THE PLAYERS Championship: DFS Picks

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THE PLAYERS Championship is one of the biggest golf events we get all year long, and well, it's upon us this week as the PGA Tour heads to Ponte Vedra Beach to tee it up at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Here's all you need to know for PGA DFS on FanDuel for this week.

THE PLAYERS DFS Picks

TPC Sawgrass (Stadium) Course Info

Data from GCSAA, PGA Tour, and data golf's course table unless otherwise noted.

Par: 72
Distance: 7,352 yards (average for a par 72)
Average Fairway Width: 30.7 yards (narrow)
Average Green Size: 5,500 square feet (a little small)
Green Type: TifEagle bermudagrass / Poa trivialis overseed
Stimpmeter: N/A
Recent Winning Scores: -20, -17, -13, -14, -16
Recent Cut Lines: -1, +2, +2, E, -1

TPC Sawgrass (Stadium) Course Key Stats

For more information about the course, PLAYERS course history, and recent form on the PGA Tour, check out our PLAYERS Best Bets article.

THE PLAYERS Championship DFS Top Plays

These picks stand out relative to their FanDuel daily fantasy golf salary. All stats cited below originate at datagolf and reference ranks relative to the field over the past 50 rounds unless otherwise noted. All betting odds come from the golf betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

THE PLAYERS Championship Daily Fantasy Studs

Scottie Scheffler ($13,000 | +400)

To be $13,000 on FanDuel and +400 to win outright on FanDuel Sportsbook in a volatility-laden PLAYERS setup is pretty incredible, but that's where Scheffler is, and it's not absurd to think about.

Last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Scheffler plodded his way to a T11 finish while ranking 1st in strokes gained: off the tee and 4th in strokes gained: around the green but just 27th in approach and 49th in putting.

Nestled within that OTT performance, he was second in fairways gained -- a must here at TPC Sawgrass.

The two-time defending PLAYERS Champion will need to putt better than he did last week, though he's ranked just 48th and 37th in putting in his two wins here. It's hard to argue against Scottie in a DFS format other than for game-theory driven differentiation tournament lineups.

Scheffler averaged +2.76 strokes gained: tee to green last week, per datagolf, clearing everyone other than Collin Morikawa (+3.05) with nobody else gaining more than +2.27 strokes per round T2G.

Collin Morikawa ($11,100 | +1400)

Morikawa couldn't close out the Arnold Palmer Invitational after holding a 54-hole lead and losing strokes to the field on Sunday, but it was really a chip-in eagle from Russell Henley down the stretch that flipped the script.

Still, Morikawa dusted the field from a tee-to-green standpoint last week, though Henley was third in T2G and putted really well.

But Morikawa is a great course fit for TPC Sawgrass yet hasn't putted positively here in any full event he's played.

Morikawa's salary puts him at a big discount from the other studs, and over the last three months, he leads the field in true strokes gained per round (+2.94), besting Rory McIlroy (+2.65), and Scheffler (+2.43).

Others to Consider:

Rory McIlroy ($12,400 | +1100) - Odds are drifting after a weak ball-striking week, making him a sharp-looking tournament-pivot from Scheffler.
Tommy Fleetwood ($10,700 | +3000) - A great course fit with elite T2G form right now.

THE PLAYERS Championship Daily Fantasy Mid-Range Plays

Russell Henley ($10,400 | +3500)

I'm not sure where Russell Henley's salary would've wound up if the slate were released after his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but I'd imagine it's not that much higher to put him into the true stud tier.

But the elevated salary itself is noteworthy, as he has been golfing well enough for long enough to earn a five-figure salary on FanDuel even before he closed out his big win.

Henley's statistical consistency and all-around game should come in handy with volatility ramped up this week.

He did miss the cut here last year but was T19 and T13 before that.

Henley joins just Rory McIlroy ($12,400) and Xander Schauffele ($11,600) with top-20 splits in strokes gained: tee to green and putting over their last 50 rounds.

Sepp Straka ($10,000 | +4500)

Straka is one of five golfers in the field to rank top-15 in fairways gained (15th) and strokes gained: approach (6th) over their last 50 rounds.

Among those five -- Scheffler, Morikawa, Straka, Lucas Glover ($8,600), and Andrew Putnam ($7,800) -- Straka is one of three (with Morikawa and Putnam) to have above-average putting splits from within 15 feet since the start of last season. Straka has 83rd-percentile splits from within 15 feet.

Straka also has reeled off three straight made cuts at TPC Sawgrass with two top-16 finishes in that span.

Others to Consider:

Shane Lowry ($10,200 | +4000) - Top-10 T2G game and top-30 accuracy.
Corey Conners ($9,900 | +60000) - 23rd in SG:T2G and 14th in accuracy.
Daniel Berger ($9,700 | +6500) - Continuing to trend up; top-13 in each of last two PLAYERS starts.
Robert Macintyre ($9,100 | +6500) - 12th in SG:T2G and 26th in accuracy with top-30 putting splits.

THE PLAYERS Championship Daily Fantasy Value Plays

Aaron Rai ($8,800 | +7500)

Aaron Rai checks the boxes of accuracy (4th) and good iron play (24th) for any player, let alone a value play.

Beyond that, Rai's form is trending back up in a sustainable way for long enough to buy back in.

He won the Wyndham Championship back in August and had reeled off some big paychecks in the FedEx playoffs despite not putting well.

Now, Rai has gained strokes from putting in six straight events and in eight of his last nine. That's supported by strong putting splits from within 15 feet (75th-percentile since the start of last season).

Rai has also made both cuts in his career at TPC Sawgrass. He was T19 in 2023 and then T35 in 2024 with good driving and irons in both.

Michael Kim ($7,700 | +7500)

Michael Kim is the hottest player in the field by raw, total strokes gained over the last five PGA Tour events.

Even with field strength adjustments factored in (via datagolf), Kim is fourth on a per-round basis (+2.46) in that span, trailing just Morikawa (+2.74), Fleetwood (+2.62), and Ludvig Aberg (+2.62).

Those three big names have just two starts in that span. Kim has played all five events.

Kim has gained strokes in every area but one in this timeframe, when he lost -0.03 strokes per round off the tee at the Mexico Open -- and that's only due to the field strength adjustments from datagolf. In terms of raw strokes gained, he's 20-for-20.

Kim is far from a guarantee at a tough setup, but we virtually never see a $7,000-range play with form like this.

Others to Consider:

Nick Taylor ($8,600 | +12000) - Top-20 irons and accuracy and 13th in strokes gained per shot from within 150 yards.
Justin Rose ($8,500 | +12000) - A streaky player who is streaking in the positive sense; a tournament-only option.
Andrew Putnam ($7,800 | +27000) - 12th in approach and 9th in accuracy with 90th-percentile putting splits from within 15'.
Alex Smalley ($7,700 | +15000) - Five top-25s in six starts in 2025 with good accuracy and putting.
Laurie Canter ($7,400 | +17000) - Three top-3s (including a win) in last four DP World Tour starts.

Customers get a 50% Profit Boost Token to use on a "Hole In One" on the 17th Hole wager for THE PLAYERS Championship! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking to use your knowledge to build some daily fantasy golf lineups? Check out all of this week's contests over at FanDuel and all golf betting odds and markets at FanDuel Sportsbook.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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