🦃 BLACK FRIDAY - SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
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

Round 3 PGA DFS Showdown Slate Picks - 2024 Cognizant Classic

The top of this leaderboard is looks like we just hit the randomize button on the field. The first non-surprising name shows up in T6 where Shane Lowery, Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young frequent the leaderboard. Bud Cauley leads the Cognizant Classic field in only his second start since returning to the tour after a three-year injury hiatus. I truly remarkable story. IHe is currently gaining +5.5 short game so far, which is going to be tough to keep up if his irons and driver don't arrive to the party soon.

Austin Eckroat and Garrick Higgo find themselves in 2nd place with Higgo leading the field in putting through two rounds and Eckroat ranking inside the top-10 off the tee and on approach. His style of play seems the most sustainable of the trio at the top and could serve him well if he plans to hold off the Irish Laurel and Hardy and others.

The general logic to showdown has been to target golfers who played well the day before and particularly those who hit their irons well. This makes sense as you want to roster players who are playing good golf right now. These players will be higher-owned and chalkier than golfers in the same price range who had an off day, particularly with their irons. These are the golfers I am gravitating toward, as they could very easily bounce the following day at half the ownership.

 

Round 2 Analysis

Winning Lineup

DK Points Leaders

Ownership Leaders

 

Weather & Course Conditions

 

Round 3 Strategy

It appears that getting 144 golfers to complete all their holes in an 12 hour window is too difficult for the tour to achieve. As a result, we are now left with a few golfers who will have to finish up their round in the morning before tee times can be scheduled. It looks like they plan on having the first tee time at 815AM which would give about a dozen or so golfers some calmer wind for a few holes before it picks up and blows at a steady pace all day. Finding low owned golfers throughout the tee time ranges will be how we once again try to find our edge.

 

Showdown Model

Below are the power rankings of the golfers who we have our eye on for Round 3. The full-field model is available to premium subscribers HERE (code: "MANIAC" saves you 10%). It includes ownership projections, pre-event rankings, round-specific scoring averages, birdie percentages, weighted approach ratings, projected points, and GPP/Cash Ratings for tomorrow's showdown slate.

***Full disclosure: The ownership numbers are based on the $1 20 ENTRY MAX, which is important to note as ownership in showdown can vary from contest to contest depending on field size and entry fee. However, it should provide you with a guide to who will be the most owned and how those around them shake out.

 

$10,000+

Favorite play: Nobody... (nervously looks around)

 

$9,000+

Favorite play: Tom Kim has gained the third most strokes off the tee this week. He has not really showed us the upside he possesses with his irons or his putter. If we can get TNT Tom tomorrow, $9,500 could be the price we pay for the best golfer on the course. That's $2,400 cheaper than Rory. I will likely have Tom in 2/3rds of my lineups!

Other options: J.T Poston, Russell Henley

 

$8,000+

Favorite play: Matthieu Pavon is the reason we are leaving the $10k range alone as he is likely going to be rather chalky tomorrow. He is striking his irons exceptionally well through two rounds but really hasn't putted to the level we saw earlier in the year. If we can continue to hit the irons like he has this year and start to make some putts tomorrow, Pavon will be climbing that leaderboard like an Eiffel tower Daredevil I will likely have him in 2/3rds of my lineups tomorrow, with Tom Kim stacked in half of them.

Other options: Keith Mitchell, Chris Kirk

 

$7,000+

Favorite play: Billy Horschel has the 2nd-best R2 strokes gained average. When he makes the weekend the old school in him really steps it up on Saturdays. He made the cut and is playing good golf in Florida at a $7,400 price tag. Its go time Billy!

Other options: Justin Rose, Lucas Glover, Robert McIntyre, Ryan Fox (Ryo Hitsatsune if he makes birdie on 18 tomorrow)

 

$6,000+

Favorite play: Ben Silverman's good shot rate in his limited starts on the PGA Tour are really making the model fall in love with him. The KFT rookie also plays rather decent golf in R3 and at $6,900 he is going to be our favorite $6k option!

Other options: Sam Ryder, Alexander Bjork, Jorge Campillo, Chad Ramey, Rico Hoey

 

Showdown Optimizer

The optimizer works nicely with the projected ownership from the model. If you are unsure how to work it, at the top of the "PGA Lineup Optimizer" page, there is a video on how to get my projected ownership and/or projected points into your optimizer.

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.

  Win More With RotoBaller

Win more with expert tools and advice from proven winners! RotoBaller's PGA Premium Packages feature several savvy analysts and proven winners for DFS and betting.

Our very own Joe Nicely took down a big DraftKings DFS tournament for the Travelers Championship. And as an encore, RotoBaller subscriber @tenndolly2 won $100K on FanDuel with the help of Joe and the rest of our Premium PGA team: Between all the incredible Premium PGA DFS and Betting content and tools we put out each week, and our Premium Slack Community where we chat with our subscribers before lineups lock, RotoBaller PGA subscribers are armed with the tools, analysis, and advice to win more.

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks

More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks

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

Luke Kennard

Misses Sunday's Contest
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Builds on Superstar Campaign With Two More Touchdowns
Onyeka Okongwu

Good to Go Sunday
Jahmyr Gibbs

Dominates as Multi-Purpose Star on Sunday
Collin Murray-Boyles

Available Against Nets
Egor Demin

Cleared for Sunday
Nicolas Claxton

Available Sunday
Aaron Rodgers

Steelers Expect Aaron Rodgers to Play in Week 13
Tee Higgins

Suffers Concussion, Won't Return in Week 12
Kevin Durant

Will Miss the Next Two Games
Alvin Kamara

Suiting Up Against Falcons in Week 12
Kristaps Porzingis

Taking the Night off on Sunday
Kawhi Leonard

Off the Injury Report, Cleared to Suit Up on Sunday
Brandon Miller

Sitting Out on Sunday Evening
DK Metcalf

D.K. Metcalf Cleared to Return in Week 12 After Injury Scare
DK Metcalf

D.K. Metcalf Questionable to Return With Ankle Injury
LaMelo Ball

Resting Against Atlanta
Jalen Suggs

Won't Play Against Boston
Drake London

Falcons Could be Cautious With Drake London
Jordan Love

Playing Through Shoulder Injury
Brian Thomas Jr.

Likely to be Back in Week 13?
Brandon Aiyuk

Close to Being Cleared for Return
Xavier Worthy

Active Versus Colts
Kenneth Walker III

Will Play Against Titans in Week 12
Rhamondre Stevenson

Officially Active on Sunday
Emanuel Wilson

Set to Start for Packers in Week 12
George Pickens

Franchise Tag the More Likely Option for George Pickens
Josh Jacobs

Inactive for Week 12 Against Vikings
Mason Rudolph

Earns the Start in Week 12
Aaron Rodgers

Inactive for Week 12 Against Bears
Deshaun Watson

Travels for Week 12, Will Watch from Browns' Sideline
Lonzo Ball

Sitting Sunday for Knee Management
Shaedon Sharpe

Ruled Out for Third Straight Game
Jrue Holiday

Out at Least 1-2 Weeks
Donovan Clingan

Faces Uncertain Status Against Thunder
Jarrett Allen

Sidelined Again With Finger Strain
Jakob Poeltl

Out Sunday for Back Injury Management
VJ Edgecombe

Lands on Injury Report With Calf Issue
Joel Embiid

Out Again as Sixers Manage Knee Issue
Andrew Wiggins

to Miss Sunday's Contest with Hip Injury
Rhamondre Stevenson

Expected to Play in Week 12
Norman Powell

Carrying Probable Tag for Sunday
Sidney Crosby

Records 500th Multi-Point Game
Mackenzie Blackwood

Posts 35-Save Shutout
Aaron Ekblad

Battling an Illness
Jake McCabe

Suffers Upper-Body Injury
Brayden Point

Makes Early Exit Versus Capitals
Nikita Kucherov

Hurt on Saturday
Nic Dowd

Out Against Lightning
Jake Evans

Good to Go Saturday
Gavin Brindley

to Sit Out at Least Two Games
Thomas Chabot

Available Against Sharks
Roman Josi

Returns From 12-Game Absence
Jake Walman

Out Saturday
J.T. Miller

Won't Play Against Mammoth
Gabriel Vilardi

Has Two Goals in Losing Effort
Jordan Staal

Provides Two Goals in Friday's Win
Matt Boldy

Amasses Three Points in Impressive Road Win
Filip Gustavsson

Shuts Out Penguins Friday
Josh Doan

Pots Two Goals Friday Night
Alex Tuch

Tallies Four Assists in Big Win
Vinnie Hinostroza

Suffers Serious Injury Friday
Adolis García

Rangers Non-Tender Adolis Garcia on Friday
Auston Matthews

Doubtful for Saturday
CFB

Beau Pribula Expected to Start Against Oklahoma
Dan Hooker

An Underdog At UFC Qatar
Arman Tsarukyan

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Ian Machado Garry

A Favorite At UFC Qatar
Belal Muhammad

Looks To Bounce Back
Alonzo Menifield

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Volkan Oezdemir

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Myktybek Orolbai

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Jack Hermansson

Makes His Welterweight Debut
Kyoji Horiguchi

Returns To The UFC
Tagir Ulanbekov

Set To Open Up UFC Qatar Main Card
Elly De La Cruz

Played Through Partially Torn Quad to End 2025
Tarik Skubal

Tigers "Doubtful" to Trade Tarik Skubal
Raisel Iglesias

Returning to the Braves on One-Year Deal
Sahith Theegala

Looking to Continue Fall Run at RSM Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Looking to Bounce Back at RSM Classic
Tom Hoge

Looking to Regain Form at RSM Classic
Joe Highsmith

Searching for Turnaround at RSM Classic
Adam Hadwin

Looking to Build on T11 Finish in Bermuda
Austin Eckroat

Searching for Momentum at RSM Classic
Joel Dahmen

Trying to Find Form at the RSM Classic
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Doubtful to Play Against Western Kentucky
Michael Thorbjornsen

Hopes to End 2025 Campaign With Another Solid Finish
Andrew Novak

Looks to End 2025 Season on High Note at RSM Classic
Harry Higgs

Teetering for PGA Tour Card in 2026
PGA

Nico Echavarria has the Potential to Contend at the RSM Classic
Sam Stevens

Finishing Out Year in Georgia
Seamus Power

Playing Better at the Right Time
Beau Hossler

Roller Coaster Comes to Saint Simons Island
Quade Cummins

The Time is Now for Quade Cummins in Georgia
Austin Cook

Needs a Win at the RSM Classic
Cameron Champ

on the PGA Tour Card Bubble
Grayson Rodriguez

Shipped to Angels
Taylor Ward

Orioles Acquire Taylor Ward From Angels
Shota Imanaga

Accepts Cubs Qualifying Offer
Brandon Woodruff

Returning to Milwaukee in 2026
Denny McCarthy

Looking For Another Solid Finish at RSM Classic
Si Woo Kim

Looking To Use Current Momentum to Flip Script at RSM Classic
Mackenzie Hughes

a Good Bounce-Back Candidate at RSM Classic
Harris English

Making 14th Start at This Week's RSM Classic
Konnor Griffin

Could Compete for Starting Shortstop Job in 2026
Gleyber Torres

Accepts Tigers Qualifying Offer
CFB

Sam Leavitt Set to Enter Transfer Portal?
Jose Altuve

Undergoes Foot Surgery
Alex Bregman

Red Sox Going for Either Alex Bregman or Pete Alonso?

RANKINGS

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