X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

THE PLAYERS Championship - PGA DFS Tournament Preview

RotoBaller's PGA DFS Tournament Preview for THE PLAYERS Championship and FanDuel, DraftKings. Read our daily fantasy golf player outlooks and course breakdowns.

Hi RotoBallers! In our ongoing attempt to expand and improve our PGA coverage, we will be dropping a 'Tournament Preview' for some of the big events on the PGA Tour schedule. We're getting this new series kicked off this week with the 'Fifth Major', THE PLAYERS Championship!

We hope this preview will give you a head start on your PLAYERS research. If you aren't already utilizing RotoBaller's amazing weekly PGA content, fix that right now by joining us this week and throughout the rest of the PGA Tour season. Access to RotoBaller's PGA content is COMPLETELY FREE and our dedicated staff covers all your golf needs each and every week.

RotoBaller Weekly PGA Article Schedule

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code WIN! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

Tuesdays: We kick your DFS research into high gear with articles from Seth Finkelstein and Joe Nicely. Seth's 'DraftKings Picks' highlights DK lineup options in each price range and Joe's 'Horse For The Course' is an in-depth look into players with great course history.

Wednesdays: We broaden your horizons with some unique PGA content from Spencer Aguiar and Gianni Magliocco. Spencer's 'Vegas Report' offers comprehensive PGA betting advice that highlights both outright and head-to-head wagers. Gianni and the rest of the crew give you their takes and insight in our 'RotoBaller One and Done Staff Picks'.

Editor's Note: Our friends at Fantasy National have built some incredible DFS Golf lineup tools including a Lineup Optimizer, Stat Engine, Ownership Projections and Course Breakdowns. They are by far the best daily fantasy Golf tools in the industry. Seriously. You can read all about them here and see screenshots. 

Sign Up Now!

 

Tournament Overview

THE PLAYERS Championship

As I mentioned in the intro, this event is widely considered golf's 'Fifth Major'. THE PLAYERS routinely draws a major championship-caliber field and this year is no different, as we have golf's elite making their way to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. This is the first PLAYERS to be held since the PGA Tour decided to revamp its schedule, with this tournament moving up to March from the May slot it had held on the schedule since 2007. We should expect the change to alter course conditions a bit...with TPC Sawgrass less baked out from the hot Florida summer and March weather possibly becoming a factor, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the course play slightly more difficult this year. In addition to a stacked field, THE PLAYERS also has one of the highest prize purses of the year at $12.5 million. Players are eager to grab both the prestige and riches that come with winning this tournament.

THE PLAYERS is held on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and this Pete Dye design has produced an eclectic group of winners over the years. We've seen several different styles of play have success here, but the one constant among winners is managing to avoid the big numbers that can happen quickly on this course that seemingly has trouble lurking everywhere. The Stadium Course's most iconic hole is the Par 3 17th with its 'Island Green' that is surrounded by water. The title can be won or lost on this short hole that should be simple to the best golfers in the world, but the combination of pressure and the psychological effect it has on players always seems to make the 17th extremely difficult when Sunday afternoon rolls around.

Webb Simpson romped to victory in last year's tournament. Simpson finished four shots clear of Xander Schauffele and two others, but it was never as close as the final standings indicate and Simpson was in dominate form with opening rounds of 66-63 that tied the tournament's 54-hole scoring record. Simpson will have a tough task ahead in his quest for a repeat, as there's never been a back-to-back winner in PLAYERS history.

Recent Winners
2018 - Webb Simpson (-18)
2017 - Si Woo Kim (-10)
2016 - Jason Day (-15)
2015 - Rickie Fowler (-12)
2014 - Martin Kaymer (-13)

Event Details
Purse: $12.5 million
FedEx Cup Points: 600 (Winner)
Field: 144 Players
Cut: Top 70 and ties move on after the first two rounds
Watch: Thurs & Fri - Golf Channel 1-7 p.m. ET, Sat - NBC 2-7 p.m. ET, Sun - NBC 1-6 p.m ET

 

Course Breakdown

THE PLAYERS Championship - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) - Par 72 - 7,183 Yards - Greens: Bermuda
Designers: Pete & Alice Dye - Opened: 1982

Designed by legendary course architect Pete Dye, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass was truly the first of its kind. Its 'stadium' design changed the way golf was viewed by on-course spectators. I wanted to give Alice Dye her proper design credit, as the course's most iconic hole, the Par-3 17th 'Island Green', was her idea.

At just under 7,200 yards, the Stadium Course is one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour schedule, but it is no pushover and annually ranks as one of the tougher tracks the pros face. In true Dye fashion, it's a second-shot golf course that has danger lurking around every corner. Tree-lined fairways, water hazards, and bunkers are the norm at TPC Sawgrass. As you can imagine, players can often find themselves in big trouble with huge numbers a very real possibility.

THE PLAYERS is a very difficult tournament to peg from a DFS perspective and that's by design. Dye created the Stadium Course layout with a directive from former PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman to design a course that would favor no particular player or style of play. Dye's efforts succeeded and resulted in an almost maddeningly balanced golf course that has holes of every length in every category, both left and right doglegs, and a layout where no two consecutive holes ever go in the same direction. Due to these challenges, it's hard to favor either distance or accuracy off the tee when constructing lineups, and the fact that there has never been a repeat winner at THE PLAYERS speaks to how difficult this tournament is to project each year.

 

Fantasy Outlook

THE PLAYERS is a huge event and the DFS sites are rolling out the red carpet for us. There are tons of great tournaments to choose from this week. In addition to the many offerings, the sites have once again posted 'major championship-like' pricing for THE PLAYERS. It will be hard to construct a DFS lineup that looks bad this week. While it's tempting to attempt to 'play everybody', do your best to keep your core of players as tight as possible. As you can probably gather from the course breakdown, there is no 'magic bullet' this week, but there are some qualities that do translate strongly.

TPC Sawgrass will present several challenges to the golfers in this field and can expose any weaknesses in a players game. I will look to target players that are solid from tee to green, with an emphasis on ball striking and strokes gained on approach.

Our friends at Fantasy National give us the ability to find the recipe for success in a tournament over previous years, and we find that top-10 finishers in THE PLAYERS have averaged gaining 1.44 strokes per round in SG: Ball Striking and 1.04 per round in SG: Approach. A decent short game and the ability to avoid bogeys or worse will also be important this week. I'm giving almost no weight to distance here, but I will look for players that have fared well on other Pete Dye-designed courses on the Tour schedule.

 

Key Statistics To Target

  • Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
  • Strokes Gained: Approach
  • Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
  • Bogeys Avoided
  • Strokes Gained: Short Game (Around the Green + Putting)
  • Performance on Pete Dye courses

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks

 

Premium DFS Golf Tools and Lineup Optimizer

Our friends at Fantasy National have created some game-changing DFS Golf tools, and you can read all about them here. They are hands-down the best daily fantasy Golf tools in the industry.

Fantasy National Golf Club

Fantasy National Golf Club

Sign Up Now!

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
Jameson Williams

Records Long Touchdown in Week 2, Still Limited to Downfield Role?
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Jayden Daniels

Considered "Day-to-Day" with Knee Injury
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Jonathan Taylor

Tops 200 Yards From Scrimmage in Week 2 Win
Joe Burrow

Could Miss Three Months if he Requires Toe Surgery
Davante Adams

Headlines Rams Receiving Corps Sunday
Wan'Dale Robinson

Explodes for 142 Yards, Touchdown in Overtime Thriller
Joe Flacco

Browns Not Considering Benching Joe Flacco After Week 2
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
Max Muncy

Exits Early on Saturday
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Salvador Perez

Reaches 300 Home Runs, 1,000 RBI
Jose Altuve

Exits Early With Foot Discomfort
Trey Yesavage

Heading to Big Leagues
Will Smith

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
CFB

Ryan Williams Expected to Play Against Wisconsin
CFB

Billy Edwards Jr. Unlikely to Play on Saturday
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension
Lauri Markkanen

Big at Both Ends as Finland Books Place in EuroBasket Semis
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Notches 39 Points in Losing Effort
NBA

Cam Reddish Expected to Move to Europe
NBA

Trey Lyles Joins Real Madrid
Charles Bassey

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Hawks
Sacramento Kings

Terence Davis Waived by Kings
Matthew Knies

Ready for Bigger Role With Maple Leafs
Jack Eichel

Unbothered by Lack of Extension
Sidney Crosby

Not Thinking About Leaving Pittsburgh
SJ

Michael Misa Signs Entry-Level Contract With Sharks
Rutger McGroarty

Nursing an Injury

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP