Daily Fantasy Golf FanDuel Picks (PGA DFS) - Charles Schwab Challenge

Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel slate for the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge, providing information of not only who will come into the week under-owned but also who should be avoided for your lineups.

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 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial. 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!

2021 Charles Schwab Challenge - PGA DFS Overview

Colonial Country Club

7,209 Yards - Par 70 - Greens: Bentgrass - Designers: John Bredemus & Perry Maxwell

This 1936 design was recognized as an instant classic. Since Colonial made its debut on the PGA Tour in 1946, the event has been played under many names, but the course has continued to endure as a mainstay on the schedule. The legendary Ben Hogan looms large as a presence at Colonial, as he won the event back-to-back not once, but twice. In the same vein as Hogan, we have seen the same players repeatedly perform well at the Forth Worth layout.

The tight fairways and multiple doglegs that are cut through the course's pecan trees make this layout difficult to overpower, with a premium being placed on a player's ball striking, shotmaking, and scrambling abilities. While distance is not something we ever want to totally dismiss, it does take something of a backseat in importance at Ben Hogan's old stomping grounds.

This classic layout has certainly favored the "ballstriking-fairways-and-greens-course-management" type of player historically, but we've also seen guys like Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm record strong finishes at Colonial in recent years. So while golfers that are short off the tee will find themselves able to compete with the big hitters more on a classic layout like this, the bombers can't be totally discounted, which muddies the waters a bit when trying to narrow this strong field down to a certain "type" of player.

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

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
• Fairways Gained
• Overall Proximity
• Par 4 Scoring: 350-450 Yards
• Proximity: 125-175 Yards
• Strokes Gained: Putting (Bent)

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 Plays 

Jordan Spieth ($12,300)

Jordan Spieth heads to Colonial on the heels of a disappointing performance at the PGA Championship. Despite the ho-hum T30 finish at Kiawah Island, Spieth should not be underestimated this week on a layout where he's been tremendous throughout his career (a win, a runner-up, & two top-10s since 2016). The Texan was actually very good from tee-to-green last week, gaining 8.2 strokes T2G. The issue was his inability to consistently make putts, as he lost just over two strokes on the Paspalum greens of the Ocean Course. He'll return to his beloved Bentgrass putting surfaces this week, the type of greens which are his best statistically.

Justin Thomas ($12,100)

It's a bit tough to evaluate JT this week, as he's coming off a somewhat-shocking missed cut at the PGA Championship. Thomas never seemed to be comfortable at the Ocean Course and it was his worst ball-striking performance since a missed cut at the Genesis back in February. We occasionally see these little blips on the radar from the Kentucky native, so I don't believe it's a huge cause for concern, however, the course fit for him at Colonial this week could probably be labeled as a mediocre one, as the tight Texas layout will limit his prowess off the tee to an extent. That said, Thomas posted a T10 in the Schwab last year and has the ability to win on any type of layout. I'll keep an eye on ownership as the week progresses using our exclusive RotoBaller PGA DFS Research Station and won't hesitate to hop aboard if it feels as though he's going overlooked.

Collin Morikawa ($11,900)

While the course fit for the aforementioned Justin Thomas is hazy, this Colonial layout appears to be tailor-made for young Collin Morikawa. Morikawa posted a runner-up finish in his Charles Schwab debut last year and I expect that this event will be a mainstay on his annual schedule for years to come. Colonial's tight fairways and tiny greens play right into his strengths. He leads this week's field in SG: T2G, Ball Striking, & Approach over the last 24 rounds and he heads to Forth Worth after gaining over 7.5 strokes on Approach at the PGA Championship last week. The concern with him is always the putting, though Bentgrass greens like he'll see this week are his "least worst" surface historically. He's perhaps my favorite play on the board and will have a tremendous chance to win this tournament if the putter cooperates.

Abraham Ancer ($11,400)

Welcome to "Abe Ancer Chalk Week" boys and girls! His blistering final-round 65 at the PGA Championship, coupled with his recent form and great course fit at Colonial, will make him one of the most popular DFS plays on the slate this week. His results of 2021 are certainly eye-opening...he's made 10 of 12 cuts this year - including his last eight starts in a row - with top-five finishes in two of his last three. The fit at Colonial is undoubtedly a good one, as Ancer checks all the boxes needed on the legendary course. He stands first in this Schwab field in SG: OTT and third in Fairways Gained, while grading out fourth in GIRs Gained and sixth in Overall Proximity over the last 24 rounds.

Will Zalatoris ($11,200)

Similar to Justin Thomas, some of Will Zalatoris' natural advantages will be negated this week. Zalatoris is one of the longest on the PGA Tour off the tee and routinely devours Par-5s, two skills that don't really apply to this Colonial layout. However, the youngster has repeatedly shown the ability to adapt to any type of golf course and I suspect that will once again be the case this week for the Texas native. He gained a mind-blowing 8.2 strokes on Approach at the PGA last week, so the needed iron play is certainly present here.

Corey Conners ($11,000)

Like with Collin Morikawa, this Colonial layout seems to scream Corey Conners. The Canadian is one of the PGA Tour's sharpest ball strikers and trails only Morikawa in SG: Ball Striking over the last 24 rounds. He comes in first in the field in GIRs Gained and fifth in Fairways Gained. His style fits this classic layout perfectly and that reflected in his Charles Schwab track record, as he's went T19-T31-T8 in his three previous trips to Colonial. The putter has been cold as of late, but Conners' will give himself plenty of opportunities thanks to his elite ball striking and accuracy.

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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays

Joaquin Niemann ($10,700)

The once-volatile Joaquin Niemann has morphed into one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour this season. Niemann has not missed a cut in 10 2021 starts and has gained strokes T2G in nine of those outings. It's not a surprise to find that his quality ball striking has translated to good results in his previous visits to Colonial. The youngster has never finished worse than T32 in three Charles Schwab starts. His short game is a work in progress, but he surprisingly grades out 10th in this Schwab field in SG: Putting over the last 24 rounds and Bent has traditionally been his best surface.

Charley Hoffman ($10,500)

Charley Hoffman heads to Fort Worth playing some of the best golf of his career. The veteran ranks an impressive second in this Schwab field in SG: T2G over the last 24 rounds, while also grading out fifth in SG: Ball Striking.  Hoffman has made 10 of 11 cuts in 2021 with an eye-opening EIGHT top-20 finishes. His track record at Colonial is equally impressive as he's made the cut in 11 of his 12 career trips to the legendary Texas layout.

Brian Harman ($10,100)

Brian Harman comes to Colonial on the heels of a missed cut at Kiawah Island. It was Harman's first misstep in quite some time, as the diminutive lefty had made 10 consecutive cuts prior to his early exit for the PGA. This 7,200-ish yard Colonial layout presents a much more manageable challenge for the light-hitting Harman than last week's 7,870-yard behemoth and his history in the Schwab reflects as much. The veteran has made seven consecutive cuts at Colonial with a pair of top-10s and two top-25s among those starts and I look for him to get back on track this week.

Emiliano Grillo ($9,900)

Emiliano Grillo always seems to land in the "GPP Only" bucket for me, but I'm certainly interested in the upside the talented, but erratic, ball striker brings to the table. Grillo heads to Colonial in the midst of a ball-striking heater. He's gained a whopping seven strokes or more on Approach in four of his last five starts, with the lone dud being a missed cut at the Valspar (there's that volatility). A recent runner-up at the RBC Heritage feels noteworthy, as there are some similarities between Harbour Town & Colonial, both courses that put an emphasis on accuracy off the tee and on approach. A look at his history in the Schwab reinforces the idea that the short tracks fit Grillo, as he's logged a third-place finish and a pair of top-25s over his last four trips to Colonial.

Brandt Snedeker ($9,600)

Some of you might remember that I was drawn to Sneds back at the AT&T Byron Nelson a couple of weeks ago. Well, I'm still on my fellow Tennessean this week, as the streaky Snedeker is finding is form after logging top-20s in three of his last four starts. Colonial is another good fit for the light-hitting Vandy alum. He boasts a 69.06 scoring average at Colonial and has never missed a cut in nine career starts in the Schwab. His ball-striking numbers are always going to look a little wonky in a vacuum, but this is the type of track on which a player of Sneds' ilk can still compete with the Tour's younger generation of players.

Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Russell Knox ($9,300)

After trying to get on board Russell Knox back in the Swing Season, this is the first time in months that I've had serious DFS interest. His game appears to have solidified a bit lately and he comes to Colonial on the heels of three-straight made cuts with a pair of top-25s among those. Knox has been a beast at Colonial through the years, posting a top-10 and three top-25s to just one missed cut across five career starts in the Schwab.

Chris Kirk ($9,100)

Those of you that read my content regularly know that 2021 has been the "Year Of Chris Kirk" for me. However, my muse has faltered a bit as of late, missing the cut in his last two starts at the Wells Fargo and last week's PGA Championship. Despite those setbacks, I'm willing to saddle back up, as Colonial represents a much better fit for Kirk's game than those previously mentioned behemoths. He won on this golf course in 2015 and has never missed a cut in the Schwab in 10 career starts. The UGA alum still grades out inside the top-30 in every major strokes gained category and I love this as a rebound spot.

Joel Dahmen ($9,000)

Joel Dahmen is a player that I'm starting to view as almost a "Bubba Watson Lite" type of guy. Watson has long-been known to repeatedly perform well on a handful of select golf courses and Dahmen is starting to fall into a similar category. Colonial has been one of his "happy places" and he's logged top-20 finishes in two of his last three Schwab appearances. In addition to his history at Colonial, Dahmen heads to Texas with sneaky-good form. He nabbed a victory at Corales a couple of months ago and - aside from a hangover-induced T74 the following week at Valero - has played well in subsequent starts, recording a solid T18 at the Wells Fargo and a better-than-it-looks T55 last week at the PGA Championship. Dahmen gained an impressive 5.5 strokes on Approach last week on the Ocean Course and has SG: T2G splits of +7.1 (Wells Fargo) & +5.5 (PGA) over his last two starts.

Vincent Whaley ($7,200)

If we're talking pure value, this is a play that I simply can't pass up this week. Vincent Whaley has no course history at Colonial and doesn't appear to be a great statistical fit on paper (he profiles more as a birdie maker that scores on Par-5s), but this $7.2k price tag feels absolutely ridiculous to me when we consider the form that Whaley has demonstrated this year. He heads to the Schwab having made the cut in his last EIGHT starts on the PGA Tour and I'm willing to take a chance in GPPs at this price.

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