RADIO
Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel slate for the 2021 Masters, 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 2021 Masters. 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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The Masters - PGA DFS Overview
Augusta National
7,435 Yards - Par 72 - Greens: Bentgrass - Designer: Bobby Jones & Alister Mackenzie
The brainchild of the legendary Bobby Jones, Augusta National was built on a 365-acre property that had been Fruitland Nurseries. Jones imparted all his wisdom on the layout that would eventually become the most famous golf course in the world. The condition of the course is IMMACULATE, with not as much as a young azalea out of place.
Augusta National is a Par 72 that has been stretched out to 7,435 yards. The legendary layout tests every facet of a player's game. You have to be long and (somewhat) accurate off the tee, precise on approach shots with your irons, creative with your short game, and have nerves of steel on the lightning-fast greens.
Perhaps nearly as important as being able to actually hit the shots, is knowing what type of shots to hit and where to hit them. Course experience isn't an absolute must to play well at Augusta, but we see time and again how big of an asset course knowledge and experience can be in the Masters. The preferred ball flight is right-to-left (a draw for right-handed players) off the tee and a high cut on approach shots into the greens. While there is obviously more than one way to skin a cat, we've seen players that can hit those shots repeatedly succeed over the years.
Although we got a look at Augusta National less than six months ago, I wouldn't put a ton of stock into how the golf course played back in November. I expect the golf course to be much firmer and faster this week with drives running out and greens that are less receptive than we saw in November.
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 | Augusta National | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | N/A | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 67% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 60% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 52% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.87 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- Strokes Gained: T2G
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Driving Distance
- Scrambling
- Par 5: Birdies Or Better Gained
- Course History
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)
DJ dismantled Augusta National and the Masters field back in November, winning his first green jacket at a record-breaking 20-under par. It was no fluke, as Johnson had posted top-10s in his previous four Masters starts (course history DOES MATTER this week!). However, Augusta National was a different layout in the damp November conditions and DJ's game appears to be in a different place than it was just six months ago. A win at the Saudi International notwithstanding, he's posted just one top-10 on U.S. soil this year...fairly ho-hum results for a player of Johnson's caliber. We might see his high DFS price tag and recent dip in form put a dent in his ownership this week. Be prepared to pounce in GPPs if that proves to be the case, as DJ certainly has the ability to turn things on and win this tournament again.
Bryson DeChambeau ($11,900)
It doesn't feel like Bryson DeChambeau is garnering quite as much buzz as he did back in November, when he headed to Augusta fresh off a dominant win at Winged Foot. However, things went off the rails quickly for the Thicc Boi, as he struggled to make the cut before squeaking out a T34. He's certainly rebounded nicely from that disappointment and has once again looked dominant at times in 2021. DeChambeau overcame a sluggish start to the year to capture the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a brilliant performance on a tough Bay Hill layout and followed that with a surprising T3 at THE PLAYERS on a layout that wasn't supposed to fit his strengths. He feels like the biggest "wild card" spend-up option on the slate, as his DFS ceiling this week is the highest in the field (meaning he could dominate this tournament), while his floor (as we saw in November) is scary low for a player priced at $11.9k.
Justin Thomas ($11,800)
I expect lots of ownership to land on JT. He check all the boxes: great course history, sharp recent form (just won THE PLAYERS), and terrific all around game. In many ways he's the "safest" spend up option this week, as he possesses both tournament-winning upside and a huge degree of "safety". Thomas has improved in every one of his career Masters starts and most recently posted a fourth-place finish in the November edition. His iron play can be almost supernatural at times and he will be tough to beat if he's still dialed in this week. The only drawbacks I can pinpoint with JT are an erratic putter and his potentially-high ownership.
Jon Rahm ($11,700)
Rivals JT in consistency and safety this week, Rahm's form has been rock solid both long-term and recently. He's remarkably gained strokes tee to green in every start since August of last year and has posted a top-five & three top-10s in six 2021 starts. In addition to that recent production, the Spaniard has been nothing short of spectacular at Augusta National throughout his young career. His 70.25 career Masters scoring average is the best in the field of those with at least three starts at AGNC.
Perhaps the biggest concern about Rahm coming into the week was an off-the-course one, as he and his wife have been expecting their first child and Rahm had made it clear that he wouldn't hesitate to WD at any point of the tournament. Luckily for everyone, the Rahm's welcomed a healthy baby boy, Kepa, over the weekend, thus ending any dilemma that we might have had about rostering the Spaniard.
Brooks Koepka & Rory McIlroy ($11,600 & $11,400)
A pair of wildcards here, as both Koepka and McIlroy come into this week surrounded by question marks. Koepka's issues are health related, as he underwent knee surgery less than a month ago. He arrived in Georgia over the weekend and appears set play, but rostering him undoubtedly comes with serious risks, especially on the unbelievable undulations of Augusta National. McIlroy's troubles are more swing related, as he's admitted that an attempt to chase Bryson DeChambeau's distance off the tee has impacted his swing. Rounds of 79-75 at THE PLAYERS indicate that he ain't lyin'. Despite the bad recent form, ANGC always seems to bring out the best in Rory and he's posted two top-fives with a pair of top-10s over his last five Masters starts. I can't give either of these guys the "all in" treatment, but they both possess tantalizing upside if you are willing to gamble in GPPs.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Jordan Spieth ($10,900)
If you follow golf at all then you know that we're in the middle of a "Spieth Renaissance" and if you don't follow golf, then you are probably going to roster Jordan Spieth anyway. Basically, all roads lead to very high ownership for the 2015 Masters champion and two-time runner-up. It's tough to argue against him, as a strong run of play that led to a win at Valero last week has come on the strength of vastly improved ball striking. Spieth was again phenomenal with his irons last week, gaining 7.4 strokes on Approach at Valero. He's now gained strokes in six of his seven starts this year with an average of +4.5 SG: Approach over his last five tournaments. It's the type of ball striking numbers that we haven't seen out of Spieth since the summer of 2017 when he won the Travelers and Open Championship.
Tony Finau ($10,700)
Missed cuts in his last two starts at Valero and THE PLAYERS might throw some off the scent of the usually-popular Finau and I hope that he comes in flying under the radar a bit. If that is indeed the case I won't hesitate at all to pull the trigger on a player with a 70.42 career Masters scoring average, a mark that trails only Jon Rahm. Finau has a top-five and a top-10 in just three career starts at Augusta National. His length off the tee and ability to handle stretched out major championship layouts should not be overlooked.
Hideki Matsuyama ($10,200)
You'll see it a lot this week: experience matters at Augusta National. Matsuyama has looked somewhat lifeless in 2021, with his last truly dynamic outing coming last year at the Houston Open, although his irons are firing - he's gained strokes on Approach in his last four starts - and he ended last week's Valero with +3.3 mark on Approach. His performances at Augusta have been consistently excellent (T13-T32-19th-T11-T7 last five Masters starts) and reliable Masters performers tend to stay reliable Masters performers, so Hideki certainly deserves consideration this week.
Matthew Fitzpatrick ($10,100)
Fitz has won multiple times internationally and his play this year indicates he'll breakthrough in the U.S. very soon. The Englishman has been ultra-consistent on American soil in 2021, finishing no worse than a T11 in four starts. In addition to the sharp form, he's been terrific at Augusta National, making the cut in all five of his Masters appearances since 2015. His lack of length off the tee is a legitimate concern, but with conditions expected to be firm and fast, it won't be as big of an obstacle as it was in November.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Paul Casey ($9,900)
Outside of a pedestrian outing at the Match Play, the Englishman has been stellar throughout 2021, picking up a win at the Omega Dubai Classic in January and logging a pair of top-fives and a pair of top-10s in his four U.S. starts. In addition to his current form, Casey has been elite at Augusta National. He's made the cut in four of his last five Masters starts with two top-six finishes among those appearances. If you're price shopping this week, the Englishman is egregiously cheap over on DraftKings, which will hugely inflate his ownership on that site.
Cameron Smith ($9,900)
I managed to sneak in the backdoor with Cam Smith as a core piece for me at the November Masters, but I imagine I'll have no such luck flying under the radar with him this go around. The Aussie scrambled his way to a T2 back in November and he's put together some really nice performances this year as well, logging a top-five at Riviera and top-20s at WGC-Workday & THE PLAYERS on the strength of surprisingly-good iron play. Smith kinda falls in the "Patrick Reed mold"...you never know what you're gonna get with his ball-striking, but his short game is good enough to keep him in any tournament.
Lee Westwood ($9,700)
Lee Westwood is the headliner for article purposes, but we're really talking about a whole slew of veterans that fall in this price range. Guys like Westwood, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, and Louis Oosthuizen populate the $9k price point and all bring tons of Augusta National experience to the table. Rather than taking an "all in" stand on any of this group, I'll likely just mix and match when building multiple GPP lineups.
Abraham Ancer ($9,000)
An extremely impressive Masters debut in November saw Ancer squarely in contention before a tough final round dropped him a T13. It's probably not a coincidence that the Mexican is repeatedly showing up at some of golf's classiest venues against tough fields (top-25s this year in PLAYERS & WGC-Workday) as his steady tee-to-green ability translates well to tough tracks. He's gained strokes on Approach in every one of his 2021 starts and some struggles around the green appear to be corrected as he's gained strokes in that area in each of his last two.
GPP/Value FanDuel DFS Players
Corey Conners ($8,900)
Get ready for "Corey Conners Chalk Week". Closed out 2020 on an absolute heater, including a T10 at the Masters, and has stayed hot in 2021 with a T3 at Bay Hill and a top-10 at TPC Sawgrass. Grades out third in this Masters field in SG: T2G over the last 24 rounds...all of which makes this $8.9k price tag completely ridiculous.
Matt Kuchar & Ian Poulter ($8,800 & $8,500)
Two veteran warhorses appeared to snap prolonged funks at the WGC-Match Play (with Kuchar carrying the hot play over to Valero). These two have a combined seven Masters top-10s on their resume and we know that Augusta caters to experience over youth. Don't be surprised to see one of these two in contention over the weekend.
Si Woo Kim & Jason Kokrak ($8,600)
Kim has actually been very successful at Augusta National, posting top-25s in two of his last three Masters starts. He also heads into this week in sharp form. The same can be said of Kokrak, a player that's logged top-10s in his last three starts against stiff competition. He missed the cut in his Masters debut in November, but is playing excellent from tee to green.
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