Fantasy Golf: Top DraftKings Picks for the Travelers Championship
After a wild week in fantasy golf that ended with Brooks Koepka claiming his first major title, things should be a bit more normal on the links this week. Players will make their way to the birdie-fest Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands Course in Connecticut. It is a Par 70 sitting at 6,800 yards where the average winning score over recent years has been -15.
Par 4 Scoring is a stat you must consider when building your DraftKings lineup this week. It is one of the shortest courses on tour but Driving Distance or Accuracy doesn’t really man a lot here. We’ve seen guys like Kenny Perry win. Bubba Watson has won here twice. Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green is a great stat to look at this week as the winners have all been dominant in that area.
Here's a look at our top DraftKings plays and value picks for the Travelers Championship.
Key Stats: Birdie or Better % (BoB%), Par 4 Scoring, Strokes Gained: Approach (SG:App), Approaches 150-175 Yards, Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (SG:T2G)
Top-Tier Plays
Patrick Reed ($9,300)
The American Ryder Cup star, dubbed the "American Eagle" by many, is back on the right track after losing it for a little bit. From Week 7 to Week 16 (six events), Reed had three missed cuts and did not finish better than 38th. He has turned that around, finishing in the top 20 three times in his last five starts and also posting a 22nd in that span.
Looking at Reed’s stats recently is a lot better than looking at them for the year. He has climbed 55 spots in SG:App over the last eight weeks and 33 spots in T2G. He ranks 52nd in putts made inside 10’ which is a key distance this week. With how he is trending, mainly his average finish going from 49.6 the last 12 events to 29.8 his last six, he should be included in your lineup. He is catching fire and could start a streak of top 10s very soon.
Brendan Steele ($9,000)
After finishing sixth in The Players and 13th in the U.S. Open. Steele has been moved back into the $9,000 salary zone on DraftKings. He is one of the hottest players in the field right now and is lighting up the stat sheet. He sits 14th in BoB% and sixth in Par 4 Scoring. Coupling that with his 19th rank in BA and T2G, he should be one of the favorites to win this week. In his last six starts at TOC River Highlands, Steele has reeled off five top 25s including two 13ths and a 5th. Do not overthink this week or try to get cute. Play this man.
Value and Sleeper Plays
Charley Hoffman ($7,300)
Charley and the Chocolate Factory is back to his old ways, making cuts and being in contention before ejecting in the chocolate river. Yes it wasn’t Charlie who fell in the chocolate river and yes Charley is really Charlie but you get the point. He ranks 163rd on tour in Round 4 Scoring Average while sitting 64th in Tournament Scoring Average. Maybe coming to a place where has showed success of finishing well will help his final round scoring average. Charley has a runner up and a 7th in the four years and also has a 26th and 25th in that span. He is coming off of an 8th place finish in the US Open and placed 30th in The Players. He has made 6 straight cuts and has some very good stats to play well here. He is 34th in BoB% and 36th in T2G. He also ranks 33rd in Approaches 150-175 yards. His only problem this year has been making too many bogeys and finding his comfort zone this week should land him in the top 20 with top 10 upside.
Webb Simpson ($6,900)
This price just isn’t right here. Webb took 16th in The Players and 35th in the U.S. Open, with a fifth-place finish between those events. Adding to that the fact he hasn’t finished worse than 34th here in his last four starts (including a 5th and 13th). He ranks 15th in Par 4 Scoring, 24th in SG:T2G, and 11th in SG:App. DraftKings is dangling bait here and we are taking it.
Others to Consider
Kyle Stanley ($8,600): Third in our stat rankings and 10th in recent form ranking. Hasn’t played very well here but game is much better than what it was in previous seasons. Finished fourth at The Players.
Bubba Watson ($8,400): Comfort factor at TPC River Highlands. Top 10 just two tourneys ago. Two wins and two other top 5s in last seven years.
Bud Cauley ($7,400): Looking to bounce back from his missed cut last week. Placed 11th here in 2014. Ranks 40th in Par 4 Scoring, 32nd in T2G, and 8th in SG:App.
Chez Reavie ($6,900): Two straight top 20s including 16th in the U.S. Open. Finished 25th and 11th in two of last four times playing here. Ranks 20th in BA and 31st in Par 4 Scoring.
