Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: Mayakoba Golf Classic

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's daily fantasy golf offering.

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. It's a great balance between time to research and time spent tracking your team.

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

It's a short par 71 (6,987 yards) that plays pretty easy on average. There is no strokes gained data from this course, but we do have quite a number of iterations of this event here.

While distance can make a difference, accuracy leaders tend to fare better overall at this course. On a similar note, the top 11 in good drives gained all made the cut last year. Of them, nine finished top-26. Five of the best golfers by good-drive rate were top 10, including the winner, Matt Kuchar.

The greens are paspalum, a rare surface, but they tend to play slow, and that can allow us to de-emphasize putting a bit.

The course plays easy, so we’ll need birdie-makers to rack up available fantasy points and finishing bonuses

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 50 rounds on the PGA Tour unless noted. Ranks are among the field.

Best of the Best

Viktor Hovland (FanDuel Price: $11,700 | Golf odds Win Odds: +1400) - Hovland isn't the priciest play on board (that'd be last year's winner, Matt Kuchar, at $11,800). Hovland rates out as the better play. He is third in strokes gained: off the tee and fourth in strokes gained: approach among the field. He also rates out eighth in birdie or better rate gained and sixth in fairways gained. He's the top FanDuel play of the week.

Joaquin Niemann ($11,200 | +2700) - Niemann ranks 11th in strokes gained: off the tee and 9th in strokes gained: approach among the field and is 2nd in birdie or better rate. Niemann can get errant off the tee (92nd) and finished 60th here last year but is golfing like a top-three golfer in this field. I can't fault you for going at Tony Finau ($11,500), but I'm fine taking the savings with the still-underrated Niemann if need be.

Scottie Scheffler ($10,700 | +3300) - Scheffler has made eight straight cuts and is coming fresh off a T3 at the Bermuda Championship -- a weak field but a strong finish nonetheless. In 2019, Scheffler ranks 18th in the field in adjusted stroke average, which makes him look overpriced, but his ball-striking numbers indicate spike week potential in an easy field.

Emiliano Grillo ($10,500 | +3400) - Grillo is always a threat when we can de-emphasize putting, and we probably can to a degree this week, given that they’re slow and small and an uncommon surface. Grillo has done well here, finishing 10th, 9th, and 15th at El Camaleon the past three years. Grillo ranks second in the field in greens in regulation gained at this course, which is about as advanced as we can get with this data.

Mid-Range Picks

Chez Reavie ($10,000 | +4100) - Reavie has played here four straight years, finishing 74th, 4th, 14th, and 26th. Over a 50-round sample, no golfer in the field has gained more fairways, and he's seventh in opportunities gained and sixth in strokes gained: approach.

J.T. Poston ($9,800 | +4500) - Poston has the highest cut odds of any golfer between $9,000 and $10,000 in my simulations. He has a balanced stats profile that includes ranking 16th in birdie or better rate and 30th in fairways gained. He's also finished 5th, 14th, and 21st here the past three years.

Rory Sabbatini ($9,600 | +5000) - Sabbatini has cooled off a tad, missing the cut at the Shriners and finishing 31st at the CJ CUP and 33rd at the ZOZO. Overall in 2019, he's been pretty stellar, and over the past 50 rounds, he rates out top-30 in all four strokes gained stats and is 10th in birdie or better rate.

Brian Harman ($9,500 | +5000) - Harman ranks third in my stats-only model but has plenty of volatility, giving him modest made-cut odds (55.6%). He has gained 5.1, 8.2, 4.3, and -4.1 strokes with his ball-striking in four events since mid-September. He's trending up overall and has three top-20s in those four events.

Low-Priced Picks

Cameron Tringale ($9,000 | +6000) - Tringale is 13th in approach and 7th in birdie or better rate gained among the field. He hasn't played since a 13th at the Houston Open but has played the weekend in 11 of his past 12 events.

Jhonattan Vegas ($8,300 | +10000) - Vegas is always in play when racking up birdies, which is the name of the game at El Camaleon. Vegas has finished 10th, 61st, and 38th here the past three years, which won't blow you away at this price, but he does rate out 5th in greens in regulation gained and 1st in strokes gained: tee to green. He's golfing quite well.

Vaughn Taylor ($8,300 | +10000) - Since May, Taylor has five top-20 finishes. In the swing season, he has cooled off. He missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms and then finished 60th at the Safeway and CJ CUP, most recently netting a 41st at the ZOZO. Taylor rates out 33rd in birdie or better rate gained.

Keith Mitchell ($7,900 | +12000) - Mitchell has plenty of upside given his ball-striking. He's 4th in strokes gained: off the tee but 83rd in approach. He has outperformed a $7,900 in 2019 and should actually be priced up past $9,000 based on his win odds and adjusted stroke average.