With a lot of major players out this week, finding the right value in your PGA DFS lineup is critical for success. SI Fantasy analyst Ben Heisler goes through his top fantasy plays, and a major fade for the 3M Open from TPC Twin Cities.
Previous PGA Tour Event Winners & DraftKings Salary
- The Memorial Tournament: Jon Rahm ($9,300)
- Workday Charity Open: Collin Morikawa ($9,200)
- Rocket Mortgage Classic: Bryson DeChambeau ($11,700)
- Travelers Championship: Dustin Johnson ($9,400)
- RBC Heritage: Webb Simpson ($9,000)
- Charles Schwab Challenge: Daniel Berger ($7,700)
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3M Open Cash Plays
Dustin Johnson ($11,500 DK, $12,400 FD)
Despite an awful performance at the Memorial last weekend, DJ is still likely the chalkiest of chalk candidates for this week. He’s the most recent winner in the field with his victory at the Travelers Championship and finished T17 at the RBC Heritage before that. DJ's still in tremendous form in strokes gained: off-the-tee, ranking second in his last 24 rounds, and ranks Top 20 in SG: total, and top 30 in SG: approach. His around-the-green and putting game have been dreadful as of late, but those can change rather quickly.
He’ll be a cash staple for many this week at the 3M Open.
Tommy Fleetwood ($10,500 DK, $11,500 FD)
This is Fleetwood’s first appearance back on tour since the restart began and the Englishman is well-known for being a consistently reliable option for cash.
He hasn’t played since the Arnold Palmer Invitational back in March, and went on to miss the cut, but before that he finished T22 at the Zozo, T53 at the WGC-HSBC, T18 at the Mexico Championship, and third at the Honda Classic where he gained more than 11 strokes-gained total over the competition.
Fleetwood over his last 24 rounds ranks fifth in SG: tee-to-green, eighth in ball-striking, and sixth in strokes gained: off-the-tee. He’ll be very popular and rightfully so.
Paul Casey ($10,100 DK, $11,200 FD)
Another case of “ole reliable,” Casey’s first cut of the season came last weekend at the Memorial when he shot a 77 on Day 2. In similar fashion to Bryson DeChambeau recording a 10 to knock him out of contention, Casey recorded an “8” on a Par 3 on Hole 12 that just sunk him.
Before that, the worst round he shot all season was a 75 at the Genesis Invitational that knocked him out of the top tier and into 37th.
Casey on the season is ninth in SG: off-the-tee, ninth in SG: approach, and 17th in SG: tee-to-green. He also ranks 14th in greens in regulation percentage. Like Dustin Johnson, his short game and around-the-green game have been what’s hurt him as of late, but with top 10 numbers in strokes-gained total, he’s more than capable of bouncing back and playing well.
Erik Van Rooyen ($8,800 DK, $10,200 FD)
The former University of Minnesota star gets a homecoming visit this week and will look to improve upon his T22 finish last week at the Memorial. TPC Twin Cities should play substantially easier than a week ago, so that should be an encouraging sign for Van Rooyen to know that if he can play Muirfield Village to a near top 20 finish last week, he should be able to cruise at the 3M Open this week.
Van Rooyen most weeks would be more of a tournament play, considering he’s missed the cut in three of his last five tournaments. But both cuts he’s made were just outside the top 20, and he’s been outstanding in both SG: off-the-tee (20) as well as SG: approach (8) over his last 24 rounds.
Hudson Swafford ($6,700 DK, $8000 FD)
When diving into Swafford’s “strokes gained” rankings over at Fantasy National, it’s curious as to why his numbers are not indicative of a higher price tag.
Over his last 24 rounds, he’s 14th in SG: total, 21st in SG: tee-to-green, 15th in SG: short game, and 13th in strokes gained approach.
He’s finished top 30 in three of his last five tournaments, missing the cut at both the Travelers and Workday. Taking Swafford here allows for salary flexibility to fit in DJ, Fleetwood or Casey.
3M Open Tournament Plays
Matthew Wolff ($9,700 DK, $10,900 FD)
Wolff took the PGA by storm last year at this tournament, winning with a -21 score over Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa at the 3M Open last year. Those two aren’t scrubs, either!
Last year, Wolff became only the third golfer in history to win both an NCAA national championship and PGA Tour title in the same year (Ben Crenshaw and Tiger Woods were the only other two). Even more remarkable? The 3M Open was only his third ever start as a pro on the Tour.
Like Van Rooyen, Wolff has been a bit volatile. He finished second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and 22nd at the Memorial to go along with three cuts in his last five outings. Even with his previous success at TPC Twin Cities, I still see Wolff as a tournament play because of the price range he’s in. Find $400 more, and you can play Paul Casey in cash. In GPP’s, however, Wolff’s upside with his history at this course makes him a fine tournament option.
Russell Henley ($9,200 DK, $10,500 FD)
Henley has some terrific metrics in his favor for not just this course, but also with his recent history. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks second in SG: total, first in SG: tee-to-green, fourth in SG: ball striking, and first in SG: approach.
His putting? Pretty brutal at 122nd, but I’m willing to ride with Henley’s recent form in tournaments this week. With a cut sandwiched in between his last five outings, Henley has a pair of top 10 finishes at the Honda Classic and Workday Charity Open, as well as strong performances at the Genesis Open and Travelers Championship.
Charley Hoffman ($7,400 DK, $9,300 FD)
Hoffman may end up becoming more popular as the week goes on, but I’m not sure what’s not to like. He has top 15 rankings in SG: total, tee-to-green and approach, as well as top 25 in ball-striking and putting.
I also love targeting players who are trending upwards and Hoffman is just that. He missed the cut at the Charles Schwab and RBC, but since then finished 41st at the Travelers and T7 at the Workday. His recent form in nearly every major category, including putting is excellent, and yet he’s affordable and potentially low-owned (at the moment).
Chase Seiffert ($7,000 DK, $8,600 FD)
Seiffert is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Workday, but the concern I have is lack of recent form. If you look at his metrics over his last several rounds, they’re terrific, but he’s only played in two tournaments since the restart with one of them missing the cut.
However, the price is right at just $7,000. I’m willing to take a stab on someone who comes in 7th in SG: total for a small amount if I think he can make some noise, which he’s more than capable of in a smaller field.
Cameron Davis ($6,500 DK, $7,900 FD)
Davis has missed four consecutive cuts and is a huge wild card heading into the 3M Open. But if you look closer, a substantial reason is that his putter has been dreadful. Over his last 24 rounds, his putting rankings 118th amongst golfers on tour in SG: putting.
If we look at his other useful metrics, it's perplexing as to why he hasn't been better. He's fourth in SG: total, ninth in SG: off-the-tee, 12th in SG: around-the-green.
Davis feels like the baseball player who’s smashing the ball at a super high exit-velocity, but it’s going right in the glove each time. He’s due to breakout and I think this is the week he can do it.
3M Open Fades
Tony Finau ($10,900 DK, $11,600 FD)
There are plenty of factors that play favorably here for Finau. He’s only missed one cut in his last five outings and he’s coming off a top-8 finish at the Memorial in very difficult, windy conditions.
But after playing terrific on Thursday and Friday, Finau really struggled over the weekend and gave Jon Rahm an opportunity to completely pull away to pick up the victory. It was brutal to watch it slip away in real-time and I don’t want to pay up to watch it all unwind for the second consecutive week.
For being the third most expensive golfer in the field this week, Finau has to likely win or finish top five to pay off that salary. He’s also still in search of that elusive win since 2016 when he won the Puerto Rico Open. I just don’t see it happening this week and would much rather pivot up to DJ or down to Casey or Fleetwood.