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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!
In this article we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the 2021 John Deere Classic. 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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2021 John Deere Classic - PGA DFS Overview
TPC Deere Run
7,268 Yards - Par 71 - Greens: Bentgrass - Designer: D.A. Weibring & Chris Gray
I hope you guys haven't grown sick of birdies over the last couple of weeks, because we've got plenty more in store this week at TPC Deere Run. This D.A. Weibring design ain't exactly Bethpage Black. The extra-wide fairways are super easy to hit. The greens are super easy to hit. Paul Goydos shot a 59 here in 2010. You get the idea...there will be birdies.
TPC Deere Run features some dramatic elevation changes throughout the layout with the course being designed to present players with risk/reward options that, more often than not, results in more reward than risk. Though birdies are plentiful, the bombers don't necessarily have a distinct advantage in this tournament, as guys like Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker are some of the biggest all-time money earners at the John Deere Classic.
As I have for the last few weeks, I'll once again be looking for players that can go low by focusing on Birdie or Better Percentage and DK Points Scored. I'll also give weight to Strokes Gained: Approach & Tee to Green while giving weight to guys that have success putting on Bentgrass, as these types of events usually devolve into "putting contests".
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 | TPC Deere Run | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | 284 | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 71% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 71% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 59% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.49 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Birdies or Better Gained
- Overall Proximity
- Proximity: 125-150 Yards & 150-175 Yards
- Strokes Gained: Putting (Bent)
- Par-5 Scoring
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
Daniel Berger ($11,900)
No surprise to see Daniel Berger atop both the FanDuel salary scale this week. Berger is the top-ranked player in this week's field and has performed at a high level throughout 2021. Berger isn't the type of dominant presence on DFS salary scales that we saw with Bryson DeChambeau last week at the Rocket Mortgage, but he is without question the most elite player teeing it up in Illinois against this ugly John Deere field. The FSU alum has logged a win a four top-10 finishes in 2021 and also possesses a strong track record at TPC Deere Run, logging a T5 in 2017 and a T33 in 2019. He grades out fourth in this field in Birdies or Better Gained over the last 24 rounds, while also standing sixth in Bogeys Avoided.
Brian Harman ($11,700)
A little sticker shock here with Brian Harman at $11.7k, but that's going to be a common theme this week due to the watered-down nature of this John Deere field. The little lefty is in the midst of perhaps his best season as a pro in 2021. Harman has been a top-20 machine this year, posting seven such finishes over eight starts since March. He's also logged a pair of top-fives over those appearances and nabbed a T5 in his most recent start at the Travelers.
Sungjae Im ($11,600)
I've honestly been off Sungjae Im for the last couple of months, as his erratic stats just haven't given me the confidence needed to roster him with regularity. However, Im has now managed to gain strokes on Approach in each of his last three starts and stands out as one of the very few elite talents in this week's John Deere field. While many of the world's top golfers might have one eye on next week's Open Championship, the South Korean will have no such distractions, as he's already withdrew from the Open to focus on the upcoming Olympic games in Tokyo. The games are number-one on Im's priority list, as medaling in Tokyo will get him out of his required military service in his home country. That's all a complicated way of saying that the young star is attempting to play his best golf at the moment.
Russell Henley ($11,500)
While not considered an "elite" player like a Berger or an Im, Henley qualifies as top-flight option on this slate. The UGA alum scored a runner-up finish in the 2019 JDC and heads to Illinois with his arrow pointing up. Henley grades out second in this field in SG: Approach over the last 24 rounds and first in Overall Proximity. He's especially good from the type of "wedge range" that he'll see a lot this week, ranking fifth in Proximity from 125-150 yards & ninth from 150-175 yards. Henley is a streaky player that's been hot as of late, posting a T13 in the U.S. Open (after holding the 54-hole lead) and a top-20 result at the Travelers. He'll just need to get the putter going to find success this week.
Seamus Power ($10,800)
What a season it has been for Seamus Power. It wasn’t long ago that Power was on the Monday qualifier circuit fighting for starts. Fast forward to now and the Irishman heads to Illinois on the heels of seven consecutive made cuts and a top-10 result in last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic - his second top-10 in his past four starts! The Irishman’s recent run of form is especially notable this week, as he’s been sharp in three previous John Deere starts. Power has never missed a cut at TPC Deere Run and has scored top-20 results in two of three Deere starts since 2017.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Maverick McNealy ($10,600)
I've been happily riding the "Mav McNealy Express" over the last few weeks and I'm going to stay on for one more trip here in Illinois. McNealy has always had tons of talent, but it appears he's finally putting things together at the pro level this year, as he's popped for a pair of top-fives and has now made the cut in each of his last three starts. He has a knack for getting the ball in the hole and grades out fourth in this field in Birdies or Better Gained over the last 24 rounds. The ability to make birdies is perhaps the most important trait for golfers in my pool this week and McNealy has totaled 18 birdies or better two out of the last three times he's teed it up.
Zach Johnson ($10,400)
After receiving sponsor's exemptions into the Deere as a young player trying to find his way on to the PGA Tour, Johnson now sits on the tournament's Board of Directors. It's a true midwest success story for the two-time major champion. He captured the John Deere crown in 2012 and has posted a hard-to-fathom SIX top-five finishes over his 18 career starts in the event. Johnson so happens to head into this year's edition fresh off his best ball-striking performance of 2021 at the Travlers, an event in which he gained 6.5 strokes T2G and 4.5 on Approach.
Patton Kizzire ($10,200)
Patton Kizzire isn't a player that I'll rely on often, but I'm always interested when birdies are required and the demands off the tee are minimal. With gargantuan-width fairways and a layout that consistently produces some of the lowest scores on the PGA Tour schedule, TPC Deere Run checks my requirements for Kizzire. He ranks an eye-opening third in this JDC field in Birdies or Better Gained over the last 24 rounds and has been sharp in two previous Deere starts, going T25-T30 in 2017 & '18.
Kyle Stanley ($9,900)
The words consistent and Kyle Stanley don't often collide, but the Clemson product has actually been steady as of late, running off six consecutive made cuts. Stanley has gained strokes with the irons in five of those outings and has gained an impressive average of 4.6 strokes on Approach over his last five tournaments. Believe it or not, he's also been fairly consistent in this event over the years, as he's made the cut in eight of 10 career starts in the Deere. As always, the concern is if he can putt well enough over four days to actually provide some upside and it's only a small consolation to know that Bentgrass is his "least worst" putting surface.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Jhonattan Vegas ($9,800)
There seems to be a common theme this week of "guys that we don't normally want to rely on, but that possess upside in this particular situation". That's the case with Jhonattan Vegas, a player that's nowhere near reliable, but has the ability to score in bunches and post the occasional top-five result. Vegas has had two such outings already this year, logging a runner-up finish back in February at the Puerto Rico Open and another T2 just a few weeks ago at the Palmetto Championship. The big Venezuelan is streaky, though he's certainly had his game hitting on all cylinders as of late and ranks second in this week's JDC field in both SG: T2G & Ball Striking over the last 24 rounds. A T3 on his John Deere resume illustrates that he has the ability to play well on this layout and he offers some intriguing GPP upside on this rather pedestrian slate.
Hank Lebioda ($9,700)
I was basically all-in on Hank Lebioda last week and I'm gonna attempt to ride the hot hand this week. Big Hank was in the mix until the bitter end last week in Detroit, ultimately settling for a T4 among a jampacked Rocket Mortgage leaderboard. It's the second week in a row he's tasted contention, as he scored a T5 in the Travelers to close out June. Lebioda ranks first in this field in SG: Total over the last 24 rounds - a nice indicator that everything is going well - and stands eighth in the field in Birdies or Better Gained over the same timeframe.
Beau Hossler ($9,200)
Another "hope they stay hot" type of play, Beau Hossler heads to Illinois playing his best golf in quite some time. The Texas alum has been scorching as of late, scoring a top-10 and a pair of top-25s over his last three starts. He's a player that normally lives and dies by the putter, but Hossler has been noticeably improved from tee-to-green recently, gaining strokes T2G in each of his last three starts. In addition to the strong recent form, he has a T26 on his Deere resume from 2019 and this is the type of short-ish layout on which Hossler has the ability to thrive.
Scott Stallings ($9,100)
Closing out with my "homer" play of the week, my fellow East Tennessean, Scott Stallings. The Oak Ridge native is a streaky player that's a little Bubba Watson-like in his tendency to repeatedly play well on the same handful of golf courses. TPC Deere Run qualifies as one of those select Stallings' tracks, as he's logged a top-five and a pair of top-18s over his last three John Deere starts. In addition to this course suiting his eye, he's coming off his best iron performance of the year at last week's Rocket Mortgage. Scotty gained FIVE strokes on Approach at Detroit, the type of ball-striking numbers that always grab my attention.
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