The next stop on the PGA Tour is the Valero Texas Open, and the field is wide open. The returning champion, Jimmy Walker, is returning, so we will take a look at him, and a few other golfers that are considered to be contenders as you get ready to draft your daily fantasy golf team. The tournament begins on Thursday, April 21st.
Jimmy Walker: Walker is the top ranked golfer for this tournament. He won here last year, and his salary reflects this. He is priced at $11,200, which makes sense as he’s the top name in the field. He has made 10 of 11 cuts this season, and has placed in the top 10 on 4 occasions. On DraftKings, he is averaging 78.1 fantasy points per tournament, too, putting him well above everyone else. There’s no question that he’s the top guy to have on your fantasy team this time, but he’s also a bit expensive. If you draft him, then be sure that you are finding good value in other places.
Patrick Reed: Reed is really the only other golfer that has shown the same kind of fantasy worth that Walker has in this field. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to draft both Walker and Reed, but if you don’t draft Walker, you should draft Reed. He’s priced at $10,600, which is much cheaper than Walker, but when it comes to fantasy play, he’s pretty close. He has made 10 of 12 cuts, is averaging 80.0 fantasy points per tournament, and has an average stroke count of 70.6 per round. He also has 7 top ten finishes, which is the best in the field. We’ll be drafting Reed over Walker thanks to his higher fantasy point output and lower price, but there’s a strong case to be made for either.
Branden Grace: Grace was the big winner last weekend, and this has drastically inflated his salary on most daily fantasy sports sites. At DraftKings, he’s the second most expensive entrant at $10,900, which puts him at a place far too expensive for our liking. He’s made 5 of 7 cuts, which isn’t bad, but his average fantasy point totals per tournament are pretty low at 65.6. For our liking, one win isn’t enough to justify this, especially when he has only made one other top ten besides this. We’ll pass on him. There’s far better overall talent out there, and you should be able to find it for far cheaper than this.
Brooks Koepka: Koepka has made 8 of 10 cuts this season, has an average fantasy point total per tournament of 70.5, and has made the top ten 3 different times. He’s priced at $10,400, making him the number six ranked golfer in the field, but when it comes to talent level, on our list, he’s number three—behind Walker and Reed. That’s good grounds for drafting him, but his average stroke count of 70.7 does lend itself to some unpredictability. Still, he’s at a price we like, and has far more potential than many of the other top ten ranked golfers this weekend. He’s worth drafting.
Bryson DeChambeau: DeChambeau is a bit of an unknown in this field, but there’s a lot of potential here. First, he’s priced at $9,800, which is pretty cheap for someone with so much of a ceiling. He’s made 3 out of 3 cuts, has 1 top ten finish, and an average fantasy point value per tournament of 73.0. The risk here is that he’s only played in three tournaments this season so his data isn’t as reliable as some of the other golfers entered, but his T21 at The Masters was very promising. If he’s capable of that in a field that was so strong, he has potential for a top five or better finish here. Another thing to beware of is his high stroke count per round of 71.2. That seems to be under control, though, as that is mainly because of one bad round at The Masters where he shot a 77.
