Some call it the “fifth major”.  Others believe that talk is just a hype machine looking to drag more spectators to a tournament in March.  Few will come just to watch the chaos on the island green 17th.  Then there are the crazy people out looking for toilet paper because of the Coronavirus.  In the end, it is time for the PLAYERS Championship, which means KP’s picks for the PGA DFS 2020 PLAYERS. 

The first few tournaments of the Florida stretch have been a challenge for the pros, with the red figures fewer and far between due to higher winds, cooler temperatures and a ton of hazards.

This week at TPC Sawgrass, the hazards will remain, but it appears that there will be an uptick in positive weather forecasts.  We shall see if that translates to better scores.  The best guess is yes.

Speaking of best guesses, let’s shift to the sleepers on DraftKings this week.  Sure, the term “SLEEPER” can be read in a number of different ways.  In this case, it’s the lower cost players – specifically the 6K range – that I believe will fare well this week at the 2020 PLAYERS Championship.

This is not the time for fore-play at The Wife Hates Sports, but instead the time to pick four sleepers for the 2020 PLAYERS Championship.  Each of these four players should assist you with assembling a solid “stars and scrubs” lineup that features either Rory McIlroy, John Rahm or Justin Thomas.

Each lands in the 6K range:

PGA DFS 2020 PLAYERS: Four 6K Range Sleepers on DraftKings

Joel Dahmen ($6,600)

Dahmen is likely to be highly owned in DraftKings contests, so if that deters you, keep that in mind.  For me, I will definitely use him, because it’s hard to argue both the recent form and the course history.  There are other low ownership options I can include with him.  Consider the following stats, as well:

  • 11th on the PGA Tour this season in SG: Tee to Green
  • Near the Top 10 in Par 4 Performance, a key category on this Par 72 course that throws a lot at you
  • 69th in the OWGR, up from 85 last week – a solid ranking for a player with this price tag
  • 22nd in SG: Approach, one of the more impactful stats for the PLAYERS Championship
  • 21st overall in Scrambling, a key stat with so many hazards and challenging greens
  • Back-to-back 5th place finishes and four Top 10’s this season
  • Finally, he cracked the Top 12 in last year’s tournament here

Tom Hoge ($6,500)

I’m fading Max Homa, who is likely to be another highly owned player in DraftKings pools.  That leads me to Hoge.  The last time I recommended him was a few weeks back at the Honda Classic.  That was, of course, his only missed cut over his last seven starts.  Hoge fared well at the API last week and here are the reasons why he’ll do well this week:

  • My focus continues to be on three key categories, SG: Approach, Scrambling and Par 4 Performance
  • In the above categories, Hoge cracks the top 20 on tour this season in all three
  • He also cracks the Top 20 in Round 1 Scoring Average, a key stat for making cuts (obviously)
  • His recent form includes five top 25 finishes (including two top 10’s) over his last seven tournaments

Cameron Tringale ($6,600)

My gut says Tringale will be one of the lower owned players in this range.  He could be a solid fade option away from Max Homa and Joel Dahmen.  Tringale is also very solid statistically in three of my key focus areas, SG: Approach, Scrambling and Par 4 Performance.  Here’s some more detail:

  • Top 25 in these categories: SG: Approach (18th), Scrambling (25th) and Par 4 Performance (23rd)
  • Top 20 in Round 1 Scoring Average, which again helps with making cuts and adding more points
  • One missed cut all season, which was January 30 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open
  • 28th in SG: Tee to Green and 34th in SG: Total
  • Top 50 in Scoring Average

Russell Henley ($6,400)

I almost went with Munoz for back-to-back weeks and while I like him, I think Henley is a more intriguing option here.  The 6/11 cuts on the season could deter some casual owners, despite the fact that his recent form (T8 at the Honda and T17 at The Genesis) is on point.  Consider the following stats, as well:

  • Again, solid in some of my key stats for the PLAYERS, including 20th in SG: Approach
  • He also cracks the Top 50 in Par 4 Performance and is 66th in Scrambling
  • Top 50 in SG: Tee to Green
  • His stats on the greens are not great, but one solid putting performance could make a difference

 

Who do you have as your favorite plays for the PGA DFS 2020 PLAYERS Championship?  Chime in with your favorite plays below.  Best of luck and as always, thank you for visiting The Wife Hates Sports!

All Stats via PGATour.com

Note: For the sake of visibility, I play a lot of DFS and I have played golf most of my life.  I am a stats guy. and do consider specific categories and the course itself.  This is free advice.  No pay walls here.  I do comb the internet on occasion and see if there are any statistics or options that I’m not considering when participating in a tournament.  I’m sure many of you do, as well.  But I mostly look at the PGA Tour stats page and make my own calls.  There are no crazy statistical models or high-priced data here.  Simply banter and ideas.  Let’s talk sports and let’s talk golf.  I hope this catches on, because I enjoy it.