This weekend’s Frys.com Open marks the first PGA event of the 2016 season. Because it is so early in the season, some of the bigger names in golf will not be playing, but there is still a lot of talent to choose from when drafting your daily fantasy golf team. Here’s our breakdown of the top five choices for your roster.
Rory McIlroy: McIlroy is the top golfer slated for this tourney. He had some big bumps in how he performed last season, but it seems like those have been put behind him, based upon how he finished his season a few weeks ago. At the BMW Championship, he scored over 100 fantasy points at DraftKings, and his recent average is 82.1. He was injured earlier in the year, but his last outing set aside doubts that he was ready to start performing at the level he was once at. The 2016 season should be exciting as he gears up to face off against Jordan Spieth, so this first tournament of the year will be a good way for him to get an edge. The only drawback to McIlroy is that he’s very expensive at $12,800.
Hideki Matsuyama: Matsuyama had a strong last couple months to his 2015 season and is carrying that momentum into the new season. He averaged 77.2 fantasy points over his most recent sampling, but was performing even higher than this for the last chunk of the season. He had a 95.0 at the BMW Championship, and an 88.2 two weeks before hand at the Barclay’s. His biggest upside this weekend is that he is priced much cheaper than McIlroy at only $10,800. His ceiling isn’t quite as high as McIlroy’s but there’s not a big enough difference here to warrant such a drastic price gap.
Brooks Koepka: Koepka had two really bad weeks when it came to fantasy points near the end of the 2015 season. He scored a 22.0 at the Deutsche Bank tourney, and a 23.5 at the Barclay’s. Before this, he had a 108.5 at the Wyndham Championship. He’s a talented golfer, but a little inconsistent. At $10,600, he’s probably a little too pricey to include on your roster, but he could be a valuable asset to you if you are willing to take on this risk. The ceiling here is very high, but the floor is very low. If you are looking for someone who might have a huge weekend and are able to spend the money on his salary, he’s a good inclusion.
Brandt Snedeker: Snedeker was a solid mid-tier choice for your roster much of the last half of last season. After the Wyndham Championship, though, his performance did fall off of what he was capable of. Hopefully, the couple weeks of rest have been helpful for him. If so, you can expect much more out of him than his posted fantasy point average of 67.3. On a good day, he’s a low 80s golfer, which is more than enough points based upon his salary of $8,800.
Robert Streb: Streb had a good end to his season in 2015. He finished T10 at the PGA Championship, and T23 at the BMW Championship. His yearly fantasy point average was 69.6, but he’s capable of higher than this under good conditions. At the BMW, for example, he scored 82.0. Like Snedeker, he’s a good mid-tier addition to your fantasy golf team, especially in a limited field like this one. At $9,200, he’s a bit more expensive than you would probably spend on a typical mid-tier player, but against weaker competition, this seems like a good price to bring Streb on.
