Welcome to the first FedEx Cup Playoff edition of 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). The playoffs bring out great fields, and this year may be the best of all. If this is your first time reading, a little about me: I’m a golf nut with a 1.3 handicap and a nose for analytics — according to Rotogrinders, I’m one of the top daily fantasy golf players, and ranked inside the top 25 of all players! Find out the strategies that helped me win over $2,500 just last week and more at tourlevelfantasy.com.
Recap of last week’s picks
Our players went 6-for-6 making the cut! It isn’t easy to do, as less than 15% of the lineups accomplished it last week. Rising star John Oda finished 11th, and was able to punch a ticket to the Web.com finals after just seven starts, four of which he earned the hard way through Monday qualifying. We’ll look for him to make a splash later this fall. Next, Sergio Garcia was in great position but faded on Sunday, while Hideki Matsuyama had another blazing Sunday and was able to post his best finish in quite a while. Abraham Ancer was also in great position before fading Sunday, but all in all, we had four top 25s and two top 15s. Not shabby. Now let’s turn the page to this week.
The Tournament: The Northern Trust
Course: Ridgewood Country Club
Average Winning Score: -12
Average Cut: Even
Yardage: 7,300 yards
Par: 71
Skills emphasized: This is the first FedEx event at Ridgewood since 2014, when Hunter Mahan captured the title. He ranked first that week in greens in regulation, second in strokes gained tee-to-green, and second in birdie or better percentage. We’ll focus on those numbers with our own selections.
Some top finishers from the 2014 Barclays at Ridgewood
Jason Day
William McGirt
Kevin Na
Matt Kuchar
Patrick Reed
Gary Woodland
The Favorite:
Jason Day (Odds: 12/1, DraftKings $10,700, FanDuel $11,900) All year we’ve been waiting for Day’s irons to come around, as his short game — both putting and around the green – has ranked among the world’s best. During his last two events he’s gained on average of three-quarters of a stroke with his approaches, while his putter has cooled a bit. If his putter returns, only guys like Dustin Johnson (Odds: 9/1, DraftKings $11,500, FanDuel $12,400) and Brooks Koepka (Odds: 12/1, DraftKings $10,500, FanDuel $12,300) can hang with him. Day hasn’t finished worse than 19th in his last four starts and finished second at Ridgewood in 2014. He’s my top pick.
Going Streaking: Players entering this week in the great form
If this is your first time reading, just know that I’m a huge fan of Tiger Woods (Odds: 16/1, DraftKings $10,800, FanDuel-$11,900) and Patrick Cantlay (Odds: 40/1, DraftKings $8,600, FanDuel $9,800). And this week, I love both of their chances. Woods’s form has been covered in extensive detail, but one of my favorite stats is his world ranking, now 26th, after drifting outside the top 1,000 (!) late last year. Meanwhile, Cantlay seems to have found his grove after missing a few cuts earlier this year. He’s made six straight weekends with four finishes inside the top 27 and three top 15s. That, along with his steady tee-to-green game, is enough for me to roster him again this week.
Jordan Spieth (Odds: 18/1, DraftKings $9,600, FanDuel $11,700) Here’s my pitch for the “golden boy”: All year putting has been his Achilles’ heel, but finally, FINALLY, I think after the PGA Championship, his slump is over. He said Bellerive was the best he’s putted in two years, and while I think that is a bit of an oversell on Jordan’s part, his 1.73 strokes gained (5th in the field) is encouraging. His tee-to-green game (currently 23rd on Tour) has been solid all year, and that stat bodes well this week. It would be an odd end to his odd season, but a FedEx Cup title is not out of the realm of possibility.
Kevin Na (Odds: 66/1, DraftKings $7,600, FanDuel $8,900) Na is riding a nice run after a bit of a career lull, similar to that of Stewart Cink (Odds: 75/1 DraftKings $7,500, FanDuel $8,900). Both golfers also enter in great form, making each of their last six cuts, with four top 5s between them, including a win. Na does a ton of damage around the green, ranking fifth in that stat, and he also ranks 31st off the tee and 30th in proximity. Cink does most of his scoring with his ballstriking and iron play, ranking sixth in strokes gained: approaches. Both look like budget-friendly picks this week.
Sam Ryder (Odds: 200/1 DraftKings $6,500, FanDuel $7,200) This Tour rookie finished the regular season ranked 114th in the FedEx standings, earning his card and a job for next year. But now he can play with house money and make a run in the playoffs. Ryder ranks fourth on Tour in GIR and 24th in proximity, a great combination at Ridgewood. He’s made five of his last seven cuts with two top 10s, and he’s available for a minimum salary.
Mulligans: A player who should play well despite recent struggles
Matt Kuchar (Odds: 66/1, DraftKings $8,200, FanDuel $10,400) Long known for his consistency, Kuchar has missed four of his last six cuts. He did crack the top 15 both times he made it to the weekend, so perhaps his past success at Ridgewood (5th place in ’14) will help get him back on track. I think this will be another weekend where you’ll hear the fans yell “KUUUUUUCH” at least a few times.
Where to play this fantasy Golf this week:
DraftKings: As part of a new promotion, if you win one of 12 contests over the next month, you’ll be entered into an exclusive contest where the prize is a trip to the 2019 Masters! This week’s three contests are listed below:
1. $5 buy-In called the “Drive the Green,” with a top prize of $100,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $625,000.
2. $555 buy-in called the “Signature Hole,” with a top prize of $100,000, and a guaranteed prize pool of $600,000.
3. $55 buy-in called the “Up & Down,” with a top prize of $100,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000.
FanDuel:
1. $7.77 buy-in called the “Eagle,” with a top prize of $20,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000.
2. $5.00 single-entry series called the “Caddie,” with a top prize of $1,500 and a guaranteed prize pool of $15,000.
3. $333 buy-In called the “Monster,” with a top prize of $8,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $30,000.
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!
Jason Rouslin is the founder of tourlevelfantasy.com. He has been playing golf for the last 20 years, betting on golf for the last five and writing about golf for the last two. Connect with him on twitter @dfsgolfer23 or check him out on the @rotogrinders live golf show on Tuesday’s @ 8 PM!
