February 25, 2026
Chris Kirk has struggled to start the year, recording three missed cuts and a T52 finish in his first four events. He now turns to the Cognizant Classic, a familiar spot where he has played 14 times, making 10 cuts with six top-30 finishes and a victory in 2023. His best results at PGA National have come when his approach play and putting are at their best. Kirk currently ranks 107th in total strokes gained (-0.472 per round), though he has been great with his irons, sitting 13th on approach (+0.766), while the putter sits at 114th (-0.332). Despite the slow start to the season, strong ball striking at a course where he has already won could provide the formula needed for a turnaround this week.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
February 25, 2026
It's been a few weeks since we last saw Brooks Koepka on the PGA Tour stage, after he unexpectedly missed the cut in his last outing at the WM Phoenix Open. Putting has been a struggle for the 35-year-old, as he has lost over 12 shots on the greens in his first six rounds of 2026. Everything else has been okay for the five-time major winner, ranking 11th on the season in strokes gained from tee to green (+1.317). Koepka is in the field this week at PGA National for the eighth time in his career, with a T2 in 2019 being his best finish. He hasn't been that successful outside of that year, other than a T16 in his last season before jumping to LIV. As many expect the former Seminole to return to the expected level of play, there needs to be a better show of consistency and grit before considering him for DFS purposes.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
February 25, 2026
Since missing the cut at The American Express, Mackenzie Hughes has posted solid results of T59, T28 and T34 in his last three starts. He now heads to the Cognizant Classic, where he has made seven appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2020, but also a missed cut last year. Hughes' success at PGA National has closely correlated with his putting, and while he ranks 115th on Tour in strokes gained putting (-0.337 per round), the move to Florida should help. He is far more comfortable on Bermuda greens, where he ranks 18th-best in the field this week. He is also 66th in total strokes gained (+0.357) and 80th on approach (+0.075), major contributing factors this week. With good recent form and a putting surface that better suits his game, Hughes offers a solid floor at $7,500 on DraftKings for fantasy managers considering the Canadian.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
February 25, 2026
Seamus Power has enjoyed a solid start to the 2026 campaign. The Irish golfer has made all three cuts in the United States. Power nearly ended up inside the Top 10 at the Farmers Insurance Open (T-11). He is average to below average in most metrics but the putter has been hot. Power, overall, has gained a whopping 1.048 strokes when it comes to putting (13th). While the golfer scrambles pretty well, Power needs to be closer when it comes to proximity where he ranks outside the Top 100 around the green and approach to the green. Power will likely be a DFS choice to monitor as Thursday approaches especially if he gets close early and often.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
February 25, 2026
Haotong Li is back from a few weeks off and a missed cut at the WM Phoenix Open. The Chinese golfer was playing pretty well before then. He was in contention for The American Express (T-8) and even the Farmers Insurance Open (T-11). Li's only concern may be his putter heading into this week at the Palm Beaches. One putt percentage ranks 146th (35.71%) and putts per round is high at 29.79 (143rd). At two birdie rich events this season, Li lost more than a stroke in Hawaii and Scottsdale. The bad news for Li is that scores have been trending closer to 20 under par in recent years. Li from a DFS perspective is a golfer to fade here.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
February 25, 2026
Stephan Jaeger has played well enough in 2026. The German golfer has made three of four cuts and even has a T-5 from the Farmers Insurance Open. Unfortunately, trends have shown a little decline the past two events. Jaeger barely made the cut at Pebble Beach a couple of weeks ago. Jaegar ranks 33rd in strokes gained to putting at 0.54 but his errant shots approaching the green (129th at -0.485) has been problematic. Birdie average has been solid at 4.87 which ranks 23rd. If Jaegar can heat up, he could be a viable DFS choice this week. The key will be improving his driving accuracy which is only 51.9% (151st). Any errant drives will be more costly.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
February 25, 2026
Nico Echavarria has made one cut in five events this 2026 season. The golfer from Colombia finished T-8 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Unfortunately, he has missed the cut in every other event. Even at The Genesis Invitational, Echavarria opened with a 74 and just could not recover enough. His form is slightly improving but with so many red metrics, Echavarria is likely not a good betting or DFS option in Florida. The Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches is far from an easy event. Two of the past three years, Echavarria has missed the cut in this event. He finished T-21 in 2024, however. Again, volatility will be high here.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
February 25, 2026
Patrick Fishburn has gotten off to a rough start in 2026, missing the cut in both of his first two events. He'll try to turn things around at the Cognizant Classic, where he has a missed cut and a T48 in two prior appearances. PGA National typically rewards strong ball striking and solid play on the greens, two areas that have been a struggle for Fishburn early this season. He ranks 170th in total strokes gained (-3.103 per round), including 154th on approach (-0.990) and 110th putting (-0.286). He also sits 131st in proximity from 150-175 yards (31'1"), a distance that had the most approach shots here last season. Given his current form, Fishburn is difficult to trust for fantasy lineups until he shows any signs of improvement.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
February 25, 2026
After starting the year on the Korn Ferry Tour, Blades Brown made a strong impression in his first PGA Tour start of the season, opening with rounds of 67-60-68 at The American Express before fading Sunday to finish T18. He now tees it up at the Cognizant Classic for his tournament debut. Through two measured rounds, Brown has lost 0.615 strokes per round overall, including -0.285 on approach and -0.267 putting. His greens-in-regulation rate sits at an impressive 86.11%, though with the small sample size, this should be taken with a grain of salt. With limited TOUR data and a sporatic schedule for the 18-year-old, it is tough to know when the next big result will come. At $6,800 on DraftKings, he profiles as a clear high-risk, high-reward option.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
February 25, 2026
Michael Thorbjornsen opened Pebble Beach with a four-under 68 on Thursday but unraveled on the greens, finishing dead last in putting and losing more than 10.3 strokes with the flat stick on his way to a T78 finish. He'll look to bounce back at the Cognizant Classic, where he finished T39 last year. Thorbjornsen currently ranks 120th in total strokes gained (-0.710 per round), 106th on approach (-0.174) and 154th in putting (-0.866), though much of that is driven by his difficult week at Pebble. One encouraging sign is his proximity from 150-175 yards, where he ranks 16th (23'4") in a distance that accounted for the most approach shots here last season. After back-to-back strong finishes (T3, T18) prior to Pebble, a bounce-back from the 24-year-old would not be a surprise. If the putter improves even slightly, Thorbjornsen offers solid upside at $9,200 on DraftKings.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
February 24, 2026
The start to the 2026 season hasn't been fruitful for Billy Horschel, who is coming off a T48 finish a couple of weeks ago at Pebble Beach. Consistency has been the biggest hurdle, as his short game is the only part of his game with any amount of dependability. The 39-year-old is also struggling to get the ball in the hole, losing strokes on the greens in four of his five starts at an average of -0.497 strokes gained putting. He now gets to spend the next month in his home state (outside of an event in Puerto Rico), beginning this week at PGA National, where he has established a long and successful course history. Expect his putting to see some improvement, and even with questionable approach play, he's in the 89th percentile in strokes gained from 150-200 yards (+0.043). Given the recent turbulence, Horschel makes for strictly a GPP play.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
February 24, 2026
After a frustrating last six months inside the ropes, Joe Highsmith returns to PGA National this week in hopes of defending his title from last season. The now 25-year-old held off many of the prominent players en route to victory in 2025. However, things have been much tougher as of late. He's only had one top 30 finish in his last 25 starts. The solid putting that carried him to not only a win in the Palm Beaches, but also a host of other events in 2024 and last year has been MIA for a while. In just his five events this new season, Highsmith has averaged -0.402 strokes gained on the greens. Throw into the mix his mediocre ball striking, and the thought of defending looks bleak. Look elsewhere for better DFS options.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
February 24, 2026
As Joel Dahmen continues to try to plod his way back into the upper echelon of the PGA Tour, he now heads to the East Coast with a set of irons and a putter that have mirrored each other through the first three starts of this season. However, that hasn't been to his benefit, as his last outing at the WM Phoenix Open saw him lose over two strokes putting and over two and a half strokes on approach. He's back in action this week at PGA National, where his best finish is T32 in four appearances. As a GPP play, Dahmen is always a lower-priced option with the ability to sprout up on any leaderboard. The difficulty is pinpointing where it will happen. When it happens, it's usually on the back of his ironplay. Given the rough shape it's been in, this isn't the place to hope he figures it out.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
February 24, 2026
What started as a decent opening to the season for Daniel Berger has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks. After beginning with top-10 and 20 finishes in two of the first three starts, the 32-year-old finished nearly dead last at Pebble Beach and missed the cut last week at Riviera. The ball striking has remained fairly consistent, but he's bled strokes on and around the green, losing an average of -1.32 strokes between the two metrics over his last three starts. Berger has had a nice run at PGA National over his last few appearances, with T4 finishes in 2020 and 2022. The ball striking is good enough to give him a chance, but the putting and short game slump make him a hard sell right now.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
February 24, 2026
Davis Thompson is struggling some to start 2026. The American golfer has no Top 25 results in three events. Worse, he took time off after winding up over par at the WM Phoenix Open. For a tournament that features a lot of birdies, that does not bode well for tougher events like the Cognizant Classic. Thompson has won once in his career and that was in 2024 (John Deere Classic). Since then, the golfer has dropped outside the Top 100 again in the world rankings. Overall strokes lost to putting in 2026 is now -1.104 (162nd). The end of 2025 looked pretty bright for Thompson after four Top 25 results over his final five events. Heading to Florida, that hope seems to have been dashed as Thompson has been a DFS albatross.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
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