This week is the last stop before the FedExCup playoffs begin at THE NORTHERN TRUST in New Jersey. 156 golfers make up the field, and the top 65 and ties make the weekend, which is important for some players on the playoff bubble.
Over the past few years, the Wyndham Championship has proven to lend itself to longshots, either winning or placing high in DraftKings scoring. In 2018, Brandt Snedeker took home the trophy, but four of the top six golfers were below $7,800, two of which were in the $6,000-range. The 2019 winner, J.T. Poston, was $7,300, and last year’s champ, Jim Herman, was $6,100. Patrick Reed withdrew earlier in the week, and with it went a lot of the projected win equity from the top of the salary range.
Chasing more than the usual number of golfers in the lower price ranges is a prudent strategy this week and pivoting to the right golfers could give you the leverage you need to take down a GPP potentially.
Course history, current form or your favorite golf tout has pumped up the projected ownership for individual golfers throughout the week. This article will look at the projected chalk and pivot in each significant salary range when entering lineups in GPPs on DraftKings.
For a full course preview and who I like in the betting market, please refer to DraftKings Preview and the Best Bets articles on DraftKings Playbook. Here are the pivots we should be considering this week on DraftKings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st]
$10,000+ Range
Projected Popular Golfer: Webb Simpson ($10,600)
Pivot: Will Zalatoris ($10,300)
There’s no denying Webb’s history here, with no worse than a third-place in his last four starts. Still, Webb’s season has been somewhat disappointing by his standards; while Zalatoris’ year has been nothing short of successful, he just hasn’t had a win on TOUR yet. A win this week would provide Zalatoris eligibility to compete in the FedExCup playoffs, and finishing eighth is a testament that his game is in a good spot. At TPC Southwind, the 29th-ranked golfer in the world gained three strokes through approach and 3.8 strokes on the greens. This week, think about moving shares off one Wake Forest alum to another if you’re playing in GPPs.
$8,000 to $10,000 Range
Projected Popular Golfer: Russell Henley ($9,400)
Pivot: Sungjae Im ($9,600)
Objectively speaking, Henley is a good choice this week. His recent finishes include two top 15s and a top 20 in the three tournaments leading to his missed cut at The Open Championship. He’s elite with his irons, and he’s putting well. His top 10 last year is also evidence of why he’s projecting to be the second-highest rostered golfer this week. Current sentiment on Sungjae is low, but this week could be a resurgence for the 30th-ranked golfer in the world. He’s a great Bermuda putter and finished no worse than ninth in his only two starts at Sedgefield CC. Sungjae is risky, but he could give you the leverage off Henley in this range.
$6,000 to $8,000 Range
Projected Hank Lebioda ($7,600) | Ryan Armour ($7,000)
Pivot: Branden Grace ($7,400) | Aaron Wise ($7,000)
Both Lebioda and Armour are projecting to be highly owned in this range, and both have great finishes over their last two tournaments, finishing no worse than eighth between the two of them. Both are nearing 20% roster percentage in projections on Fantasynational.com, and while both are good plays this week, it’s always tough to back them at their current projections, especially in this price range. Grace ranks 34th in SG: Approach-the-Green and 17th in putting over the previous 24 rounds, and is someone who’s already won this season. Aaron Wise is also a punt play in the $7,000-range who could play well. Wise ranks inside the top 20 in proximity 125 to 150 yards and 28th in par 4 efficiency from 400 to 450 yards. Wise doesn’t have the best finishes coming into the Wyndham, but he’s got a ton of talent and could be underpriced based on his upside.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st]
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