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Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel slate for the Genesis Invitational, providing information of not only who will come into the week under-owned but also who should be avoided for your lineups.
Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller!
In this article we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the Genesis Invitational. 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, as well as a couple of GPP Value Plays 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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Genesis Invitational - PGA DFS Overview
Riviera Country Club
7,322 Yards - Par 71 - Greens: Poa Annua - Designer: George C. Thomas Jr. & William P. Bell
Riviera Country Club is a legendary track and one of the classiest courses on the PGA Tour schedule. It's Hollywood history only adds to the club's intrigue. Opened in 1927, Riviera was an instant classic and has long been a favorite of L.A.'s celebrities. It was famously dubbed 'Hogan's Alley' after Ben Hogan logged three wins on the course in 18 months.
In addition to all the history, Riviera still stands out as a great golf course in the modern era. The 315 yard, Par-4 10th hole is one of the best on the PGA Tour. It is 'risk/reward' at its finest and offers players a chance to drive the small green for an eagle opportunity. However, a miss on 10 can quickly turn disastrous, as shots from around the green are extremely tricky. Riviera places an emphasis on ball striking and shot making. I will focus on ball strikers that have previous experience at Riviera this week.
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 | Riviera | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | 280 | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 55% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 57% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 60% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.64 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Proximity: 150+ Yards
- Total Driving
- Bogey Avoidance
- SG: Par-4 (400-450 yards & 450-500 yards)
- SG: Putting (Poa Annua)
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 Players
Dustin Johnson ($12,100)
I don't think there's a big need to recap Johnson's historic run in 2020, but it's safe to say he closed out the year playing the best golf of his career en route to three victories - including a record-breaking win at the Masters - and a FedEx Cup title. The holiday break doesn't appear to have slowed him down, as he took down the Saudi International two weeks ago despite losing strokes putting.
DJ has - obviously - been statistically dominant as of late, but the extent is pretty eye-opening. He leads this elite field in all of the following Strokes Gained categories over the last 24 rounds: Total, T2G, Ball Striking, & Approach.
We can toss that dominant form in with his elite course history at Riviera. DJ won this event in 2017 and has piled up eight top-10 finishes in his 13 career starts in this event. This is undoubtedly a stacked field full of great options, but in my view, it's "DJ and everybody else" this week.
McIlroy/Rahm/Thomas/DeChambeau ($11,900-$11,400)
All of these players are unquestionably elite. All of these players could win this golf tournament. However, they are all players that I'll only have nominal GPP exposure to this week, as I prefer paying up for DJ or paying down for some of the other golfers we'll touch on in this article. All that said, I wouldn't argue with starting your lineups with any of these four.
Xander Schauffele ($11,500)
Despite a highly-publicized meltdown (I don't think "meltdown" is the right word...how about "inability to close"?) in the final round of the WMPO, Xander Schauffele still comes with a very high price tag this week. I was initially hopeful that his ownership would be down as a result, but it looks as though Schauffele will still be fairly popular. Despite the price and ownership, I'm still content to stay on the X-Train here. A common theme to success at Riviera is quality ball striking, the ability to handle a difficult course, and mastery in all facets...traits that the Californian has demonstrated throughout his career. His Genesis resume is, unsurprisingly, rock solid...as he's ran off three-straight top-25s at Riviera. Yes, the lack of recent wins is frustrating, but we have to believe Schauffle will find the winner's circle sooner rather than later.
Patrick Cantlay ($11,200)
Cantlay is perhaps my favorite play on the this week's slate. I love the recent form - runner-up finishes in each of his last two starts - and great course fit at Riviera. The UCLA alum has been on a tear, gaining 8.5 and 9.7 strokes T2G over his last two starts and won’t be kept out of the winner’s circle for very long if he continues playing at this level. His Swiss-Army style is tailor-made for the course - he grades out second in this field in SG: Total over the last 12 rounds - and that’s reflected in his Genesis results which includes a top-five outing in 2018 and three-straight finishes inside the top-17.
Tony Finau ($10,900)
Yet another player that's been knocking on the door of a victory, but has been unable to close the deal, Finau heads to Riviera on the heels of back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Farmers and Saudi International. His dry spell is well documented, so we won't dive in here. Finau's inability to win is certainly frustrating, though I try to look past that and focus on his consistently-outstanding results and elite talent. He's a player that handles tough courses as well as anybody in the world and has a T2 & T15 on his Riviera resume.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Collin Morikawa/Viktor Hovland ($10,800/$10,700)
Those of you that regularly read my articles know that I'm a huge fan of both these guys. Occasionally we can price shop between FanDuel and DraftKings, and that's where we find ourselves this week with the dynamic duo of Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland. There's a fairly big pricing discrepancy between the two over at DK, where Hovland comes in a whopping $800 cheaper than Morikawa. As a result, I'll probably grab my Hovland exposure on DK, while investing in Morikawa on FD.
Adam Scott/Bubba Watson ($10,600/$10,200)
Two course-history beasts, Scott is the defending Genesis champion and Watson is a three-time winner at Riviera. Both have the talent and experience needed to successfully navigate this tough layout. Scott has gained strokes T2G in all three of his 2021 starts and posted a T10 in his most recent outing at the Farmers. Bubba stumbled at Torrey Pines in a knock-the-rust-off outing, but looked much sharper at the WMPO en route to a T25.
Joaquin Niemann ($10,100)
While Scott & Watson offer elite course history at Riviera, Joaquin Niemann does not. He's went T44-MC in his only two Genesis starts. However, I'm willing to consider the youngster despite his lackluster Genesis track record due to the tremendous form he's demonstrated in recent starts. Niemann has looked the part of a superstar in 2021, logging runner-up finishes at both the Sentry ToC and Sony Open. His iron play has been off the charts...he gained 7.3 strokes on Approach at Kapalua and 4.1 at Waialae. We're faced with a classic PGA DFS conundrum: recent form vs course history. I'm willing to bet on Niemann here, as on paper he's actually a great fit for Riviera - a course that can take some time to learn for even the best of players.
Marc Leishman ($9,900)
I kinda get the feeling that Marc Leishman is going to go overlooked this week, but I'm certainly interested in grabbing the Big Aussie at low ownership in GPPs. Leish has battled back from a disastrous stretch over the latter half of 2020 by showing signs of life in all three of his starts this year. His quality iron play has resulted in a ranking of fourth in the Genesis field in SG: Approach over the last 12 rounds and powered him to a top-five at the Sony and a top-20 at the Farmers. Leishman's Riviera history is inconsistent, but he has posted two top-five results at the Genesis since 2016.
Carlos Ortiz ($9,700)
The knock on Carlos Ortiz has never been his talent, but rather his inability to harness it consistently. Maybe that’s changing, as Ortiz has rattled off five-straight made cuts with a top-five and a top-10 since winning the Houston Open back in November. He brings that surprisingly-consistent form to a Riviera layout on which he’s been similarly steady. Ortiz has accumulated a scoring average of 70 (that’s good here) in four career starts at the Genesis, logging a top-10 in 2019 and never finishing worse than T26 in any trip to the L.A. course.
Will Zalatoris ($9,700)
Bounce-back performances have been a common theme in 2021 and young Will Zalatoris is my favorite rebound candidate this week. The rising star disappointed last week at Pebble Beach, mustering just a T55 as a popular (and expensive) option. We now get a chance to buy the dip at a reduced price (and I'm guessing reduced ownership) for the Genesis. Zalatoris has a little bit of Riviera experience under his belt...he competed in the 2017 U.S. Amateur that was held here (he reached the round of 16) and teed it up in the Genesis as an amateur in 2015 (missed the cut). His lukewarm outing last week at Pebble hasn't changed the type of player that he his and I'm going right back to the well in GPPs.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Russell Henley ($9,500)
Due to the strength of this week's Genesis field we can find several quality players as we work our way down the salary scale. Russell Henley certainly is an option that jumps out at $9.5k. His track record at Riviera is underwhelming to say the least, but it's tough to ignore the type of iron play that he brings to the table at this price. Henley grades out third in this field in SG: Approach over the last 24 rounds and fourth in overall Proximity. He's very strong from the 150-200 yard range that will be crucial this week and has - ridiculously - gained strokes with his irons in 15 of his last 16 starts.
Cameron Davis ($9,300)
Many hardcore golf fans have been waiting for Cameron Davis to come into his own on the PGA Tour and it appears as though the young Aussie has made a leap in 2021. Davis heads to Riviera in fine form, having made the cut in all four of his starts this year with a career-best third-place finish at the AmEx a few weeks ago. He's averaged +5.6 strokes gained T2G over his last five tournaments and we also can consider the "Aussie Factor" that's present at Riv due to the rarely-seen-in-the-U.S. kikuyu grass fairways and rough...a strain that's commonplace in Australia.
Cameron Tringale ($9,300)
In the past, "relying" on Cameron Tringale has always burned me, so I'll simply say that he's a very intriguing GPP option this week. Both his current form and course history are shockingly good. Tringale has made the cut in eight of his nine career starts at Riviera with a top-10 and four top-25s to his credit. He heads to Riviera fresh off a sharp T7 performance at Pebble Beach, an outing that marked his sixth-consecutive start with positive T2G splits.
GPP Value Options
Corey Conners ($8,900)
I'm something of a Corey Conners truther and he's a really inexpensive way to grab elite ball striking this week. The Canadian closed out 2020 on an absolute heater and has been solid, if unspectacular, in just two 2021 starts. The short game is always the concern with Conners - and he did miss the cut in his Genesis debut last year - but he's gained strokes T2G in each of his last seven starts dating back to last year and he certainly has the ball-striking ability needed to contend on this layout.
Henrik Norlander ($8,900)
Norlander has put together a truly strong year to this point, posting a runner-up at the Farmers, as well as a T12 at the AmEx and a top-25 in Phoenix. However, he will be making his sixth start in as many weeks and he did fade into a T26 at Pebble last weekend after once again finding himself in contention early. He's gained strokes T2G, OTT, and on Approach in each of his last four starts.
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