GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper for the John Deere Classic

Daniel Berger is the top-ranked and top-priced golfer in the field this week. Does that mean you should target him on FanDuel?

By now, you've probably dabbled in daily fantasy sports, but if not, don't worry. Now is a great time to start, especially with FanDuel now offering a revamped version of PGA golf.

Golf can be one of the most exciting DFS sports to follow, as tournaments span four days and allow ample time to prepare each week, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the basics of building a lineup on FanDuel, the scoring setup, and advanced stats to know about the PGA.

But whether you're brand new to the PGA or daily fantasy sports in general, we have you covered.

Let's take a look at some golfers to target for the John Deere Classic.

Stats to Target

Key Stats for the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
Birdie or Better Rate
Strokes Gained: Approach the Green
Par 4 Scoring
Scrambling


For more information on why we're prioritizing these stats, check out this week's course primer.

Best of the Best

Daniel Berger (FanDuel Price: $9,900 | bet365 Odds: 12/1) - Berger is ranked 20th in the world rankings, placing him as the best golfer in this field by that measure. He's also got 12/1 odds, which are quite stellar relative to pretty much everyone else in the event field. Berger is 6th in the field in par 4 scoring, strokes gained: tee to green and strokes gained approach as well as 14th in scrambling and 1st in birdie or better rate. The only reason to worry with Berger is that he could be looking ahead to next week's Open Championship.

Danny Lee ($9,200 | 16/1) - Lee is 7th in the field in birdie or better rate and 12th in strokes gained: approach on the season. In his past 24 rounds, he's third in strokes gained: approach and second in strokes gained: tee to green among players in the field, according to FantasyNational.com. Like Berger, he's in next week's Open, so that's scary, but Lee can dominate a course like this if he's on.

Charley Hoffman ($8,900 | 20/1) - Hoffman doesn't have great form at this course in the past, so keep that in mind. But he does have seven straight made cuts, including a T24 at the DEAN & DELUCA, a solo 8 at the U.S. Open, and a T3 at The Travelers. Hoffman is also 9th in the field in par 4 scoring, 5th in birdie or better rate, 9th in strokes gained: tee to green, and 39th in strokes gained: approach. He's in the Open, too.

Kyle Stanley ($8,400 | 22/1) - Stanley's stats are impeccable: 3rd in par 4 scoring, 35th in scrambling, 3rd in birdie or better, and 1st in strokes gained: tee to green and approach the green in the field. He has great form at this course: T34, 2, T29, cut, T63, T18, and T22 since 2009. He just won the Quicken Loans. He's underpriced, but he does compete in the Open. Avoiding players good enough to play next week is a bit of a risk.

Mid-Range Options

Kevin Na ($7,700 | 40/1) - Na ranks 2nd in the field in strokes gained: approach the green and 13th in strokes gained: tee to green, as well as 9th in birdie or better, 6th on par 4s, and 18th in scrambling. He checks all the boxes statistically. Na has made three of four cuts at the John Deere in his career, most recently a T8 in 2016 and a T13 in 2014. He was cut in 2008 and T32 in 2007. Na is also in the Open next week, for what that's worth.

Bud Cauley ($7,400 | 40/1) - Cauley has cooled off after three straight top-10s, but in this field, he's back in contention. Cauley finished T8 at the John Deere last season. He sits 31st in the field in birdie or better rate but 8th in strokes gained: tee to green and 3rd in approach. He's also still eighth in the field in strokes gained: approach and fourth in strokes gained: tee to green in his past 24 rounds, per FantasyNational.com. Even though the results have waned, he's still playing some good golf (and he's not in the Open next week!).

Ben Martin ($6,700 | 50/1) - Martin's full-season stats aren't great. Among players in the field, he's 68th in par 4 scoring, 88th in scrambling, 43rd in birdie or better rate, 48th in strokes gained: tee to green, and 34th in strokes gained: approach. But he's sixth in the field in approach play in his past 24 rounds, according to FantasyNational.com. He's reeled off seven straight cuts, was T5 at the Quicken Loans, and solo second at this event last year. Martin is not in the Open.

Chad Campbell ($6,600 | 66/1) - Campbell has three top 15s in his past five events and has eight straight cuts at this event, including four top 15s. Whew. He's also the top scrambler in the field and ranks 18th in par 4 scoring, 11th in strokes gained: tee to green, and 13th in strokes gained approach. He's not in the Open, so he can focus on the John Deere.

Low-Priced Picks

Nick Taylor ($6,100 | 60/1) - Taylor has three top 10s in his past seven events and ranks 11th in scrambling, 16th in strokes gained: tee to green, and 32nd in strokes gained: approach on the year. He's up to ninth in strokes gained: tee to green in his past 24 rounds, too. He missed consecutive cuts at the John Deere in 2015 and 2016, but he's playing well enough to target this week.

Luke List ($6,000 | 140/1) - List is 140/1 to win, so that's cause for a grimace emoji, but he's 2nd in the field in birdie or better rate, 4th in strokes gained: tee to green, and 18th in strokes gained: approach. He just continues to lose strokes on the green (142nd in the field in strokes gained: putting in his past 24 rounds). You don't need a win from him, and that makes his fantasy-friendly style a good pick this week.

Kelly Kraft ($6,200 | 80/1) - I liked Curtis Luck here, too, but dude doesn't gain strokes approaching the green and rather has been lights out with his putter. That's not the case for Kraft, who is 25th in the field in strokes gained: approach in his past 24 rounds (16th on the full season), and just 104th in strokes gained: putting in his past 24 rounds. Kraft finished T5 at the Greenbrier last week, the same result as he had last year at the John Deere Classic.

Johnson Wagner ($5,600 | 55/1) - Wagner's odds are quite strong for his salary, and it's probably 155% because of his course form. Wagner finished T7 here in 2014, T5 in 2015, and T5 again in 2016. Wagner missed the cut at the Greenbrier but was T5 at the Quicken Loans. The stats -- full-season or otherwise -- make no sense for Wagner this week, but he picks up strokes approaching the green at this course (somehow).