daily fantasy sports articles

The Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth Texas hosts the time-honoured Charles Schwab Challenge. Time honoured not because of the various name changes of the event itself but the Colonial has been the events course since 1946. The par 70 7,209-yard layout is a shotmaker’s paradise with tight fairways and several doglegs. Only 2 par-5’s on the course which means eagles will be few and far between, but the ease of the course might see a fair share of Birdies. The only factor that is challenging the 122 strong invitational field is forecast Texan winds. 

From a DFS perspective, last week at the PGA Championship we celebrated getting 6/6 through the weekend, this week we might see it as a bit of a failure not getting 6 through (well 9 in Moneyball) with only 122 in the field. Also from a DFS perspective, course history has significant weight here as the tournament is played on the same course for the past 70 years. According to rotogrinders.com what to look out for in key statistics include:

1)         Strokes Gained Approach

2)         Strokes Gained Around the Green

3)         Bogey Avoidance

4)         Strokes Gained Putting (Emphasis on Bentgrass)

5)         Proximity Blend

Around the DFS sites this week is some very encouraging contests starting with the $500,000 Drive the Green contest on Draftkings for a $5 buy-in. On Moneyball a $15 entry $5,000 contest is available and at Draftstars a $15 entry $10,000 contest is available as well. 

Let’s have a look at this week's players I am looking for at the Charles Schwab Challenge:

Justin Rose ($11,400 DK/ $22,250 DS / $9,100 MB) - Last year’s defending champion is also the highest salary golfer on the slate. The course is perfect fit for Rose and is fitting for the favourite for the tournament. 4th in the field for SG: Approach and 1st in the field for overall putting. Thrown 6th in Bogey avoidance and ranked 1st for proximity from 175-200 yards. I can go on regarding Rose’s statistics. Would be disappointed if Rose doesn’t go 5th or better at Colonial.  

Jon Rahm ($11,200 DK / $21,940 DS / $9,000 MB)- Coming off a woeful Friday performance and missed cut at the PGA Championship Rahm returns to Colonial with back to back Top 5 finishes and went into each of those with poor performances the week before (T63 in 2018, T72 in 2017). So the bounce-back is real here. Leaning to Rose more than Rahm but he is ranked number 1 in the field for Par 4 scoring and 8th in the field in Bogey avoidance. 

Paul Casey ($9,300 DK / $17,610 DS / $7,400 MB)- Probably will be the chalky play on Draftkings, as Casey when avoiding cuts (far too many this year for my liking, especially at the Masters) does have pedigree to take out the event itself. 4th in SG: Approach, 2nd in Fairways Gained, 1st in Bogey Avoidance, and 22nd in SG: Total in Windy conditions over the last 24 rounds. Not quite a lock but a serious play if you can eat the ownership. 

Abraham Ancer ($7,600 DK / $14,900 DS / $6,100 MB)- The Texan resident is another suited to the Colonial as he has great statistics in the field this week. T4 for Proximity with in 150-175 yards (the sweet spot for this course), 4th in the field for Par 4 scoring and 12th for Bogey avoidance. Add 86% accurate of the tee then we have ourselves on paper a safe value play here.  

Jim Furyk ($7,300 DK / $14,600 DS / $5,800 MB)- Whilst last week’s result was to be expected (the course was far too long for Jim), I am big on Furyk to perform well on this “plodders course”. Furyk still ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach this year, he leads the Tour in driving accuracy, and he has plenty of experience on this golf course. We also get Furyk at a great price for a golfer that has T10+ upside.

Louis Oosthuizen ($9,000 DK / $17,010 DS / $7,200 MB)- My fade this week with the a strong price tag is Oosthuizen. What stops me picking Louis is that he ranks 85th in the field for SG: Approach which is vital this week. Although he was 5th in the tournament last year (which will garner ownership), this is the first year that this tournament is hosted after a major and we might question Oosthuizen’s mindset here. 

Sneaky Value Picks

Draftkings- Ryan Armour $6,100

Moneyball- Carlos Ortiz $4,900

Draftstars- Nate Lashley $8,970

The Daily Fantasy Rankings "Dragon" has scoured the Australian sports betting markets and found some great value picks for this event. Check out his picks for the day below and click on the links to follow his betting plays!

Always remember to gamble responsibly. When the fun stops, stop. If gambling is having a negative impact on your life, seek support at Gambling Help Online.  18+ only.