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Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Brandt Snedeker picked up his eighth PGA Tour win at the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open, but he’s not even close to the biggest name in the field at this year’s event.
As far as early-season tournaments go, the Farmers Insurance Open is one of the PGA Tour’s marquee events. The presence of so many top-ranked players and the classic beauty of Torrey Pines Golf Course should really move the needle this week in terms of television ratings — oh, and the long-awaited return of 14-time major champion Tiger Woods won’t hurt either.
However, while it’s tempting to consider Woods for your fantasy lineups this week, you’d be smart to hold off. The 41-year-old hasn’t played in an official PGA Tour event in nearly a year-and-a-half, and returning from back surgery is no joke. Other fantasy managers may be more willing to take risks, but personally, I need more information about the state of Woods’ game before I’ll be willing to invest again. This week, his DraftKings salary is a whopping $7,900 — far too high for someone in his situation, even with his eight career wins at Torrey Pines.
Without further ado, I’ll reveal some of the guys who I am picking for my DraftKings lineup this week. Each player’s salary is listed next to his name.
Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Dustin Johnson — $11,100
Despite his impeccable current form, Johnson’s spotty history at the Farmers Insurance Open means that he’s only the third most expensive player in the field this week. Savvy fantasy managers can use that to their advantage by moving down from Day or Matsuyama in order to gain some more flexibility at the back end of their lineups. Even given his overall inconsistency at Torrey Pines, there’s plenty to like about Johnson this week — he hits it a mile, has found the top 10 in six of his last seven worldwide starts and has actually had a few highlights in La Jolla. Invest with confidence.
Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
J.B. Holmes — $8,200
This proud Kentuckian has really figured out how to contend at Torrey Pines over the past few years. Since his comeback season in 2014, Holmes has never missed out on the top 25, posting a tie for second in 2015 and a tie for sixth last year. As one of the PGA Tour’s most productive players off the tee, that makes sense — the course always provides the game’s bombers with plenty of opportunities to take advantage of their length. The one knock against Holmes is his middling recent results, but he’ll actually enter this week with about as much momentum as he had prior to his last couple of trips to Torrey.
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Brendan Steele — $8,000
A native of Southern California, Steele put on a show for his hometown fans last week, stringing together four solid rounds of golf to wind up in a tie for sixth at the CareerBuilder Challenge. It was his third top 10 in his last five starts, and what’s more, he hasn’t fared worse than a tie for 31st in any of his four starts since picking up a win at the Safeway Open last October. While he’s never done anything of note at Torrey Pines, he’s missed just one cut in five trips, peaking with a tie for 17th. With his solid driving skills thrown into the mix, Steele is a reasonable play this week.
Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Tony Finau — $7,700
With back-to-back top 20 finishes to start the new season, Finau hasn’t given fantasy managers a reason to doubt him yet, so he should be a reasonably popular pick in most formats this week. His back-to-back top 25s at Torrey Pines aren’t his only calling cards — his incredible skill off the tee also does plenty to make him an enticing option. On the new PGA Tour season, he ranks 10th in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 14th in par 5 scoring average, so all the pieces are there. Now, he just needs to flip the switch and really deliver.
Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Charles Howell III — $7,300
This Georgia native just might boast the best DraftKings value of any player in the field this week. Although he’s been surging through the past few weeks, coming up with five consecutive top 15s to show for it, Howell is available at a bargain price, so you shouldn’t have any trouble fitting him into your lineup. In terms of course history, he’s no Tiger Woods, but he has found the top 20 in three of his last four trips to Torrey Pines, posting a top five finish in 2015. All of that makes him a strong bet to earn his salary this week, so invest away.
Who’s in your fantasy lineup for the Farmers Insurance Open? Let us know in the comments and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more PGA Tour fantasy posts.
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