Daily Fantasy Golf FanDuel Picks (PGA DFS) - American Express

Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel slate for the American Express, 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 American Express. 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!

The American Express - PGA DFS Overview

PGA West TPC Stadium Course

7,200 Yards - Par 72 - Greens: Bermuda - Designer: Pete Dye

We're normally juggling three golf courses for this event, but this year's American Express will be narrowed down to two, with all players tackling the TPC Stadium Course & the Nicklaus Tournament Course over the first two rounds, with those that make the 36-hole cut playing the entire weekend on the Stadium Course.

The Stadium Course is classic "desert golf" and traditionally plays much tougher than the other tracks in the rotation. Players will face a difficult closing stretch that includes a 20-feet deep bunker on Hole 16, the infamous "Alcatraz hole" at 17, and a par-4 18th that is lined with water. 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
• Proximity: 150-175 Yards
• Birdie or Better %
• Proximity: 125 Yards and In
• Total Driving
• Putting: Bermuda Greens

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 

Patrick Cantlay ($11,800)

With Jon Rahm withdrawing from this week's tournament, the top of the salary scale becomes a bit hazy. As a result, we'll touch quickly on every player $11k and up this week.

In the absence of a clear-cut top option in Rahm, we're left with Patrick Cantlay as the highest-priced player on the board. While there are lots of factors trending in Cantlay's direction - a T9 in his last AmEx start, won the ZOZO in October, pedigree - he did have the tendency to disappear in tournaments last year and, despite logging an "ok" T13 at the Sentry TOC, he lost strokes on Approach at Kapalua in his most recent start.

This "he's a great player, but..." theme isn't isolated to just Cantlay and is a common thread running throughout the top of the salary scale this week.

Brooks Koepka ($11,700)

He's a great player, but there are some questions with Brooksy this week. Last seen missing the cut at Mayakoba and then turning it into a vacation with Jenna, Koepka has yet to tee it up in 2021 and has never teed it up in the American Express. He did look sharp in late 2020 starts at Houston and the Masters, but we're always concerned about how motivated the four-time major champion will be in non-major events. Does Koepka come out fired up in 2021 or does he use this as a "knock the rust off" outing? We know he has the ability to dominate golf tournaments, but there are lots of unknowns at play here at $11.7k.

Patrick Reed ($11,500)

After years of following Patrick Reed, I've come to the point where I'm never surprised when he wins a golf tournament, but also never surprised when he plays poorly or misses a cut. That's where we are with the former Masters champion, as he's one of the guys on Tour that's almost impossible to figure out statistically. In a modern game that revolves around distance, Reed gets it done the old-fashioned way...shotmaking, scrambling, and putting. That old-school style is actually pretty effective in this week's event and Reed is a former AmEx champion (2014) with two additional top-25s over six career starts. It's possible that folks are scared off Reed after he busted as the chalk at Sentry, so I'll keep an eye on ownership as the week progresses and will eventually let his projected popularity dictate my amount of exposure (overweight if he's underowned, underweight if he's chalky).

Scottie Scheffler ($11,300)

I think Scheffler will be a popular landing spot with Jon Rahm no longer available. He's an explosive player that posted a third-place finish in his American Express debut last year. I think we're all waiting/hoping that the "three top-fives in four starts" form of late summer comes back, as Scheffler hasn't been quite the same player since being forced to miss the U.S. Open due to COVID-19. The Texan ranks sixth in this week's field in Birdies or Better Gained over long-term measurements and certainly has the firepower needed to contend here.

Tony Finau ($11,200)

You guys that regularly read my articles here at RotoBaller or listen to my weekly podcast The Turn (subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else!) know how I feel about Tony Finau. I started playing PGA DFS at the same time that Finau's career took off, so I've got a nostalgic affection for him. He's been a terrific fantasy producer for me over the years and - by all accounts - he's a tremendous human being. All that said, I really don't know what to do with Tony this week. He didn't look especially sharp at the Sentry TOC where he lost almost four strokes on Approach and - despite a T14 in last year's AmEx - this event doesn't feel like a great fit for his strengths. His price tag is a bit more palatable on FD vs DK, so I suppose that makes me more inclined to utilize him on FD, but I expect my Finau exposure to be fairly light compared to most weeks.

Sungjae Im ($11,100)

Is Sungjae turning into "Patrick Reed Lite"? I don't know for sure, but I logged a pretty big miss on Sungjae last week at the Sony. After leading the elite Sentry TOC field in SG: T2G, but putting horribly, it stood to reason that Im was a strong play last week at Wailae (we just hoped he'd get the putter going). He subsequently went out and lost over THREE strokes on Approach at the Sony (as well as losing strokes putting...again). It kinda leaves me scratching my head when it comes to Sungjae this week. He's been very good in two previous AmEx starts (T10-T12) and Bermuda is historically his best putting surface by far (although not the last two weeks). So...everything is in place for Im to be an elite play this week, but if we look back to his game logs since the COVID restart, he's been anything but consistent.

Matthew Wolff ($11,000)

We're rounding out the "high priced" plays with Matthew Wolff at $11k. He's a genuine superstar-in-the-making and is set to make his 2021 debut this week. Wolff is the definition of "boom or bust", as he's one of the most explosive scorers in golf when things are dialed in, but he can also tank your lineups when things aren't. The youngster posted a T61 in his AmEx debut last year, which reinforces my feeling that the golf courses in rotation for this event don't really suit the strengths of his game. He's so talented that it's impossible to totally write him off in any spot, though - like Tony Finau - I certainly prefer him on driver-heavy tracks.

Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium DFS PGA subscription?

Like what you read today? You can show your support for Joe by using promo code NICE when purchasing a PGA Premium Pass. You get 10% off and full access to all of our Premium PGA articles, DFS tools, and Lineup Optimizer!

Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Abraham Ancer ($10,900)

As we dive into the "Mid-Priced Plays", I've gotta say that this is such an interesting slate. I'm not normally huge on this tournament, but the combination of the format changes and this year's unique field really make this a fun week. Abraham Ancer is another player that could honestly work out either way this week. He disappointed with a missed cut at the Sony - a track that we expected to be a good fit - but logged a runner-up in this event last year on the heels of a T18 AmEx performance in 2019. If we dig into his two starts of 2021, we see that he's been solid on Approach, wildly inconsistent with the putter, and very bad around the green. It adds up to Ancer being another one of these guys without strong statistical indicators that he's going to play well this week, though his AmEx track record indicates this is a good fit and definitely a level of comfortability here.

Sam Burns ($10,300)

Outside of Ancer, the only name I'll be clicking in the wild $10k price range this week is Sam Burns, a player I found myself rostering quite frequently last year. Burns performed well for me, making the cut in four of his five Swing Season starts with top-10 performances in two of those outings. The LSU product has been very sharp in two career AmEx starts and will try to carry over that positive momentum from 2020 into this week. Over the last 24 measured rounds, Burns grades out first in this field in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and stands second in SG: Ball Striking. He's also a terrific Bermuda putter, an aspect that often goes overlooked due to his massive length off the tee.

Adam Hadwin ($9,800)

A truly juicy $9k range this week! Guys like Si Woo Kim, Patton Kizzire, and Emiliano Grillo bring lots of GPP upside to the table, but I feel like I'm almost legally obligated to touch on Adam Hadwin at the American Express. The dude has been a course history BEAST in this event over the years, going T2-T3-2nd-T6 in his last four AmEx starts. That's incredible! However, this week will prove to be a true test of "Does Course History Matter?", as Hadwin heads into this tournament with abysmal recent form, having lost strokes total in each of his last four starts (failing to play the weekend in all three that had a cut), while failing to post a top-25 result since JULY of last year. FD has obviously priced him up based on the course history and it will be really interesting to see how Course History vs Recent Form plays out this week.

Brian Harman & Charles Howell III ($9,800 & $9,600)

There's actually a lot of overlap between last week's Waialae layout and this week's AmEx. Both Brian Harman and CH3 have played very well in both events throughout their careers, so I'm throwing them in the same bucket here. Harman underwhelmed a bit last week, but he's been a stud at La Quinta, posting four top-20s over his last five AmEx starts. Like clockwork, Charles Howell III came through with a rock-solid T19 performance at the Sony and he's been similarly successful in the AmEx, making the cut in 12 of his 15 career starts.

Aaron Wise ($9,500)

A talented-young player that's already experienced some ups and downs in his career, Aaron Wise appeared to have his game back on track during the Swing Season, closing out 2020 by gaining strokes T2G in each of his last six starts and recording a runner-up finish at Mayakoba. Wise has missed the cut in his last two AmEx starts, but started his career going T34-T17 in this event. It feels as though his form is currently closer to what it was in those appearances and I like his upside in GPPs this week.

Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Sepp Straka ($9,100)

The hits just keep on coming as we work our way down the salary scale this week, as we can find very viable GPP options all over the board. Sepp Straka sticks out as a high-upside play for me. He posted a T4 in this event last year and heads to La Quinta in sharp form. Straka recorded a T25 last week in the Sony, gaining over four strokes on Approach. He's accumulated an average of +3.9 strokes on Approach over his last five tournaments and grades out third in this rather strong field in Birdies or Better Gained over his last 24 rounds. I never like to put all my eggs in the Straka basket due to his volatility, but there's some intriguing upside here at just $9.1k.

Doc Redman ($9,100)

I imagine Doc is priced down here due to his recent inactivity and a couple of uninspiring starts to close out 2020. Despite those drawbacks, I'm eager to get the young ballstriker in lineups this week, as I feel this is a great value and Redman is a player that brings legitimate tournament-winning upside to the table. Doc just turned 23 over the December break and has already logged four top-five finishes in his young career - including two during the 2020 Swing Season. He posted a T29 in his AmEx debut last year and it's not hard to imagine him improving on that result this year.

Cameron Tringale ($9,000)

Cameron Tringale is the very definition of "boom or bust", as the guy seems to either post a top-25 or miss the cut every time he tees it up. However, I'm willing to roll the dice this week, as despite grading out 15th in this field in SG: Approach, Tringale comes in with just a $9k price tag. He's made the cut in eight of 10 career starts at the AmEx and is an intriguing value option in this spot.

Charley Hoffman ($8,900)

I’m willing to consider Hoffman this week (while being mindful of his volatility) due to both the course history and because he has been in such a nice groove as of late. He’s coming off an impressive ball-striking performance at last week’s Sony Open, where he gained 8.2 strokes T2G - a mark that was fourth in the field - and 4.9 strokes on Approach en route to a T14 finish. It was his fourth-straight made cut, fourth-straight start gaining strokes T2G, and fourth top-25 result since the start of the Swing Season.

Maverick McNealy ($8,800)

Mav is another one of these players that is enticing at this price point. He's a Stanford guy that's comfortable with desert golf and posted a T37 in last year's AmEx. McNealy also flashed some form during the Swing Season, recording top-25s in four of his last six 2020 starts. That's all we're looking for at $8.8k and he certainly has the ability to get hot enough to get us there.

GPP Value Options

Peter Malnati ($8,700)

How about my guy Pete Malnati last week? A disappointing final-round performance forced him to settle for a T14 at Waialae, but an opening-round 62 in the Sony demonstrated that the explosiveness we saw during the Swing Season hasn't left.

Michael Thompson ($8,500)

After a T25 at the Sony, Thompson has now ran off three-straight top-25s in his last three starts. He brings that form to a course where he posted a T9 in 2019. We're relying on the putter here, but a very nice dart throw-type play.

Andrew Landry ($8,300)

This is an "Adam Hadwin Lite" situation, as Landry didn't look good at all in his two Hawaii starts, but has been a beast in this event, winning the AmEx title last year to go with a T28 in '19 and a runner-up finish in '18. He had missed seven of eight cuts prior to the win last year, so it's possible that he snaps out of his current funk this week.

Vaughn Taylor ($8,100)

The veteran logged a T25 at Waialae, his first top-25 in...checks the record books...a looong time (his last top-25 was at the Genesis way back in February of last year). However, he also put together a decent start at the RSM Classic to close out 2020 and he has the feel of a guy that's starting to put things together after an extended slump. Taylor gained 4.9 strokes T2G last week and jumps out as solid salary-saver on this slate. Toss in the fact that he has three career top-10s in the AmEx and we've got ourselves a legit dart throw option!

  Win More With RotoBaller

Win more with expert tools and advice from proven winners! RotoBaller's PGA Premium Packages feature several savvy analysts and proven winners for DFS and betting.

Our very own Joe Nicely 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

Congrats @tenndolly2 ???

Thanks for being a @RotoBaller PGA DFS Premium subscriber & checking out all the amazing golf content that @JoeNicely produces every week! https://t.co/tHKZVsPbbt

— RotoBaller PGA (@RotoBallerPGA) August 10, 2020

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks

More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks