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Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller for your PGA DFS research. After a long weekend at TPC Sawgrass, there's a quick turnaround as we head to the always-difficult Copperhead Course for the Valspar Championship.
After a noticeable jump in the quality of their PGA contests last week, FanDuel has, unfortunately, reduced their offerings this week, though there is a $9 contest with a $30k top prize. In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the Valspar Championship. While it's impossible to hit on every player, we'll touch on some different plays across all price ranges, breaking the groups down into "High", "Mid", and "Low" price options that are worth considering.
Like always, the purpose of this piece is to help you put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups for FanDuel, whether that be from a GPP perspective or a cash-game mentality. Be sure to also read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS and betting articles to help you win big!
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Valspar Championship - PGA DFS Overview
The Course: Copperhead Course (Innisbrook Resort)
Par 71 - 7,340 Yards, Greens: Bermuda w/ Poa overseed, Designed By: Larry Packard
Located in Palm Harbor, Florida, the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Resort is the type of course that could hold a PGA Championship next week and no one would raise an eyebrow. It is a quality golf course and one that routinely ranks as one of the most difficult on the PGA Tour schedule. Its many undulations are unique for a Florida course. Players in this field will face tight, tree-lined fairways, tough doglegs, and greens that are hard to hit.
They must also tackle 'The Snake Pit'...the Copperhead's daunting closing three-hole stretch. This is a less-than-driver course on several holes for the bombers, but there are four Par-5s for them to gun at. Interestingly, there are FIVE Par-3s on this layout, which almost forces us to look at something we rarely give much weight to in this article; Par-3 Scoring. As usual, ball striking is a trait we want to target (the 175-200 yard approach range is crucial), and the facet of the game I'm giving the most weight to this week. A players' short game and ability to scramble will also be tested this week, as these greens are tough to hit.
For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!
Let's Look At The Stats
| Stat | Copperhead | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | 271 | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 61% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 60% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 59% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.53 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- SG: Approach
- Proximity (Emphasis on 175-200 Yard range)
- Total Driving
- SG: Par-5s
- SG: Par-3s
- Bogey Avoidance
- SG: T2G
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for FanDuel (PGA DFS)
We have tons of great weekly PGA articles, DFS analysis, tools and DFS advice. Be sure to read our other fantastic articles regarding this week's event including DFS lineup picks for DraftKings/FanDuel, betting advice and DFS prop picks.
High-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Justin Thomas ($12,100)
I was high on JT's chances to repeat last week at The Players, but the combination of a bad weather draw and an inconsistent putter eventually dropped him out of serious contention. His stat line from TPC Sawgrass is a familiar one...excellent from T2G (+5 SG: T2G, +2.2 OTT, +2.4 Approach), but not good with the flat stick (-0.6 SG: Putting). It's been a common theme for Thomas for well over a year now and something we have to take at face value from week to week. The good thing about it as we head to the Valspar? His T2G excellence will be a huge asset on this tough Copperhead layout and he's likely just a good putting week away from a win.
Viktor Hovland ($11,900)
I'm running out of superlatives to describe just how great Viktor Hovland has been from T2G over the last several months. Just to give you an idea, over his last 12 rounds, Hovland leads this week's Valspar field in - are you ready for this? - SG: Total, T2G, Ball Striking, OTT, & Approach. Simply put, this kid is on an epic heater at the moment and if he can solidify his short game just the tiniest bit, he'll be hoisting multiple trophies in the coming months. He recorded a rock-solid T3 in his Valspar debut last year and - his struggles around the green aside - this Copperhead layout will reward his elite ball-striking prowess.
Louis Oosthuizen ($11,400)
If you want to take the course history angle this week, Louis Oosthuizen might just be your guy. The South African holds an elite track record at Innisbrook, with top-eight finishes in three of his last four Valspar starts. Since 2016, Oosthuizen has gained more strokes total in this event than anyone. The wheels undoubtedly came off the wagon for Oosty in the final round of THE PLAYERS, with a final-round 76 dropping him into a T42 finish, but let's keep in mind that he was actually right in the thick of the tournament heading into Monday afternoon. If we're being honest, he hasn't been great statistically this year, but he's the type of player with which I'm willing to basically throw stats out the window in the right situation, and his history in the Valspar indicates that he's a strong option this week.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Abraham Ancer ($10,900)
After an unbelievably consistent 2021 that included a breakout win at the WGC-St. Jude, Abraham Ancer has gotten off to a terribly sluggish start this year. Ancer has failed to log a top-25 finish in any of his six 2022 starts, but there are some reasons to be optimistic as he heads to Palm Harbor this week. The Mexican gained more strokes both T2G (+3.8) and on Approach (+2.8) at Sawgrass last week than he has in any other start this year. In addition to the form that appears to be heading in the right direction, he has been successful in each of his two previous Valspar starts, posting a fifth-place finish last year to go with a T16 in the 2018 edition. While the results haven't been there to this point in 2022, a player of Ancer's caliber is going to figure things out sooner rather than later, and this Copperhead layout makes a lot of sense as a nice spot for him to get back on track.
Shane Lowry ($10,800)
The Irishman continued his impressive 2022 play with a T13 outing last week at TPC Sawgrass that was highlighted by an awesome hole-in-one on the 17th hole. That performance came on the heels of a near-win at the Honda Classic two weeks prior. Lowry has now gained a combined 15.8 strokes T2G over his last two starts and, including international play, he's posted top-25 results in all four of his starts this year. He only has one Valspar start on his resume (a T49 in 2018), but this week's layout is a terrific fit on paper. I expect Lowry's good play to continue and consider him a legitimate dark-horse contender to win this week.
Russell Knox ($9,800)
A really nice blend of course history and recent form with Russell Knox this week. The usually-erratic Knox has actually been extremely consistent at the Valspar and has posted top-25 finishes in three straight trips to Innisbrook. He heads to this year's edition in terrific form and with positive momentum off a huge T6 result at THE PLAYERS. His ball-striking was, unsurprisingly, crisp at TPC Sawgrass, as he gained an impressive 7.8 strokes T2G in the "Fifth Major". It marked the fourth consecutive start in which Knox has gained strokes T2G, OTT, and on Approach.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Adam Hadwin ($9,400)
As we move down the salary scale, things obviously get a little shakier. I would certainly toss Adam Hadwin in the "GPP Only" bucket but do like the potential upside that the Canadian brings to the table in large-field formats this week. His Valspar history has been highly erratic, as over the last five years he has a win, a T12, and three missed cuts! This "feast or famine" history is typical of the Canadian, but Hadwin comes to town hot on the heels of a backdoor top-10 result at The Players Championship. It was a finish that was propelled by his sharp iron play. He gained just over four strokes on Approach at Sawgrass and he's now gained over three strokes with his irons in three of his last four starts. Specifically, Hadwin has been excellent from distance as of late and ranks seventh in Proximity from 175-200 yards (a range that will be key at the Copperhead Course) over the last 12 rounds.
Adam Svensson ($9,000)
With ball-striking and long-iron play a priority this week, Adam Svensson jumps into consideration for me. The recent KFT grad is on his second PGA Tour stint and the now-28-year-old appears better equipped to handle the big leagues this time around. Svensson has already logged a pair of top-10 finishes in six 2022 starts and his superb ball-striking ability should give him a chance to make some more noise this week at the Valspar. Over his last 24 rounds, the Canadian grades out 14th in this field in overall Proximity and 21st in SG: Approach. His putting can be horrific at times, but hey, we did see Keegan Bradley log a runner-up finish in this event last year!
Doc Redman ($8,400)
After a promising start to his career in 2019-20, the former U.S. Amateur champion hit the skids in a big way last year. However, it appears that Doc Redman is slowly regaining his form in 2022, as the 24-year-old has now made the cut in five of his last six starts, including a T26 last weekend at The Players. Redman gained 4.7 strokes T2G at Sawgrass - his best mark in that statistical category this year - and will try to carry that positive momentum to a Copperhead layout on which he recorded a T39 in last year's Valspar. The key to his game is his iron play and after that sharp dip last year, he's bounced back to gain strokes on Approach in four of his last five and grades out 28th in this week's field in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds.
Win Big With RotoBaller
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If you read my articles @RotoBaller or listen to @TheTurnGolfPod I’ve been telling y’all it was #WinningSeason when golf came back! Shoutout to the entire @RotoBallerPGA squad and all you guys that support my work for all the ❤️ pic.twitter.com/07a4ynvbSU
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