DraftKings Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: U.S. Open

Daily fantasy golf requires a new approach for each and every event.

The course and field change week after week, making no two contests alike. That means you need to refine your approach for each PGA Tour event to try to find golfers who are primed to excel for your daily fantasy golf lineups.

Each week, we have a course primer, and our daily fantasy golf projections and lineup builder can help you get started, but these golfers stand out specifically on DraftKings for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Key Stats

Let's get to the picks. For details on why these stats stand out this week, check out the course primer.

Stats are from Fantasy National Golf Club and are for golfers in the field over the last 50 rounds, unless otherwise noted.

High-Priced Studs

Dustin Johnson (DraftKings Price $11,300 | FanDuel Sportsbook Win Odds 17/2) - Johnson is the co-favorite along with two-time defending champ Brooks Koepka ($11,600) and Rory McIlroy ($10,500). Seriously, what are the chances Koepka wins three U.S. Open championships in a row? Unlikely though it may be, with Koepka's repeat performance at the PGA Championship, there is just no way he goes under the radar this week (for good reason). McIlroy and Tiger Woods fall right below DJ in pricing; the former coming off a dominant win at the RBC Canadian Open and the latter also, um, likely to be popular. That leaves DJ potentially overlooked despite being the runaway leader at Pebble Beach in 2010 before a disastrous 82 on Sunday. He has four top 5s in the last four years at this event, and he ranks first in bogeys avoided, second in total strokes gained and putting on poa annua, and seventh in approach.

Patrick Cantlay ($10,300 | 19) - Cantlay finally broke through with his first Tour win last time out at the Memorial, and given this guy's game, we shouldn't be surprised if he takes off like a rocket from here on out. Cantlay has long been an elite ball-striker, and his approach game will need to be on point this week as he strikes it into small greens surrounded by danger. While putting is not his strong suit and his worst splits are on poa, Cantlay managed to gain strokes at Bethpage en route to a third-place finish. He is third in total strokes gained, fourth in bogeys avoided, and fifth in both strokes gained: tee to green and strokes gained: approach.

Justin Rose ($9,700 | 21) - Despite all the well-deserved love for Cantlay, slotting him $600 higher and giving him better Vegas odds than Rose ignores the long-term consistency and excellence of Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion. He is 5th in total strokes gained, 14th in bogeys avoided, and 20th in approach. Rose was the No. 1 player in the world just five months ago and finished T10 at Shinnecock Hills last year. Now he's almost $2,000 cheaper than the top guys.

Mid-Priced Options

Justin Thomas ($9,300 | 24) - Thomas kicks off another loaded middle tier this week, with just about everyone over $8,000 justifiable. With so many options and everyone vying for the studs up top, Thomas fits nicely as either the second man in or as the starting point for a well-balanced lineup. He is 4th tee to green, 8th in approach, 11th in total strokes gained, 21st in bogeys avoided, and 28th in strokes gained: putting on poa greens. He has played well on the West Coast the past few years, including a runner-up finish at the similarly difficult, shorter California course in Riviera Country Club at the Genesis Open. The wrist injury is in the rearview, with solid iron play held back by a cold putter the last few times out.

Hideki Matsuyama ($8,800 | 32) - Matsuyama is 2nd in strokes gained: tee to green and strokes gained: approach, 14th in total strokes gained, and 13th in bogeys avoided. Poa is actually his best surface for putting over the long term, and while bogey avoidance is huge this week, so is saving par. Matsuyama is the second highest rated around-the-green player above $8,000 (behind only Thomas). No one else is in the top 15.

Xander Schauffele ($8,700 | 24) - Schauffele always shows out in strong fields, and in his two trips to the U.S. Open, he has finished T6 and T5. He is 4th in total strokes gained, 7th in bogeys avoided, 20th in strokes gained: putting on poa, and 22nd in strokes gained: approach. He can cement his place among the game's elite with his first major title, and his all-around game is suited for the U.S. Open more than the other majors.

Adam Scott ($8,600 | 34) - Scott has played a limited schedule this season, with just 11 starts dating back to the fall swing. But he has eight finishes of T18 or better in those starts, thanks as usual to his terrific ball-striking and, perhaps more importantly, newfound putting stroke. He is 15th in the poa splits, and across all surfaces, he has gained strokes putting in every event that tracks such stats this season. He is 9th in total strokes gained, 10th in approach, and 28th in bogeys avoided.

Low Priced Options

Webb Simpson ($7,700 | 46) and Brandt Snedeker ($7,500 | 50) - Lumping these two golfers together as they are likely to be the chalk in this range based on current form (Webb) or course history (Sneds). These two fit just about any lineup construction, and there is a strong case for both in cash games this week. Tournament players should take a stand and either fade as a leverage play or go overweight on the field and differentiate in other places. Simpson has by far the better statistical case, ranking 6th in bogeys avoided, 7th in total strokes gained, 15th in approach, and 43rd in putting on poa. Snedeker is outside the top 30 in all stats except poa putting, where he is sixth. He has won the Pro-Am event here twice in the past seven years.

Henrik Stenson ($7,600 | 55) - Stenson finished T8 last week and has strung together a nice run of made cuts, with just two missed cuts in the last 15 months on the PGA Tour. He had a bad stretch overseas to start the year, but since coming stateside, he has been active and consistent, though lacking in high-end finishes until last week. He is 1st in strokes gained: approach, 8th in bogeys avoided, and 16th in putting on poa. He sits out the West Coast Swing in favor of starting the year on the Euro circuit, but even with a lack of familiarity at Pebble Beach, he's well accustomed to windy conditions and coastal courses, and his three-wood off the tee should help him stay in the fairway and clear of any disaster areas. His approach game, even in the wind, is one of the best in the world.

Cameron Smith ($7,300 | 120) - Smith's poa splits are among the most extreme on Tour. He has two top 10s this season -- a T9 at the Farmers Insurance Open and a T6 at the WGC Mexico Championship. He gained 6.2 and 6.4 strokes putting, respectively, on those poa surfaces. He should be fairly sneaky this week given his run of recent poor form since Mexico, with three missed cuts and no finish better than 51st.

Jim Furyk ($7,200 | 120) - While he may lack the juice to actually win this thing, Furyk can easily return value at this price. He's having a terrific season, with just two missed cuts and no other finishes worse than T37 in 11 events in 2019. He is 5th in bogeys avoided, 12th in strokes gained: approach, and 13th in total strokes gained. He can place it off the tee and won't get out-bombed by the big guns at Pebble Beach, and he has plenty of U.S. Open experience. He was 16th in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble, and he's made the cut five straight years, posting a runner-up finish in 2016. In fact, Furyk has played the U.S. Open 24 out of the last 25 years and has just 3 missed cuts and 11 top 20s, including a win in 2003.

Bargain Basement

Charles Howell ($6,900 | 190) - Like Smith, Howell was crushing the West Coast/poa courses before crashing back to earth through the Florida Swing. He is 18th in strokes gained: putting on poa, and despite the recent downturn, he's still 19th in total strokes gained over the last 50 rounds. He is only 72nd in approach, but he is 19th in scrambling gained and 20th in bogeys avoided, so he can save par when he needs to. He does not often qualify for the U.S. Open but did finish T25 last year.

Chez Reavie ($6,900 | 350) - Reavie has some spotty form of late, with three finishes of T28 or better and three missed cuts in his last six events. He flashed upside out West this year, and he putted well on poa surfaces at Bethpage, finishing T14. Reavie is 21st in strokes gained: approach, 32nd in strokes gained: putting on poa, and 35th in total strokes gained.

Brian Stuard ($6,600 | 550) - Stuard has been solid with his irons lately, ranking 26th in strokes gained: approach, 29th in bogeys avoided, and 39th in total strokes gained. He has never made the cut at the U.S. Open, but with a shorter course prioritizing precision over power, his iron play can propel him into the weekend at Pebble Beach.

Mike Rodden is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Rodden also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mike_rodden. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.