Daily Fantasy Golf FanDuel Picks (PGA DFS) - RSM Classic

Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel slate, 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 family! Dustin Johnson captured his second - long awaited - major-championship win at the Masters. His 20-under par final score was a tournament record!

As a result of the rescheduled Masters, the normally-sleepy RSM Classic has seen an influx of talent in the field this year. This has morphed into a sneaky-good PGA DFS slate! In this article we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the RSM 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.

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!

RSM Classic - PGA DFS Overview

Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course & Plantation Course)

7,005 Yards - Par 70 - Greens: Bermuda - Designer: Harry Colt, Tom Fazio

We're thrown a little curveball this week, as every player in the field will play two courses (Seaside & Plantation) in the first two rounds. We'll focus on the Seaside Course here, because it's the layout that those players that make the cut will be playing on the weekend... a "plodder's course" is a pretty apt label for the RSM this week, as the bombers will - for the most part - take a back seat at Sea Island. We'll see a lot of less-than-driver holes and we should place a premium on accurate and precise ball striking, as well as course management. For that reason, I'll be targeting traits of "grinders"...driving accuracy, greens in regulation, and consistent ball striking, while also glancing at putting splits on Bermuda greens.

Let's Look At The Stats

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
• Birdie or Better %
• Driving Accuracy
• Ball Striking
• Course History
• Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermuda)

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 

Webb Simpson ($12,000)

We don't get many "no brainers" in PGA DFS, but Webb this week is about as close as it gets. Simpson possesses an unbelievable blend of consistency, current form, and course history.  He's coming off yet another strong outing - a T10 at the Masters - the latest in a string of elite results in 2020. If there was any doubt, the vet has cemented his place as one of the game's most consistent players in recent years, posting two victories and six top-10s to just two missed cuts this year.

His track record at Sea Island is elite...Simpson lost in a playoff to Tyler Duncan in last year's RSM and posted a third-place finish the year prior. He will face a tougher field this year, which is worth considering, but the only true reason to fade Webb this week rests with salary concerns and/or game theory.

Tyrrell Hatton ($11,800)

If you read any of my articles, you probably know I wasn't very high on Tyrrell Hatton at the Masters, as things just haven't clicked for him at Augusta National. However, I'm much higher on the Englishman's prospects this week at Sea Island on a layout that should suit his strengths in a much better way.

Hatton's had a tremendous year, posting victories both before and after the Covid shutdown (API & BMW Europe). His iron play has been tremendous and he stands eighth in this week's field in SG: Approach over the last 24 rounds, as well as grading out sixth in SG: Ball Striking. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to translate that form to the majors, but he's logged top-seven-or-better finishes in three of his last four non-major starts. This is a great bounce-back spot for Hatton. He constitutes a great pivot from Webb at the top of the board, or can even be paired with Simpson in aggressive, "Stars & Scrubs" builds.

Sungjae Im ($11,600)

A really impressive and surprising - at least to me - performance from Sungjae at the Masters last week. He certainly debunked the "first timers struggle at Augusta National" theory with his amazing T2 finish. I imagine that he'll carry a lot of positive momentum with him to Sea Island this week, but I also expect his ownership to be high due to recency bias. Im has teed it up in the RSM once in his career - a T37 two years ago - and we have to take note of the fact that he'll be rolling it on his beloved Bermuda greens this week. His ball striking had been trending in the right directions in the weeks leading up to the Masters, but his finishes hadn't necessarily reflected that. There's a great chance that he'll both continue to play well and post an improved result this week.

Russell Henley ($11,400)

If you’ve read many of my articles over the last few months, you know I’ve been riding this Russell Henley train for all it’s worth. I see absolutely no reason to hop off the wagon this week, as Henley is currently playing perhaps the best golf of his career. The UGA alum has been almost otherworldly from tee to green, gaining strokes on Approach in a ridiculous 11 straight starts. That output has resulted in Henley ranking first in this week’s field in SG: T2G, Approach, and Total over the last 24 rounds.

A quick scan of his RSM history reveals missed cuts in his last two starts. Despite those disappointing outings, I think it’s fair to say that Henley is a totally different player at this point and if we stretch back a few years, we can see that he also has back-to-back top-10s on his RSM resume, as well as success in the SEC Championship during his college days.

Louis Oosthuizen ($11,200) 

Louis has been in excellent form over the last couple of months, posting consistently-solid results on the strength of sharp ball striking and a hot putter. Oosthuizen logged a top-25 last week at the Masters, but actually played better than that result (he was undone by a third-round 75). We don't have any course history with him at Sea Island, but it projects as a nice fit for the sweet-swinging South African.

Sebastian Munoz ($10,700)

“Sea Bass” just keeps recording solid results, with a T19 in last week’s Masters being the most recent in a long line of impressive finishes. After being underpriced for months, his DFS price tag has finally been raised to match his recent production. Munoz has run off 10-straight made cuts, posting top-25s in seven of those.

He heads to a Sea Island course where he posted a third-place finish last season and should once again be a strong DFS option. Munoz has gained strokes T2G in each of his last five outings and has proven himself to be very solid in every facet of the game. While the Colombian has become well known in PGA DFS circles, he’s most likely still a name that casual fans aren’t super familiar with and may be reluctant to roster at this elevated price point.

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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Kevin Kisner ($10,500)

Kevin Kisner is a guy that I rarely "rely on" in DFS, as he's surprisingly inconsistent and has a habit of missing cuts while in the middle of a seemingly-great stretch of form. Despite his strong ties to the area, his record at Sea Island is a great reflection of his broader results. In five RSM starts since 2016, Kiz has went: MC-T7-T4-MC-Win...so we're taking on a bit more volatility here than it may appear at first glance.

Those factors taken into account, Kisner is still a fine GPP play. The upside is obviously there on this layout. It's a golf course that won't punish him for his lack of length off the tee and will reward his (normally) sharp iron play.

Corey Conners ($10,300)

We'll continue the "high upside with volatility" theme here with Corey Conners, a player with the type of ball-striking ability that we always want exposure to, but with a short game that makes him tough to completely trust. The Canadian has been holding it all together as of late and heads to the RSM fresh off a very impressive top-10 finish at the Masters. It marked his third-straight great outing, as a top-10 at the ZOZO and a top-25 in Houston preceded his run at Augusta National. In addition to the sharp form, Conners has played well in previous visits to Sea Island, going T23-T37 in two prior RSM starts. I'm willing to ride the hot hand with the talented ball striker in GPPs, but will most likely avoid him in cash or single-entry builds.

Brian Harman ($10,100)

Harman is sort of the opposite type of play as a Kisner or a Conners...as the upside might not be quite as juicy, but it feels as though we can rely on the consistency. The diminutive lefty is never going to jump off the page statistically, but consistently continues to post the type of solid results that are hard to ignore. Harman heads to Sea Island on the heels of 11-straight made cuts! The veteran has also gained strokes on Approach in five consecutive starts. In addition to his rock-solid recent form, he’s also been dependable in recent trips to Sea Island, going T14-T32-T4 over his last three RSM Classic starts. Another notable connection is that Harman and his family are residents of Sea Island.

Denny McCarthy ($9,800)

Denny McCarthy has turned into something of a "pet player" for me over the last couple of months. I used to basically blindly dismiss McCarthy on the basis of his inconsistent ball striking, but I'm slowly coming around to the idea that putting does matter (at least some), especially in the type of birdie-fest events that we've seen multiple times as of late. While Denny's calling card is unquestionably his elite putting ability (second in SG: Putting Bermuda), his penchant for making birdies is what we're targeting this week. He grades out third in this strong field in Birdies or Better Gained over the last 24 rounds and posted a top-10 finish in last year's RSM Classic.

Doc Redman ($9,800)

It feels as though we're getting a bargain with Doc Redman this week. His price is most likely affordable due to his erratic results as of late. Redman is a very explosive young player, but is still trying to find the week-in, week-out consistency that's required on the PGA Tour. As we work our way down the salary scale this week, it's dawning on me that we're faced with lots of "Upside vs Consistency" decisions. Rostering Doc is certainly a bet on his upside, but it might just be a chance worth taking, as he stands sixth in this field in Birdies or Better Gained and fifth in SG: Ball Striking.

Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Austin Cook ($9,600)

Another spot to embrace volatility here with Austin Cook...the 29-year-old has mostly struggled over the past 18 months, failing to post a single top-10 finish during the 2019-20 season. Cook ranked just 130th on the PGA Tour in driving distance last season and his lack of length puts pressure on the other facets of his game. Fortunately for Cook, he seems to once again be trending in the right direction, as a playoff loss at the Shriners and a top-25 outing in Houston indicate. He posted his best SG: Approach performance in nearly two years at the Shriners, gaining 5.1 strokes with the irons, and he’s now gained strokes T2G in four of his last five starts.

Cook’s trending form is enough to put him on our radars, but it’s the course fit at Sea Island that seals the deal. He won the RSM Classic in 2018 and also has a T11 in this event on his resume.

Sam Burns ($9,300)

Sea Island certainly shouldn't be classified as a "Bomber's Paradise", which are generally the type of layouts on which we want to target young Sam Burns. However, in addition to his prodigious length off the tee, Burns also happens to be an excellent Bermuda-grass putter that stands third in this RSM field in SG: Putting Bermuda over long-term metrics. His ball striking is often spotty, but Burns heads to Sea Island on the heels of the best iron performance of his career (+6.5 SG: Approach) at the Houston Open. If he can keep the irons hot, I'm really intrigued by his potential to make birdies on this layout.

Matthew NeSmith ($8,900)

At first glance Matthew NeSmith doesn't stick out in this price range, as he's surrounded by well-known veterans like Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, and Joel Dahmen. That said, I'm intrigued with the lesser-known NeSmith in this spot, as the South Carolina resident both has some ties to the area and is a nice fit on this layout. He won the SEC Championship on the Seaside Course in 2015 while at the University of South Carolina and posted a T14 in his RSM Classic debut last year. In addition to the course history, NeSmith heads to town having gained strokes on Approach in each of his last eight starts, with strong results at both the Sanderson (T17) and Shriners (T8).

Russell Knox ($8,500)

Russell Knox appears to be coming out of a prolonged funk as of late. He scored a top-10 at the Safeway in September, and after missing the cuts in his next two starts, he's bounced back to record back-to-back top-16 finishes in his last two. Knox seems to have solidified his ball striking and has now gained strokes on Approach in six of his last seven appearances. He's been solid at the RSM as well, making the cut in both of his appearances since 2016, with a T20 last year.

Peter Malnati ($8,100)

I'm a believer in course history, a belief that's tearing me apart when it comes to Peter Malnati this week. Malnati has been absolutely terrible in this event, missing the RSM cut in four consecutive years. Despite the horrible track record, I'm still considering him this week due to his great recent form and great Bermuda putting splits. Malnati has posted two top-fives and a top-25 over his last three starts, gaining strokes on Approach in each. His lack of success on this layout is truly puzzling to me, as Sea Island should be a great fit for him in theory. Oh well...I'll probably roll the dice in GPPs just to see what happens.

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