Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller for your PGA DFS research. This week we'll dig into the FanDuel PGA DFS slate for the fifth event of the season.
In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the 2023 Sony 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 that are 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!
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FanDuel Strategy Nuances (PGA DFS)
Before we dive into the FanDuel plays for this week, we are going to be comparing the prices of golfers on the FD slate to that of the DraftKings slate, in order to figure out some value for the respective golfers. We get an extra $10,000 ($60,000 salary limit in FanDuel) to spend on the same six guys, so there is opportunity to build some really optimal lineups if we find the right guys. The average increase per player should be $1,666.67 ($10,000 / 6).
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, DFS prop picks, and course previews.
High-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Below is the difference in salary between the two DFS platforms
Tom Hoge ($11,700, $1,100 difference)
Tom Hoge is hot off a T3 at the Tournament of Champions and now sees one of the smallest increases in salary of the top players in the field. The projected fantasy points the research station is suggesting for Hoge tends to agree with his 8th ranked FD pricing, but my model has him as the 4th best golfer in the field. Even if we split the difference, Hoge is one of the more affordable premier talents on the FanDuel slate.
Keegan Bradley ($10,500, $1,300 difference)
Keegan Bradley is priced as the 13th most expensive golfer this week, while ranking 7th in my model. My model was a little overweight on approach play which may suggest why Keegan was ranked so high for me. His iron play is impeccable when firing on all cylinders and his putter has definitely shown signs of intermittent resurgence of late. A pair of 12th-placed finishes here in the last 3 years is also very promising for Bradley's week ahead.
Billy Horschel ($10,800, $1,400 difference)
In the last few days Billy Horschel has been quoted by Sports Illustrated saying he was headed home. Now we hear he is playing. This, along with his erratic play at Kapalua last week, is keeping his ownership down a little as the public is not sure if they going to get a Billy who went +1 in his first two rounds, or the guy who shot -13 over the weekend. Finishes of 36th and 7th don't hurt his cause either. Either Billy helps win us win a Milly, or he makes us look silly.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Mid-priced salary differences. Notice how much more red we see in that difference column in this range versus the high-priced range. Bare that in mind when deciding which players to play on either platform.
J.J. Spaun ($9,900, $1,500 increase)
At a course where course history correlation to success is the second strongest to Augusta, J.J. Spaun provides us a golden game theory opportunity. His course record is hot garbage here, keeping his ownership modest, but if you head to our handy-dandy research station you will see a recent run of form that paints a picture of imminent success. He is golfing with confidence and enjoyment, finishing T5 last week behind Rahm, Morikawa, Homa and Hoge. Hoge is in the field and $1,800 more than J.J. #Value
Andrew Putnam ($9,800, $1,800 increase)
There are only one or two players in this range that offer a reasonable amount of salary savings vs DraftKings pricing. Andrew Putnam is going to be rather popular this week, but rightfully so. His accuracy off the tee, pristine putting, and a dozen consecutive made cuts are all the ingredients needed for a Putnam pie of fantasy points!
Nick Hardy ($9,100, $1,600 increase)
With intermittent strokes gained metrics available to us throughout the fall swing, all we know is this. Nick Hardy is hitting his irons better than 99% of the field. He has gained no less than +0.5 strokes on approach in his 13 recorded rounds since the Fortinet. He has finished 66th and 14th here in his two starts. If he brings these hot-to-trot irons to the Hawaiin party, he could win this thing if his putter brings its dance shoes.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Austin Cook ($7,500, $900 increase)
Austin Cook made three consecutive cuts before missing the weekend at a windy and cold RSM Classic. He now heads to a course that highlights his incredible accuracy off the tee, and hopefully also highlights the +0.44 strokes he averaged on approach to begin the 2023 season. After missing the first three cuts of the season, he rattled off finishes of MC, T27, T27, and T44, which is more than enough for a low owned $7,500 golfer.
Kramer Hickock ($7,000, $700 increase)
Kramer Hickock is a min-price $7,000 and has three finishes of T20, T19, and T45 in his last three vacations to Waialae CC. At a course with very predictable course history, what more is there to put forward on Kramer's behalf? Jump on that horse and make history!
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