March 10, 2026
Ludvig Aberg did not have the best start to the 2026 season. The Swedish golfer had an injury impact his play but since the calendar turned to February, his form has returned. That culminated in a T-3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week. Aberg has been closing well in events with a 67-66-67 over his past three final rounds. Driving distance is vital but the accuracy is key. Last week, Aberg was 15% more accurate compared to the rest of the field. At TPC Sawgrass, it is vital that the golfer avoid errant tee shots. This is something that holds Aberg back. Aberg is a solid betting wager if not for a win but at least a Top 10 or even Top 5.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
March 9, 2026
Despite his Southeastern roots and affinity for playing on Bermuda grass surfaces, Harris English has a downright putrid record at The Players Championship. In 12 career appearances, he has one top 20 finish to go along with seven missed cuts. The former Georgia Bulldog is a serviceable ball striker, but it isn't up to the level needed to compete on The Stadium Course. He ranks third on the season in strokes gained off the tee (+0.596), and ranks 13th in par-4 scoring average. If he is to make a run at this championship, he'll need to be sharper with his iron play and short game. But there is some value to be had here for guys playing for the perceived ceiling English has.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
March 9, 2026
Things have cooled off for Pierceson Coody after the hot start to the season. He missed his first cut of the season last week at Bay Hill, after losing over three shots around the green. He'll now make his first career start at The Players Championship, a place notorious for being unkind to first-timers. The 26-year-old has proven his ability to hang, but TPC Sawgrass is unlike anything he's played this year. His distance gives advantages at certain venues, but a 55.77% driving accuracy will be difficult to overcome here. Luckily, the approach play he's displayed this season has been some of the best we've seen from anyone. Coody has the talent for The Stadium Course, but ownership will determine how viable an option he is. If he's even remotely at the same level that he was before last week, there are better options elsewhere.
--Todd McGillSource: PGA Tour
March 9, 2026
It wasn't meant to be for Daniel Berger this past week at the API, as he ultimately didn't do enough on the weekend to hold off a confident Akshay Bhatia. Still, it was a successful week for the 32-year-old, who led the field in strokes gained on approach (+1.98) and strokes gained from tee to green (+2.70). He'll now head to TPC Sawgrass, where his game sets up beautifully and ultimately flourishes. The Stadium Course usually awards sound ball striking, and while that is usually the skill we equate with Berger, it has been his short game and putting that have given him the biggest boost around this property. Hopefully, he can shake off the close call at Bay Hill and show up to Ponte Vedra ready to play, because he's a worthwhile DFS selection.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
March 9, 2026
Min Woo Lee has put together one of the strongest starts to the season, recording five finishes of T38 or better, including three straight top-12 results. He looks to carry that momentum into THE PLAYERS, where he has made three career starts with finishes of T6, T54, and T20. TPC Sawgrass rewards players who find fairways, play well on approach, and convert their opportunities on the greens. Lee ranks seventh on tour in total strokes gained (+1.573 per round), 78th on approach (+0.116), and 39th in putting (+0.411). He has also been excellent off the tee, ranking first in total driving. His proximity from key approach ranges has been mixed, sitting 46th from 125-150 yards (20'10") and 129th from 150-175 yards (31'1"), distances that accounted for 36.5% of all approach shots here last year. At $7,500 on DraftKings, Lee offers plenty of upside at his price, though he will likely need a stronger week with his mid-irons to return value.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
March 9, 2026
Sahith Theegala continued his strong start to the season with his third top-10 finish, a T6 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He now heads to THE PLAYERS, where he has four career starts with mixed results, ranging from a missed cut to a T9 finish here in 2024. TPC Sawgrass rewards players who hit fairways, are solid on approach, and convert opportunities on the green. Theegala ranks 22nd in total strokes gained (+1.014 per round), 44th on approach (+0.353), and 33rd in putting (+0.480), though he has struggled a bit off the tee, sitting 80th in total driving. His mid-iron play has been especially sharp, ranking ninth on tour in proximity from 150-175 yards and 40th from 125-150. Those two ranges accounted for 36.5% of all approach shots here last year. At $7,000 on DraftKings, Theegala enters the week in great form and brings plenty of upside at this price.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
March 9, 2026
Jason Day missed the cut at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, and that was followed by a missed cut at The Genesis Invitational two weeks ago. Day opened the season with two top-25 finishes in his first three starts. Day will need to shake off these missed cuts and get back to his early-season form to have a chance to compete this weekend. Day missed the 2025 edition of THE PLAYERS Championship but tied for 35th in 2025 and tied for 19th in 2023. Over the past 12 months, Day ranks in the 83rd percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway. This is important because at last year's THE PLAYERS Championship over 30% of approach shots came from this distance.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
March 9, 2026
Patrick Cantlay missed the cut at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, and this was followed by a tie for 37th at The Genesis Invitational two weeks ago. He'll now turn his focus on preparing for this week's THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Cantlay finished tied for 12th in 2025 and tied for 68th in 2024. Over the past 12 months, Cantlay ranks in the 97th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway. This is worth pointing out because at last year's THE PLAYERS Championship over 30% of approach shots came from this distance.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
March 4, 2026
Taylor Moore leaned on an elite short game at the Cognizant Classic, gaining over 10.6 strokes combined putting and around the green on his way to a T2 finish. He now heads to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he has three prior starts with results of T42, T39, and T48. Bay Hill typically rewards strong ball striking and accuracy off the tee, areas where Moore has struggled. He ranks 32nd in strokes gained off the tee (+0.426 per round) but is just 138th on approach (-0.540) and 141st in driving accuracy. Where he separates himself is around the greens, ranking second on Tour in strokes gained (+1.066 per round) and is also second in bogey avoidance. Despite his elite short game, Bay Hill's emphasis on ball striking may limit his ceiling, making him a bit of a risky option at $6,400 on DraftKings.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
March 4, 2026
Robert MacIntyre has opened 2026 with four straight top-40 finishes, including a T4 at the Sony Open. He now heads to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he finished T11 last year. Bay Hill rewards ball striking and accuracy off the tee, areas MacIntyre has seen mixed results. He ranks 35th in strokes gained off the tee (+0.400 per round) and 73rd in driving accuracy, but is only 141st on approach (-0.575) . His long irons have also struggled, sitting 155th in proximity from 175-200 yards and 143rd from 200+. On a more positive note, during last year's T11 finish here, his ball striking was solid, as he gained over 5.5 strokes combined off the tee and on approach. Recent form and course history make MacIntyre a high-upside play at $9,000 on DraftKings, though he carries slightly more risk than others in this price range given his approach struggles so far this season.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
March 4, 2026
With two wins in the last four years of this event, there is no surprise to see Scottie Scheffler atop the betting board and DFS pricing. He has dominated the Arnold Palmer Invitational since making his debut in 2020, with an absurd +2.801 total strokes gained average over his last 16 rounds played at Bay Hill. His most overwhelming individual stats come from the driver, as the 29-year-old has averaged +1.025 in strokes gained off the tee. Interestingly, ball striking has been the lone inconsistency to begin this year. Moreso from the approach, but accuracy off the tee has certainly been evident as well. It clearly isn't stopping him from still being virtually a top-15 lock, but as the most expensive DFS player by a pretty wide margin, it almost has to be a top-3-or-bust mentality with him. And with some of the most important events coming up--including this week--it's probably time to expect him to return to his dominance soon.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
March 4, 2026
After a slow start to the season for Xander Schauffele, he has begun figuring things out over his last couple of events. The 32-year-old finished T19 at Pebble Beach and posted a T7 finish the following week at the Genesis. It wasn't like he was far off to begin with, but things have certainly gotten more controlled as of late. He still hasn't been quite the same ball striker as his 2024 form, but he did manage to rank third on the week at Riviera in strokes gained from tee to green (+1.58). Bay Hill plays longer, but there is a similar correlation in approach distances between the two venues. Aside from the putting slump, he'll need to have better driving accuracy and par-5 performance to have a real chance. However, it's reasonable to expect he will better his current best tournament finish of T25.
--Todd McGillSource: Data Golf
March 4, 2026
After starting the season with four straight T11-or-better finishes, Si Woo Kim has now posted back-to-back results of T45 and T34. He'll look to get back to elite form at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he has played 10 times but has only finished inside the top 25 once, which was a T19 last year. Success at Bay Hill typically hinges on accuracy off the tee and strong long-iron approach play, areas where Kim excels. He ranks 15th in strokes gained off the tee (+0.569 per round), second on approach (+1.313), and fifth in driving accuracy. His ball striking is among the best on Tour, sitting third in proximity from 175-200 yards (24'8") and fourth from 200+ yards (39'6"), ranges that accounted for nearly half of approach shots here last year. The only concern is his putter, where he has lost over nine strokes in his last three events. If Kim can put together a decent week the flat stick, he remains an elite option at $9,200 on DraftKings.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
March 4, 2026
Ben Griffin withdrew from the Cognizant Classic prior to the start of last week's tournament but will tee it up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He has competed here twice, finishing T14 in 2023 and T45 in 2025. With penalizing rough, success at Bay Hill typically hinges on accuracy off the tee and strong long-iron approach play. Griffin ranks 106th on approach (-0.119 strokes per round) and 159th in proximity from 200+ yards (57'11"), accounting for nearly 30% of approach shots last year. While his accuracy off the tee has been solid (30th), Griffin has struggled to return to the elite form we saw from him last year, with results sliding from T19 to T41 over his first five events. He's due for a rebound, but with a lot of strong options around his $8,700 DraftKings price, fantasy managers may want to hold off until he reverses these trends.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
March 4, 2026
Nico Echavarria took full advantage of a Shane Lowry collapse on Sunday at the Cognizant Classic, carding a bogey-free 66 to win the event by two strokes. He now heads to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he is making his tournament debut. Bay Hill typically rewards accuracy off the tee and strong long-iron play, areas where he has been decent. Echavarria ranks 91st in strokes gained off the tee (-0.010 per round), 61st on approach (+0.234), and 63rd in driving accuracy. He is also 84th in proximity from 175-200 yards and 77th from 200+, ranges that accounted for nearly half of all approach shots here last season. It's worth noting that before his win last week, Echavarria had just one made cut (T8 at Pebble Beach) in five events to start the year. His ball-striking upside is there, but with inconsistent form and no course history at Bay Hill, Echavarria is more likely a middle-of-the-pack option than a serious contender at $7,000 on DraftKings.
--Dakota Legg - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
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