Fantasy Golf on DraftKings - WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
Lock of the week:
Rickie Fowler – $10,600 – Rickie’s in impeccable form as of late in tough fields, his SG: Off the Tee, SG: Approach and his three T10’s at Firestone Country Clubin the last five years make him a clear lock in any format. He’s a slight cost savings as well, just cracking the five digit mark at $10,600. We won’t care how popular Fowler will be this week as his golf has been consistent with 14/16 cuts made this season and three Top-10s in his past four starts. He lines up too well here and obviously loves the track given his history.
Value Plays:
Jon Rahm $9,700 – DraftKings can’t price everyone at $10K and above this week, but we’d play Rahm even if he were $1000 higher. He’s never played this event before, but that hasn’t mattered. We spoke at length with his caddie, Adam Hayes, about his player and how well he fits this course in our most recent Podcast. Adam believes that Torrey Pines is a course that strongly resembles Firestone. By the way, guess who won at Torrey earlier this season their first time playing in the event…Jon Rahm! He’s an incredible ball striker with a caddie on the bag that knows Firestone quite well. The $9,700 price tag means we can easily fit him into lineups without having to drop too deep in the $6K range.
Thomas Pieters $7,300 – Pieters is one of our GPP favorites for DraftKings this week. He’s an absolute bomber that scores birdies and eagles at an extremely high rate. He may go lower owned due to lack of name value and a less than stellar recent form. However, in an event where there is not a cut and you need guys scoring a ton of points, Pieters is the poster child. He was 5th at the WGC Mexico and 4th at The Masters on tough courses against the world’s best. These are the type of events where he shines brightest.
Charl Schwartzel $7,200 – Schwartzel is coming off a T12 at the Porsche European Open last week where he racked up 15 birdies and two eagles. He’s recorded two T10’s at Firestone Country Club in the last five years The South African ranks high in the field in SG: Off the Tee, SG: Approach the Green and DraftKings Scoring. In his 14 starts this season, he has only missed 4 cuts and racked up three Top-10’s. Charl will be a player we roster heavily in both GPP and cash game contests for these reasons.
Best bargain basement option:
Jimmy Walker $6,500 – If you’re looking for an experienced player (they tend to do well at Firestone) with the upside to break out and win this event in the $6K range, then Jimmy is your best option. Walker mentioned last week that he was feeling better than ever after battling Lyme Disease this entire season. He’s made his last three cuts worldwide, and absolutely crushes it off the tee. We like Jimmy in GPP contests on DraftKings, but don’t plan on dipping this low in our cash lineups.
Player to avoid:
Jordan Spieth $12,000 – We always try to tell you a guy to avoid here that will actually give you an ownership edge if he sucks. Therefore, we give you Jordan Spieth this week. Obviously, you can’t argue with his form after his play at Royal Birkdale. However, you can see the reason for the fade on Jordan when you consider how long this course is and how critical the driver will be to playing well. Jordan’s worst part of his game this season has been the driver. He’s not near as long as the guys right below him, and given the top price tag this week, we’ll take our chances with the high caliber bombers just below him.
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