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Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller!
In this article we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. While it's impossible to hit on every player, we'll touch on some different plays across all price ranges, breaking the groups down into "High", "Mid", and "Low" price options, as well as a couple of GPP Value Plays worth considering.
Like always, the purpose of this piece is to help you put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups for FanDuel, whether that be from a GPP perspective or a cash-game mentality. Be sure to also read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS and betting articles to help you win big!
Waste Management Phoenix Open - PGA DFS Overview
TPC Scottsdale
7,266 Yards - Par 71 - Greens: Bermuda - Designer: Weiskopf/Moorish
A lot will be made of the famous Par-3 16th hole this week, and rightfully so, as it's unlike any other hole we see on the PGA Tour, but players will have to tame the other 17 holes at TPC Scottsdale if they want to win this week. The Stadium Course isn't difficult by PGA Tour standards and the average winning score over the last five years has been around 16-to-17 under par, with the 36-hole cut line normally around Even par.
For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!
Let's Look At The Stats
| Stat | TPC Scottsdale | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | 293 | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 59% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 66% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 59% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.53 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Strokes Gained: T2G
- Strokes Gained: OTT
- Proximity (Focus on 175-200 yards)
- Par 5 Scoring
- Birdies or Better Gained
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for FanDuel (PGA DFS)
We have tons of great weekly PGA articles, DFS analysis, tools and DFS advice. Be sure to read our other fantastic articles regarding this week's event including DFS lineup picks for DraftKings/FanDuel, betting advice and DFS prop picks.
High-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Jon Rahm ($12,000)
Another one of those weeks where there truly isn't a bad option above $11k, as all these guys are elite and, with the exception of Rory McIlroy, possess excellent course history in the WMPO. Jon Rahm leads the way on the FanDuel salary scale this week at $12k and it's tough to argue with his placement there. He's coming off a T7 outing at the Farmers and rolls into a TPC Scottsdale course where he's extremely comfortable. Rahm posted a T5 in this event as an amateur back in 2015 and his Arizona State ties make this an event he's both very familiar with and wants to win. The Spaniard has logged back-to-back top-10s at TPC Scottsdale and has a terrific chance to grab a victory this week.
Xander Schauffele ($11,600)
For all the tremendous golf he played in 2020, Xander exited the year with zero wins. You have to think he's highly motivated to change that in 2021 and he's been playing like a man possessed in his two starts this year. He broke the "Torrey Pines curse" last week with a T2 in the Farmers, gaining 4.7 strokes on Approach. In three career WMPO starts he's never finished outside the top-17 and it feels like a win is coming sooner rather than later for the X-Man. I'll be leaning heavily on Schauffele this week.
Webb Simpson ($11,300)
With all the flashy stars that are teeing it up this week it's kind of easy to overlook the guy that's the defending WMPO champion. Webb Simpson's game is different from many of the top players in the world, but no less effective...as precision off the tee, consistently-excellent iron play, and rock-solid putting have been a highly-successful recipe for Webb over the last few years. In addition to the win last year, Simpson has four top-10s at TPC Scottsdale over 10 career starts. He posted a T4 in his most recent outing at the Sony and is one of those guys that you always feel comfortable about rostering.
Daniel Berger ($11,100)
I don't think he'll be extremely low owned this week, but I'm hoping Berger goes a bit overlooked in this stacked field. Berger is similar to the aforementioned Webb Simpson...nothing flashy, doesn't stand out in one particular area, but is concrete-solid in all facets of the game and brings a grinder's mentality to every shot. He's played beautifully in his two 2021 starts, finishing 10th at the Sentry and T7 at Sony. Berger has been great at TPC Scottsdale as well, posting top-10 finishes in half of his six career WMPO starts.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Will Zalatoris ($10,600)
A common tendency with players new to the PGA Tour is to "wait and see". They are usually playing courses for the first time and don't have any long-term statistical samples to lean on, so it's feels risky to pull the trigger on them and safer to "wait and see". Well, let me tell you, if you wait much longer on Will Zalatoris, you'll see him lifting a trophy. The kid is that good. After a dominant 2020 on the Korn Ferry Tour, Zalatoris has wasted no time making his presence felt on the PGA Tour, posting four top-10s in just seven starts against the big boys. He's a fantastic ball striker and grades out second in SG: Par-5s over the last 24 rounds.
Bubba Watson & Rickie Fowler ($10,400 & $10,300)
It's weird that we refer to these guys as "veterans" now, but here we are, as both Bubba and Rickie are WMPO veterans with great course history. Bubba let us down last week at the Farmers, missing the cut after a bad weather day at the South course on Friday, but it was his first start since November, so hopefully he knocked the rust off. I basically never play Rickie, but admit I'm a little bit intrigued here due to his strong track record at TPC Scottsdale, as well as the fact that when you dig into the numbers, he's actually played well from T2G in his two 2021 starts. I won't be heavily invested in these guys, but grabbing some GPP exposure seems reasonable.
Ryan Palmer ($10,100)
I always feel like I'm tempting fate when I roster Ryan Palmer, because I know just how streaky and volatile he truly is. I suppose that's actually the mark of a great GPP play though, so I'll be grabbing some large-field tournament exposure to the Texan this week. Palmer's hot streak continued at Torrey Pines, as he grabbed a share of second place in the Farmers. It was his third top-five finish in his last four starts! We'll see if he can keep it going on a TPC Scottsdale layout where he's posted three career top-fives, but has also missed the cut in three of his last four WMPO starts.
Max Homa ($9,600)
Homa has been open about his game not being where he wanted it last year, but he's also been putting in tons of work to get things in order. That work has paid off recently, as he's logged top-25 finishes in each of his last three starts dating back to Mayakoba in December. Homa gained 4.5 strokes on Approach last week at the Farmers en route to a T18 and has continuously looked sharp in 2021. He brings that positive momentum "home" this week. Homa is a California native that currently resides in Scottsdale. Needless to say, he's extremely familiar with TPC Scottsdale and that comfortability has shown in his results of the last two years, as he's went T6-T26 in his most recent WMPO starts
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Corey Conners ($9,500)
Conners logged a so-so T37 last week at the Farmers in a knock-the-rust-off start, his first of 2021. The Canadian gained 4.5 strokes T2G at Torrey Pines and it marked his sixth-straight start with positive T2G numbers. We all know that he's an excellent ball striker, but the constant concern is always his short game. I'm not extremely worried about that this week on a TPC Scottsdale layout where we've routinely seen "bad putters" contend over the years. Conners posted a T45 in his lone WMPO start last year and I look for him to dramatically improve on that result this go around.
Byeong Hun An ($9,400)
Maybe the worst putter on the PGA Tour, Benny An certainly qualifies as a "GPP ONLY" play this week, but there are some things to like about An in this spot. He flashed a little form with a T8 at the AmEx a couple of weeks ago and he's been surprisingly consistent in the WMPO. Benny has racked up two top-10s and two top-25s in his four previous trips to TPC Scottsdale...a weirdly-steady track record from a player that's anything but steady.
John Huh ($9,300)
We were big on Johnny Huh last week and he came through with a made cut after two solid rounds, but eventually faded badly over the weekend. Despite the underwhelming T65 result, I'm willing to go right back to the well here at $9.3k. He hasn't done anything truly noteworthy at TPC Scottsdale since a T6 in 2016, but he has managed to run off five-straight made cuts in the WMPO.
Brendan Steele ($9,300)
Perhaps the easiest label to slap on Brendan Steele is “streaky”. The veteran’s career has been dotted with many ebbs and flows, over which we’ve seen him play both really well for stretches and struggle mightily. The tide is up for Steeley at the moment, as he heads to TPC Scottsdale in sharp form, having posted a T4 and a T21 in his two starts of 2021.
Steele has a great chance to keep things going this week if his WMPO track record is any indicator. He owns a 68.72 career scoring average in this event and has logged four finishes inside the top-six over 10 WMPO starts.
GPP Value Options
Brian Harman ($9,200)
I don't know what Brian Harman ever did to the guy that does FanDuel pricing, but it seems we can consistently find Harman much cheaper on FD in comparison to DraftKings. His WMPO record isn't especially noteworthy, but he's made the cut in six of his seven career starts at TPC Scottsdale and posted a T8 in his most recent start in the AmEx two weeks ago. I didn't come into this week expecting to have interest in Harman, but I love this FD-specific price tag.
Luke List ($8,700)
You can go broke trying to "rely" on Luke List, but if you go in with the knowledge that he's extremely erratic - and invest in him accordingly - you're fine. List has spent the majority of his pro career being excellent from T2G and horrible on the green. That's still been the case as of late, but he's put together some truly exceptional ball-striking performances in his last two starts, going +6.5 SG: T2G (T21 AmEx) and +8.2 SG: T2G (T10 Farmers). His WMPO isn't great: two top-25s and four MCs in six career starts, but I'm willing to roll the dice on his hot ball striking this week - at this price - in a tournament where I'm giving very little weight to putting ability.
Doc Redman ($8,200)
I'm 0-for-2021 with my boy Doc Redman, but I'm gonna keep the faith here at $8.2k because I truly believe there's upside in there somewhere. Doc has missed the cut in both of his starts this year, but I'm encouraged by the fact that he improved six full strokes in the SG: T2G department between the two. This is his kind of track and he posted a T34 in his WMPO debut last year. I don't blame you fellas if you wanna hop off the Doc train, but he's my FOMO play of the week.
Win Big With RotoBaller
Golf is back, and it's time for you to win big with RotoBaller! Our PGA DFS Premium Package features several savvy analysts and proven DFS winners.Our very own Joe Nicely recently took down a big DraftKings DFS tournament for the Travelers Championship. And as an encore, RotoBaller subscriber @tenndolly2 won $100K on FanDuel with the help of Joe and the rest of our Premium PGA team:
If you read my articles @RotoBaller or listen to @TheTurnGolfPod I’ve been telling y’all it was #WinningSeason when golf came back! Shoutout to the entire @RotoBallerPGA squad and all you guys that support my work for all the ❤️ pic.twitter.com/07a4ynvbSU
— Joe Nicely (@JoeNicely) June 28, 2020
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