable T42 finish. This week is all about opportunity and Im represents a great chance to buy low on a very talented young golfer.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool Bud Cauley set to return to action this week
Regarded in many circles as a great young talent on Tour, Bud Cauley is set to return to action this week after missing almost 4 months of time due to an automobile accident. Through the use of social media, Cauley has kept fans up to date on the progress of making it back to competitive golf. Priced higher than we would like to pay for a golfer who should have a little bit of competitive rust, Cauley remains a deep GPP flyer for the first event of the new season. Evident by his 124th finish in last year’s FedEx Cup race ( despite missing the last 3 months of the season) Cauley is a talent worth betting on the long run. It’s good to see Cauley return from such a serious accident, and he is a player worth keeping an eye on early and often this season.
Heavy-Hitting High Baller
Sticking with the Laird quotes, the Scot also mentioned that a high ball flight is very advantageous around here, allowing you to access tough-to-reach pin locations. That’s great news for someone like Holmes who really launches it vertically. Holmes is making his course debut and may not be a perfect fit for these claustrophobic tee shots but everything else leans in his favor. He likes poa annua greens. He’s in the upper tier of this weak field when it comes to baseline performance. However, we get a huge discount because his form has been marginal and he doesn’t have any course experience. Even without any course knowledge, I would argue that he is a cash option this week. He ranks inside the top 10 in my long-term performance index and also ranks inside the top 15 in long-term cut-made probability. Holmes is also a machine when it comes to par-5 scoring and Silverado Resort has four of them to feast on this week.
Tee-to-Green Talent
Ranks inside the top 20 on the Euro Tour when it comes to strokes gained:tee-to-green. Those stats have translated well in his limited PGA TOUR action, as well. He played his college golf at Texas so he’s no stranger to the States. When you have elite tee-to-green skills, it gives you a high floor which is what we’re looking for when making weekly picks. The question mark is how he responds to poa annua greens but I think he’s a great GPP option.