Welcome to the Fantasy Six Pack, where we highlight six golfers to use in two popular fantasy golf platforms, DraftKings and FanDuel. On each, you must select six golfers for your lineup under a specific salary cap. (DraftKings $50,000, FanDuel $60,000). As a reminder, I’m a golf nut with a 1.3 handicap and a nose for analytics — according to Rotogrinders, I’m a top-10 daily fantasy golf players. This week is the biggest week in Daily Fantasy Golf as both sites have massive contests, with over $5 million guaranteed just this week! The top prize is a cool $1 million on DraftKings called the “Millionaire Maker.” So, with so much cash out there, we will try our best to give you a chance at it come Sunday. Not getting enough info here? Be sure to visit tourlevelfantasy.com for more Daily Fantasy information.
The Tournament: The Masters
Average Winning Score: -10
Average Cut (Top 50 and ties, plus any other golfers within 10 shots of the lead.): +3
Yardage: 7,435 yards
Par: 72
Skills emphasized: The beauty of Augusta, is that it demands everything. Shot-shaping, distance, accuracy, putting…you name it, you need it to win.
Top finishers last year:
Sergio Garcia
Justin Rose
Charl Schwartzel
Thomas Pieters
Matt Kuchar
Paul Casey
The Favorite:
Rory Mcilroy (Odds: 8.5/1, DraftKings $9,900, FanDuel $11,700) The oddsmakers first or second choice, depending where you look. Some outlets have DJ favored over Rory, others have moved Tiger Woods to the top and some lead with Jordan Spieth. My site has Rory, and here’s the case for him: His salary is $1,500 less than DJ, which means Johnson would have to outscore Rory by about 20 points to make up the difference. Rory has also made all six cuts since 2012 and his worst finish was 40th that same year. He is working off four straight top 10s at Augusta and of course needs a green jacket to complete his career grand slam. Rory was knocked out of the Match Play during group stage, so he’ll have had plenty of time for some R & R (and practice rounds at ANGC). Over his last six starts, he’s gained strokes in every measured statistical category, something that should bode well for him in the year’s first major.
Going Streaking: Players entering this week in great form
1. Bubba Watson (Odds: 14/1, DraftKings $8,700, FanDuel $10,300) With two wins in his last four starts, there is absolutely nobody hotter than Bubba right now, and of course he already has two green jackets in his closet. His profound love for Augusta makes coupled with a remarkable turn-around year makes him a player to watch. In his last six starts, the only area where he’s losing strokes is around the green. He makes up for it by gaining almost a stroke on average off the tee and has been terrific with his approach shots. If he wants to win his third green jacket, the short game will have to improve, and the putter will have to stay hot. Besides his two wins at Augusta, Bubba has made three other cuts since 2012 but never finished better than 37th.
2. Sergio Garcia (Odds: 28/1, DraftKings $8,600, FanDuel $11,300) How can we have a Masters article and not mention the defending champ? A new father, his wife Angela gave birth to their daughter Azalea just two weeks ago, and Sergio would love to make Danny Willett stick around until Sunday yet again to slip another jacket on him. Garcia’s ball striking (a combination of strokes gained off-the-tee and approaches) has been impeccable over the last six starts, but his short game is lagging – he’s ranked 119th in around the green and 124th in putting this season. That will need to change in a hurry if he expects to defend his title. Other than his win, Sergio only has one other Augusta top 10 in the last six years, but he’s made five of six cuts.
3. Brian Harman (Odds: 80/1, DraftKings $7,500, FanDuel $10,100) Putting is important at any golf tournament, and especially at Augusta. Harman is one of the best on tour with the flatstick, where he ranks eighth on Tour. But this year he’s also mixing in a strong iron game, as he ranks first in GIR + fringe. That should help him tremendously this week. This will be his second go around Augusta, which always helps, and he will look to improve on his MC in 2015. Prior to the loss to Bubba Watson in the round of 16 at the match play, he finished 5th in Mexico, and he’s missed only one cut all season. A reasonably priced option on DraftKings, I like Harman’s putting to carry him to a solid top 25 finish.
4. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Odds 100/1, DraftKings $7,100, FanDuel $8,400) This fantastic personality from Thailand has been tearing up professional golf over the last 12 weeks with two wins, three other top 10s and only one missed cut. This will be his second time to Augusta; the first was good for 15th place in 2016. A low-priced option for a golfer that has been lighting it up around the world, he’s worth a look this week.
Mulligans: Players who need a reset and expect to play well this week
Jordan Spieth (Odds: 12/1, DraftKings $10,400, FanDuel $11,000) Until he avenges his debacle on the par-3 12th from 2016, Spieth will forever want a mulligan at Augusta. He’ still be very consistent overall, with two runner-ups, one green jacket, and an 11th place finish last year. His putting has been off this year, but that has turned around a bit over the last couple of weeks, now gaining just about a quarter of a stroke over his last six starts. If the putter cooperates, be prepared for another top ten for Jordan.
Amateur Spotlight: One of the unique things about the Masters is all the amateurs getting a crack at it. Here’s our pick to end up in Butler Cabin come Sunday evening:
Joaquin Niemann (350/1 DraftKings, $6,500, FanDuel $7,400) The No. 1-ranked amateur golfer in the world, Niemann is just a few months away from turning pro. But before he does, he’ll play in the Masters by way of his win at the Latino American Open Championship. This 19-year-old from Chile is going to make waves on the pro tours over the new few years.
Lastly, a check on Tiger:
Tiger Woods (Odds: 12/1, DraftKings $10,000, FanDuel $11,500) When Tiger was healthy, these weeks were his playground. There is nothing like a Tiger roar on Sunday at the Masters. His healthy return, mixed with all the other compelling storylines, has this shaping up to be one of the most anticipated Masters ever. Tiger is a tad expensive, but expect him to be in contention come Sunday.
Where to play this fantasy Golf this week:
DraftKings: ONE MILLION DOLLAR first place!
1. $20 Buy-In contest called the “Millionaire Maker,” with a top prize of $1,000,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $3,500,000
2. $4 Buy-in contest called the “Fore.” It has a top prize of $75,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $750,000.
3. $444 Buy-in contest called the “Pressure Putt,” with a top prize of $150,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $750,0000. The top 22% get paid.
FanDuel:
1. $9 Buy-in contest called the “Golden-Eagle,” with a top prize of $100,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000.
2. $1 Buy-in contest called the “Flop Shot,” with a top prize of $3,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $50,000.
3. $555 Buy-in contest called the “Monster,” with a top prize of $100,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $300,000).
These are just some of the many contests between the two sites. For a full breakdown of all contests and offerings check out the links in my bio! Good luck this week, and enjoy the Masters!
Jason Rouslin is founder of tourlevelfantasy.com. He has been playing golf for the last 18 years, betting on golf for the last five and writing about golf for the last two. Connect with him via Twitter @dfsgolfer23 or by email at Tourlevelfantasy@gmail.com.
