Expert Fantasy Golf Plays- 2015 Humana Challenge
These expert fantasy golf plays are your ticket to piling up dough this week!
Top Plays
Matt Kuchar- $22,900
Kuchar rarely misses cuts (he made 22 of 24 cuts last year), and he’s a top-10 machine finishing there 11 times last year. He’s off to a solid start to this season with four events played, and four cuts made, all of which he finished in the top-25. He has just one top-10 finish this year, but that was a tied for third place finish in last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. The veteran who turned pro in 2000 didn’t play in this event last year, but finished in the top-25 in each of the previous four years including two top-10s (tied for seventh in 2011 and tied for second in 2010). The biggest knock on Kuchar is that he’s not a big driver, but that doesn’t hurt his betting odds as Vegas Insider has him as the second most likely golfer to win this event with odds of 16/1.
Ryan Palmer- $20,350
Palmer is my favorite big ticket golfer this week in large part due to his large drivers. According to the PGA Tour’s official website, he ranks tied for third in average driving distance this year at 315.1 yards and ranked tied for 23rd last year with an average driving distance of 300.4 yards. The three course played in the Humana Challenge rank as three of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour, and that leads me to believe that DFS gamers would be wise to nab some bombers who can chew up yardage off the tee. Vegas Insider has Palmer listed as the third most likely golfer to win this week at 22/1 odds, yet he’s just the seventh most expensive selection. It’s easy to see why he ranks favorably on the betting board when glancing over his past performances in this event. Last year he finished second, and he has a tied for sixth in 2013 and fourth place finish in 2011 on his resume as well. Make Palmer a staple in your DFS rosters.
Value Plays
Tony Finau- $15,800
Finau is something of a wild card since he’s never played in this event, but he fits the profile of a bomber, something I’ve already indicated I’m looking for this week. Finau’s average drive of 306.9 yards this year ranks 15th on tour. He’s coming off a poor showing last week where he missed the cut, which will probably prompt many gamers to fade him, but he’s made the cut in four of six events played this year with four top-25 finishes and a pair of top-10s. Last year he was a regular making the cut doing so in 19 of 23 events. His 85/1 betting odds listed at Vegas Insider are good, but interestingly he has significantly better betting odds at Pinnacle Sports where it’s roughly 72/1.
Max Homa- $11,900
Homa is cheap, and with some big budget items that require some thrifty options to check in under the salary cap, he’s nice bargain buy. He’s not an elite driver, but checking in 51st out of 226 golfers this year with an average drive of 297.9 yards is nothing to sneeze at. The 24-year old who turned pro in 2013 has played in just 15 PGA Tour events, six this year. He’s gotten off to a strong start this year, though, making four of six cuts including a top-25 finish and a sixth place finish last week. The price is right to hope for him to build on last week’s success.