Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: RBC Canadian Open

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.

But whether you're brand new to the PGA or daily fantasy sports in general, we have you covered -- and we have daily fantasy golf projections and lineup building tools, too.

Let's take a look at some golfers to target this week.

Key Stats

This week, we're heading to a course with very little data. The course last hosted a PGA Tour event in 2012. Prior to that, it hosted in 2006 and 2003, giving us just two years of strokes gained data.

However, we can still see that strokes gained: approach is going to be key, and a lot of course quotes from golfers call this a second-shot course, via Future of Fantasy. Along with those quotes, golfers placed an emphasis on hitting fairways and greens in regulation. After all, it's a short course (6,966 yards and a par 70), so that checks out. Still, driving distance isn't a detriment, but it's not a requirement.

In 2003, Bob Tway ranked 41st in accuracy among the cut-makers but was 2nd in greens in regulation gained. In 2006, Jim Furyk was 4th in accuracy and 34th in greens in regulation. In 2012, Scott Piercy was just 30th in accuracy and 53rd in greens in regulation -- but he was 5th in strokes gained: around the green and 4th in strokes gained: putting for the weekend.

At Hamilton, eight holes are listed as par 4s from 400 to 450 yards, and another two par 4s are at least 388 yards long. That makes about half the course a particular range, and why not see who shines in par 4 scoring from that distance?

The last key stat here -- because it's a pretty basic overview -- isn't going to be weighted too heavily, but the greens are small, and we need golfers to show precision. Piercy won at 17 under, and Furyk got to 14 under. So proximity to the hole is something to keep in mind, as it could lead to significant scoring potential.

For a more detailed breakdown on the course, check out our course primer from Mike Rodden.

Stats cited below come from FantasyNational and include the past 100 rounds on the PGA Tour unless noted. Ranks are among the field.

Best of the Best

Dustin Johnson (FanDuel Price: $12,600 | FanDuel Sportsbook Win Odds: 5.5/1) - There's a big three this week with Johnson, Brooks Koepka ($12,500), and Rory McIlroy ($12,000), and while you have to split hairs to decide, Johnson stands out -- to me -- as the safest bet. The oddsmakers agree, as Johnson is +550 to win outright, while Koepka (+700) and McIlroy (+950) are close behind. Johnson won last year's Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, but that's probably irrelevant. More impactful is that he's first in strokes gained: off the tee and fourth in approach. On bentgrass or poa greens, he ranks second in the field in strokes gained: putting over the past 100 rounds. He can bear down and hit tough fairways enough, and he leads the field in par 4 scoring from 400 to 450 yards. He's my stud of choice. McIlroy would be second.

Matt Kuchar ($11,300 | 19/1) - Kuchar made a spectacle last week by arguing about his ball landing in a fairway divot, but few people can hit fairways like he can. Kuchar ranks fifth in the field in fairways gained on tough-to-hit fairways over the past 100 rounds. He's fifth in greens in regulation and sixth in par 4 scoring from 400 to 450 yards, as well as eighth in strokes gained: approach.

Webb Simpson ($10,800 | 21/1) - Simpson is accurate off the tee and has his approach game figured out over the past 100 rounds (seventh). He won't pick up strokes with his distance, and that's actually a sneaky way to attack this course, but he grades out well on bent/poa greens and is fourth in the field in par 4 scoring from 400 to 450 yards.

Henrik Stenson ($10,600 | 41/1) - Stenson grades out top-three in fairways hit both on tough-to-hit fairways and fairways of average difficulty. He leads the field in both par 4 scoring from our selected range and in greens in regulation. He's also second in strokes gained: approach, and he has fared very well at Donald Ross tracks in his career. He seems to be knocking on the door for a great finish.

Mid-Range Options

Jim Furyk ($10,100 | 50/1) - Furyk, the winner at Hamilton in 2006, is primed for another strong outing. He grades out second in fairways gained on tough-to-hit fairways and is first one average difficulty fairways. Furyk also sits 22nd in approach strokes gained over the past 100 rounds and is ninth in greens in regulation gained. He ranks second in total strokes gained at Donald Ross courses, a possible angle for a course without much data to dig into.

Keegan Bradley ($9,900 | 55/1) - Bradley is frustrating, yes, but he leads the field in approach over the past 100 rounds and is sixth in fairways gained on tough-to-hit fairways. He also grades out 8th in greens in regulation and 29th in par 4 scoring from 400 to 450 yards. He has missed three of the past five cuts and isn't so safe.

Zach Johnson ($9,400 | 120/1) - Johnson may not contend, but he should make the cut and give us something, which isn't safe to say for a lot of golfers below $9,500. ZJ ranks 13th in approach and is 7th in strokes gained: putting on bent and poa greens over the past 100 rounds. He's accurate enough and can score well enough on the par 4s to make him a target at this price.

Adam Hadwin ($9,300 | 75/1) - Hadwin has the Canadian narrative but really, this range is rough, and the field just isn't great overall. Over the past 100 rounds, Hadwin is 53rd in approach but top-30 in fairways hit, greens in regulation, and par 4 scoring from 400 to 450 yards. He also grades out well as a putter on bent and poa greens overall.

Erik Van Rooyen ($9,100 | 90/1) - EVR's approach and greens in regulation numbers aren't overly promising in the 2019 European Tour season, but he was a top-15 performer in 2018 in terms of greens in regulation gained relative to the field. He's more of a distance golfer than an accuracy one, and that matters, but with few options to get excited about in this range, we should just trust the class Van Rooyen offers.

Low-Priced Picks

Russell Henley ($8,900 | 100/1) - Henley ranks 15th in approach and can hit tough fairways (35th). He's also 21st in greens in regulation gained and 16th in par 4 scoring from our selected range. He's not a good bet to gain strokes off the tee, per se, but with the approach and fairways, he can linger at a price below $9,000.

Corey Conners ($8,900 | 90/1) - Conners, a Canadian, has distance to pick up strokes against the field but also is more accurate than we might think. He's actually 25th in the field in fairways gained on tough-to-hit fairways. An elite ball-striker, Conners ranks top-10 in both strokes gained: off the tee and strokes gained: approach.

Talor Gooch ($8,600 | 160/1) - Gooch ranks 23rd in approach but is errant off the tee, and that's worrisome. However, he ranks 26th in par 4 scoring from 400 to 450 yards and is a plus putter on both bentgrass and poa greens. We've seen his approach play be volatile -- at least one stroke gained or lost in every event over the past year -- but that can help lead to great showings with the irons (+4.7, +6.5, and +5.9 in his past three positive outings). That gives him upside if he can strike it hot this weekend.

Ryan Armour ($8,500 | 240/1) - Armour's as straight as they come (fourth on tough-to-hit fairways and third on average ones) and scores well on par 4s from our range (20th). There isn't a whole lot of upside from him, necessarily, but we can plug him in for cash-game formats and pair him with more volatile options.