3 months agoIt's been a back-and-forth start to the season for Stephan Jaeger. Most weeks, he has struggled to put everything together, but the few weeks he hasn't struggled, he's been within reach of winning (T3's at The Farmers Insurance Open and the Mexico Open). His driver has been his best friend, as the 34-year-old from Germany ranks 22nd in strokes gained off the tee (0.517) and 10th in driving distance (307.5). However, the success with his irons and the ability to make up some strokes on the greens is the name of the game at the Tour's flagship event, and Jaeger hasn't shown enough consistency in those areas to warrant a DFS play at $8,900 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months agoAfter a rough start to the season for Rickie Fowler, the waters have slightly calmed over the last few weeks regarding strokes-gained statistics. It hasn't been enough to right the ship, but enough to stop the bleeding. His storied history at TPC Sawgrass has been feast or famine. However, this week is the perfect venue to prove that 2023 wasn't a fluke. The Oklahoma State Cowboy needs to create a spark going into his first Masters tournament in three years, and gaining strokes over his last three events (0.76--0.77--0.74 total strokes gained) suggests he may be trending in the right direction. Nonetheless, when it comes to DFS lineups, players should look elsewhere.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoSince his win at the Sentry, Chris Kirk hasn't played his best golf. Made putts have been hard to come by, and in a stretch that has typically been kind to the Tour journeyman in years past, it hasn't come to fruition in 2024. On paper, his 20th ranking in strokes gained off the tee (0.531) and 28th-ranked strokes-gained-on-approach (0.511) numbers are things to put in the "pros" list. However, the more important of the two is his approach play, and Kirk's metrics are slightly skewed thanks to his strong performances at both Hawaii events, where he had an average of 1.475 strokes gained on approach through the first two events, compared to the minus-0.002 over the last six events. For $9,000 on FanDuel, the risk is not worth the reward.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoKeith Mitchell, who finished tied for ninth at the Cognizant Classic two weeks ago, is all set to tee it up at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He has been in excellent form at the start of 2024, securing two top-ten and two top-20 finishes. Mitchell has a good record at TPC Sawgrass, finishing T35 in 2023 and T13 in 2022. Notably, Mitchell has been impressive with his approach play on shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway over the last 12 months, ranking in the 67th percentile in proximity to the hole from these shots. This is significant because over 30% of approach shots at last year's tournament came from 100-150 yards. Given his recent form and course history, Mitchell could be a solid addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoJ.T. Poston finished 55th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, but his final-round score of 76 was disappointing. He will have another chance to perform well at The Players Championship this week at TPC Sawgrass. Although Poston missed the cut at last year's tournament and in 2022, he has the necessary skill set to contend. It is worth noting that over the past 12 months, he has ranked in the 77th percentile for proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway. This is particularly noteworthy because more than 30% of approach shots at last year's tournament came from this distance. While Poston has had some solid performances in 2024, including him in DFS lineups comes with some risk based on his history at this course.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoCorey Conners finished T18 at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, which may have been disappointing after he posted a 74 in the final round. However, he will look to continue his strong play when he tees it up at TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship. Conners has mixed results at this course, missing the cut in 2023 but finishing T26 in 2022. Nevertheless, Conners has the skill set to contend this week, and over the past 12 months, he ranks in the 88th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway. This is important to note because at last year's tournament, over 30% of approach shots were taken from this distance. Additionally, Conners has yet to miss a cut this year, and although his final round last week was a letdown, he could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoSi Woo Kim had a solid performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, finishing T30. He has not missed a cut in any of the seven tournaments he has played in 2024. Kim has recorded two top-25 finishes and two top-15 finishes this year, and he is set to compete at The Players Championship this week at TPC Sawgrass. Kim has had some success at this event, finishing T27 in 2023 and tying for ninth in 2021. Over the past year, Kim has been in the 58th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway. This is significant because over 30% of approach shots at last year's tournament came from this distance. Kim's performance has been exceptional, and he could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoTommy Fleetwood had a disappointing performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, as he missed the cut after posting an 80 in the second round. However, he has a chance to redeem himself at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, where he has a history of finishing well. It's worth noting that Fleetwood is in the 68th percentile for proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway over the past 12 months. Additionally, over 30% of approach shots were taken from this distance at last year's tournament, which could make him a solid choice for DFS lineups this week despite his poor showing last week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoLudvig Aberg, who finished T25 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, is set to tee it up in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. This will be Aberg's debut appearance at The Players Championship, and he has proven that he can perform well on almost any course. In his last four appearances, he has secured two top-ten finishes and one top-20 finish. However, TPC Sawgrass is known to be one of the most challenging courses on the tour, from tee to green. It's worth noting that over the past 12 months, Aberg has ranked in the 34th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway. This is significant because over 30% of approach shots were from 100-150 yards at last year's tournament. Nonetheless, Aberg has been in excellent form of late and could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoA final-round 77 sank the ship for Harris English at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, mostly due to uncharacteristically poor play off the tee, where he was minus-0.33 on the week in strokes gained off the tee. Strong play with his putter has been the reason for much of his success this season, as he ranks 25th in strokes gained in putting (.531). What's more encouraging, is that the former Georgia Bulldog has gained an average of 0.625 strokes on approach over his last two starts, a part of his game he struggled with earlier in the year. The troubling part about English is his putrid course history at TPC Sawgrass, where in 10 starts, he's had seven missed cuts and a best finish of T33. It's a flip of the coin of which side to lean more heavily into, but at $9,100 on FanDuel, it's hard to find guys producing better results around him.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoFrom a statistical standpoint, Byeong Hun An should be a weekly contender, and from a fantasy perspective, he is, but real life hasn't exactly been the same. On the year, the South Korean is ranked second in par-four scoring average (3.89) and is inside the top 15 in strokes gained off the tee (.560), from tee to green (1.079), and in total strokes gained (1.166). A couple of close calls early in the season gave way to a dip in performance on and around the greens, starting with a T66 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. But coming off a T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational has put some wind in his sails to tackle the PGA Tour's flagship event. With a best finish of T26 in 2019, it's hard to imagine Ben-An can pull off a win, but he could be a cornerstone piece to a fantasy lineup without question at $9,200 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months agoFrom a ball-striking perspective, it has been a great run over the last month and a half for Tony Finau, but from a putting and short-game perspective, things have been tough since the Masters last season. The fan favorite has only had three positive strokes-gained putting weeks from then to now and hasn't had the greatest success on the greens at TPC Sawgrass in years past, as his best finish of T22 would indicate. Finau has impressive stats with the other clubs in his arsenal, where he is ranked second in strokes gained from tee to green (1.553) and third in strokes gained on approach (.989). However, with a price tag of $10,000 on FanDuel, there are guys with seemingly higher ceilings around him.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months agoIt wasn't as flashy of a showing for Cameron Young at the Arnold Palmer Invitational as most were expecting, as his second-worst putting performance on the season (minus-0.80 in strokes gained) kept him from getting anything going. With that said, the former Demon Deacon hasn't performed horribly on the greens at Sawgrass in his first two attempts, as he has pretty much broken even in the strokes-gained putting category. His game from tee to green should bode well at the Stadium Course, with his 22nd ranking in strokes gained off the tee (.517) as a glowing positive. Young is among the better players left on the PGA Tour, and at $10,200 on FanDuel, those adding him to lineups will be hoping he gets lost in the shuffle in terms of ownership level.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 months agoLast year's Champion of the DP World Tour Finals in Dubai has found mixed results to this point on the PGA Tour, as Nicolai Hojgaard followed up a runner-up finish at the Farmers with three pretty pedestrian finishes around Pebble Beach, Riviera, and Vidanta Vallarta. Given his elite combination of driving distance and iron play, however, Bay Hill's 7460-yard layout stands out as a perfect fit for the 22-year-old Dane, who has already popped up at some of Europe and America's most demanding courses (Torrey Pines, Marco Simone, Jumariah Estates, etc.). He's far from the most bankable entity on a week-to-week basis, but nobody will deny the upside of a player who has already accomplished so much in his short career. At 100-1 on some odds boards, there are certainly worse shots to take if you're convinced this run of recent longshot winners is destined to continue on the PGA Tour.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months agoIt's hard to quantify just what went wrong last week for Eric Cole at PGA National, as the former Honda Classic runner-up carded an opening 78 around a relatively benign layout in Palm Beach Gardens. His last-place position on the Thursday leaderboard came as a shock to many of us in the golf industry, as PGA National's strategic layout seemed to fit Cole's precision-based playstyle to a tee. This week, however, expectations will be completely off of the 2023 Rookie of the Year as Eric Cole makes his second-ever trek to Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill. His last competitive round here was in last year's Invitational, where Cole carded an 80 to finish five shots off of the cutline. Given his stellar run of play over the last 12 months, we remain bullish on Cole's long-term outlook, but Bay Hill's daunting layout doesn't exactly present an ideal get-right spot for a struggling player.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
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