Fantasy Golf on DraftKings - Genesis Open
Lock of the week:
Paul Casey – $10,200 – The upper range on DraftKings presents some great options in this stellar field for the Genesis Open. We love the way Casey fits into GPP and cash lineups allowing you to avoid the fairly weak $6K range. He finished T8 last week at Pebble while leading the field in SG:T2G. He arrives at Riviera having gained 17 strokes on the field in his last 5 attempts at The RIV. Second shots and long irons into the small greens at Riviera will be key this week, and in the last five PGA Tour season, only DJ has performed better in those categories than Paul Casey.Value Plays:
Chez Reavie $8,000 – Considering the long-term form and back to back second place finishes, it is impossible to fade Chez at that price. He’s a lock to make the cut and he’s gained more strokes in the last six tournaments than anyone else in the field. Chez is top 40 in this field over the long term in putting on POA green surfaces. Ownership on Chez in GPPs will likely be near 30%, but he’s just too cheap to fade. He’s a must lock in any cash game contest.
Brendan Steele $7,900 – One last West Coast swing event means our next two guys are trying to rack up as many FedEx cups as possible. Steele is a California guy who putts best on POA versus other green surfaces. His form is fantastic coming off a T3 at Waste Management and loads of T20s and T30s prior. The course seems to fit his eye as he’s gained 23 strokes in the last five years at Riviera. Brendan is one of the best on the PGA Tour from tee to green. His ball striking makes him a threat to finish T25 every time he pegs it up. The question is always, will the putter stay hot. If it does this week, Steele could easily take on this loaded field and come out with the big check.
James Hahn $7,100 – To say, “Hahn enjoys the West Coast swing,” may be the understatement of the year. In his 6th event in a row, Hahn arrives at Riviera having gained 33 strokes on the field in his last six tournaments. As a former winner at Riviera, it’s tough to make a case in leaving him out of your lineups for the price. There are so many solid values in the $7K range on DraftKings this week that ownership will be somewhat diluted and spread out. We are rolling with Hahn in GPPs and cash games with zero hesitation. In fact, Hahn may be as low as we would go in cash given the lack of firepower in the $6K range.
Best bargain basement option:
Tom Hoge $6,600 – Hollywood Hoge is somewhat of a gut call down here in this range. He’s a tremendous ball striker from tee to green but cursed with the ever elusive hot and cold putter. Since the season started in October, Hoge has been in position to win his first PGA Tour event three times but failed to close the door. Unfortunately, two of his three missed cuts all season have come in the last two weeks. However, they were near misses and last week at Pebble, he still managed seven birdies and three eagles in three rounds. Hoge scores DraftKings points! Given the very minimum price tag, the tee to green ability, the close calls this season and the scoring upside, he’s in play for GPPs this week.
Player to Avoid:
Tony Finau $8,200 – We love Tony, but in fantasy sports, you have to go with your gut more than your heart. Finau is a DFS favorite and always soaks up more ownership than he should. It’s not a bad price, but the likely ownership, less than stellar form and lack of success at Riviera leads us to fade him completely. His best finish at Riviera in three attempts was a T56 back in 2015. He may make the cut, but with ownership likely around 13-15%, you need him to T25 at least. Our collective guts here at Tour Junkies just don’t see that as the most likely scenario.
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