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 one of the top daily fantasy golf players, and just two weeks ago I made over $10,000 profit on my British Open picks. Want to check out the tools I used to win that? Head to tourlevelfantasy.com!
DJ made it look easy last weekend in Canada, and he has now aligned himself with some of the game’s greats. (Read the full GOLF.com story here.) Now, a fantastic field has assembled for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, with 49 of the top 50 players in the World Ranking. It’s also a no-cut event, which changes things from a daily fantasy perspective, as taking risks is much easier to do when a golfer is guaranteed all four rounds. Let’s get to it.
The Tournament: WGC- Bridgestone Invitational
Course: Firestone CC (South)
Average Winning Score: -13
Average Cut: N/A
Yardage: 7,400 yards
Par: 70
Skills emphasized: Unlike last week where four par 5s offered a chance for guys to go low, Firestone only has two par 5s, and the 16th measures more than 650 yards, meaning there are about five players who can reach it in two shots. (I’d guess Luke List, Tony Finau, DJ, Brooks Koepka and maybe Jon Rahm.) So, this week we’ll emphasize par 4 scoring and strokes-gained ball striking.
Top-10 finishers last year:
Hideki Matsuyama
Zach Johnson
Charley Hoffman
Rory McIlroy
Paul Casey
Russell Knox
Adam Hadwin
Rickie Fowler
Thorbjorn Olesen
Jordan Spieth
Recap of last week’s picks
Six of our seven recommendations made the cut (Hunter Mahan was the miss), and DJ ended up with the win. Hopefully, he was paired with the right golfers in the rest of your lineup, which I’m sure helped you make some money!
The Favorite(s):
Dustin Johnson (Odds: 10/1, DraftKings $11,700, FanDuel $12,700 It’s become standard to see DJ as the highest-priced player in the game and this week is no different. Last week he didn’t have his best week with the driver, but everything else was working. He made enough putts to shoot 21-under for the week. If that flatstick confidence continues, he just might win this week and again at the PGA Championship. This would be his second WGC-Bridgestone title in the past three years.
Going Streaking: Players entering this week in the great form
Justin Rose (Odds: 12/1, DraftKings $10,700, FanDuel $12,300) Rose has been playing some incredible golf, and actually could take over No. 1 in the world with a win and a lower finish from DJ. In fact, the only player hotter than Rose and DJ these days happens to be …
Francesco Molinari (Odds: 14/1, DraftKings $9,400, FanDuel $11,200) He’s been practically untouchable the past two months, finishing 1, 2, 25, 1, 2, 1 in his last six starts. That’s almost unheard of. He’s on fire, but we need some sleepers to fill out a roster.
Alex Noren (Odds: 35/1, DraftKings $8,700, FanDuel $9,900) Noren has a recent title this year, and he followed it up by finishing 17th at the British Open. And before those two starts, he finished 25, 23, 3. That marks five straight top 25s, which makes him a bargain at this price. He ranks 27th in tee to green, 9th in putting and 14th in GIR. What’s not to like?
Patrick Cantlay (Odds: 50/1, DraftKings $8,200, FanDuel $9,700) If this is your first time reading, just a reminder that I’m a founding member of the Patrick Cantlay Fan Club, but don’t let my affection get in the way of good advice. Sporting a sneaky long game off the tee and fearlessness on the greens, Cantlay has all the talent in the world to be a major winner. Had it not been for injuries, I suspect this 25-year-old (same age as Jordan Spieth) would have at least five PGA Tour wins by now. Nonetheless, here we are, a one-time winner. But get this: in 28 starts since he’s come back from his injury, he’s only missed two cuts (Masters and Fort Worth Invitational) while racking up 17 top-25 finishes. For comparison purposes, DJ has 20 top-25s in 28 starts with three missed cuts. This will be Cantlay’s first trip to Firestone CC.
Adam Scott (Odds: 75/1, DraftKings $7,500, FanDuel $9,500) With Fanny Sunesson on the bag, Scott notched a top-25 at the Open. Now he’s looking to build on that at Firestone, where he’s had tremendous success in the past – four straight top 10s dating back to 2014. He could use another quality finish to help his standing in the FedEx Cup points race. He’s had an off year, but perhaps he’s on his way out of the funk.
Alexander Bjork (Odds: 200/1, DraftKings $6,800, FanDuel $7,000) Earlier I mentioned that this tournament is a no-cut event. This brings a little different strategy regarding lineups – specifically, this is a chance to take more risk. This lanky Swede does most of his damage on the European tour, and before an MC at the Open, he had finishes of 33, 8, 14 and 19. He also has a win this year, at the Volvo China Open in April. A quick statistical check reveals a phenomenal iron player, as he ranks first on the European tour in approaches, but he’s languishing in the 200s in strokes gained off the tee. Still, the superb iron play should yield plenty of birdie opportunities this week.
Mulligans: Players who need a reset and expect to play well
Jon Rahm (Odds: 22/1, DraftKings $9,600, FanDuel $10,900) After a solid opening-round 68 at Carnoustie, Rahm blew up on Friday – and I mean exploded. After hitting a shot OB on No. 7, Rahm proceeded to play the next 10 holes in eight over par. If he could have one shot back all week, I’m sure it would be the OB ball on 7. If he just makes bogey there instead of triple, he likely stays confident, which would have changed the entire complexion of the round. Rahm placed 28th at Firestone last year, so he’ll be looking to build on that performance this week.
And finally, a check-in on Tiger
Tiger Woods (Odds: 14/1, DraftKings $10,800, FanDuel $11,300) What a memorable Sunday submitted at Carnoustie. Sure, he didn’t win, but he captured the eyes, and possibly hearts, of many fans as Open TV ratings were the highest since 2000. He executed a tactical game plan, only to fall short on the back nine on Sunday. He’s going to need to be more aggressive this week, as the winning score will be at least 10 under. He’s yet to contend in a week where the tournament-winning score is double-digit under par. Maybe this will be the week.
Where to play this fantasy Golf this week:
DraftKings: Three contests with a $100K first prize.
1. $44 buy-in called “Club Twirl,” with a top prize of $100,000 and a prize pool of $450,000.
2. $444 buy-in called the “Pressure Putt,” with a top prize of $100,000, and a guaranteed prize pool of $400,000.
3. $5 Buy-in called the “Drive the Green,” with a top prize of $100,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $650,000.
FanDuel:
1. $7.77 buy-in called the “Eagle,” with a top prize of $25,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $125,000.
2. $.25 Buy-in called the “Lob Wedge,” with a top prize of $600 and a guaranteed prize pool of $6,000.
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!
