Fantasy Golf: Waste Management Phoenix Open Preview

You're probably expecting me to weigh-in on the Patrick Reed kerfuffle but it feels like everything that needs to be said has been said and then some. Let's just say that when everyone you play with on a regular basis identifies you as the cheater, you may want to call the rules official over BEFORE you move your ball to a different spot five feet away without marking where it landed. It's the same reason that people who hang-out with Winona Ryder remind her to pay for clothes BEFORE she takes them out of the store. You just don't want to give the wrong impression.  

Here is the full video of the "incident" and let's just say that Reed is lucky he got a rules official who clearly looked like he was more into driving the golf cart than enforcing the rules. Combine that with the fact that the ball barely bounced high enough to embed in a bowl of yoghurt, and what you get is just the latest chapter in a biography that no one will ever want to read.     

TWEET OF THE WEEK

If his opening "we're going to bite a kneecap off" press conference is any indication, the Dan Campbell era in Detroit is going to be a glorious one year oil rig fire.  

GOLF ANALYIS FOR THE CRIMINALLY BORED

It feels like this should be an easier tournament to forecast considering the handful of players who consistently get it done at TPC Scottsdale. When everyone is on their respective games, you start by locking-in Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama. Then add Matt Kuchar and maybe Chez Reavie and/or Martin Laird. With that foundation in place, you just need to add pieces like Gary Woodland, Bubba Watson and Billy Horschel. Boom. 

Two problems with that approach now: (1) Rickie and Hideki are currently playing at a level somewhere between "meh" and "like shit; and (2) now you have all of these new guys who are clearly very comfortable here and, more importantly, much better golfers. If you give me Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Webb Simpson with the option to pick just two of them, I'm pretty sure my chance of being correct would be 40%. Then again, I was an English major with an emphasis on romantic poetry (as if this blog didn't make that obvious). 

I'm going with Thomas and Simpson based on a recipe of current form, past performance and hunch. Also, Rahm really let me down last week and I am nothing if not petty and vindictive. The relatively high priced guy I have a really good vibe about is Daniel Berger. Solid track record here and he's only had one bad week since October of 2019 which is certainly more than I can say for myself.     

Either Bubba or Gary Woodland is going to have a good week so I'll pick both of them knowing that I'll only be half right. Max Homa keeps justifying our faith in him and humanity. Conversely, we'll also go with Matt Kuchar for none of those reasons but just because he always plays well in Scottsdale. 

Brendan Steele used to be a lock here when he was playing well and now he's coming-off T4-T21 finishes in his last two tournaments. As for the deep sleepers, I really have no idea. Kyle Stanley seems to make sense based on his recent form and the fact that he won here in 2012. Of course these are the things you tell yourself when trying to justify picking the 224th ranked player in the world.      

One and Done Pick: Justin Thomas

Feels like a good week to pick a 
guy with the same name as the
world's most overrated cookie.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Daniel Berger

Sleeper Pick: Kyle Stanley

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Justin Thomas	$10,800
Webb Simpson	$10,100
Daniel Berger	$9,600
Bubba Watson	$8,500
Gary Woodland	$8,300
Max Homa	$7,900
Matt Kuchar	$7,700
Brandan Steele	$7,400
Adam Long	$7,100
Kyle Stanley	$6,700

                            THE WAITER DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW YOUR NAME 

                                        HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

This week's chart is named in honor of my mother in-law and all of my friends who love to build a strong rapport with the waiter. As a former waiter, I can assure you that we forget your name before you finish saying it. But thanks anyway. 

Other players worth noting if past performance is your thing include Ben An, Charley Hoffman and J.B. Holmes. Three players who I believe have led the Masters on Thursday and I know have never been in my kitchen.* 

	DK Price	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Jon Rahm	$11,200	T9	T10	T11	T16	T5
Xander Schauffele	$11,000	T16	T10	T17	DNP	DNP
Justin Thomas	$10,800	T3	3rd	T17	MC	MC
Rory McIlroy	$10,600	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Webb Simpson	$10,100	1st	T20	MC	2nd	T14
Hideki Matsuyama	$9,800	T16	T15	W/D	1st	1st
Daniel Berger	$9,600	T9	MC	T11	T7	T58
Sungjae Im	$9,400	T34	T7	DNP	DNP	DNP
Harris English	$9,300	T16	MC	MC	T57	3rd
Ryan Palmer	$9,200	MC	T60	MC	MC	T24
Scottie Scheffler	$9,100	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Will Zalatoris	$9,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Louis Oosthuizen	$8,900	DNP	DNP	DNP	3rd	DNP
Brooks Koepka	$8,800	DNP	DNP	DNP	T42	T41
Matthew Wolff	$8,700	MC	T50	DNP	DNP	DNP
Rickie Fowler	$8,600	T37	1st	T11	T4	2nd
Bubba Watson	$8,500	T3	T4	T40	MC	T14
Billy Horschel	$8,400	T9	T39	T43	T24	T24
Gary Woodland	$8,300	T40	T7	1st	MC	T33
Russell Henley	$8,200	MC	T15	MC	T16	MC
Si Woo Kim	$8,100	MC	MC	T62	MC	T67
Brian Harman	$8,000	T49	T39	DNP	T24	T58
Corey Connors	$7,900	T45	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Max Homa	$7,900	T6	T26	DNP	DNP	DNP
Carlos Ortiz	$7,800	T25	DNP	DNP	DNP	MC
Jason Day	$7,800	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Matt Kuchar	$7,700	T16	T4	T5	T9	DNP
Sam Burns	$7,700	MC	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Cameron Champ	$7,600	DNP	T67	DNP	DNP	DNP
Talor Gooch	$7,600	T61	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Chris Kirk	$7,500	MC	T50	T11	T34	T37
Henrik Norlander	$7,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jordan Spieth	$7,500	MC	DNP	MC	T9	DNP
Brendan Steele	$7,400	MC	MC	T3	T16	T17
Brendon Todd	$7,400	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Zach Johnson	$7,400	MC	T39	T57	T12	T14
Adam Hadwin	$7,300	T40	T44	T43	T12	T17
Byeong Hun An	$7,300	T9	T20	T23	6th	DNP
Emiliano Grillo	$7,300	MC	T33	T57	T63	T45
Rory Sabbatini	$7,300	MC	MC	T31	DNP	DNP
John Huh	$7,200	T40	T70	T38	T34	T6
Luke List	$7,200	T25	MC	T26	MC	MC
Michael Thompson	$7,200	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Russell Knox	$7,200	T16	T10	MC	MC	MC
Aaron Wise	$7,100	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Adam Long	$7,100	8th	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sepp Straka	$7,100	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Charley Hoffman	$7,000	T40	T20	T26	T24	T51
Chez Reavie	$7,000	MC	T4	2nd	MC	MC
Martin Laird	$7,000	T55	T26	T9	T7	T41
Patton Kizzire	$7,000	T61	MC	T31	T57	T60
Dylan Frittelli	$6,900	T63	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
J.T. Poston	$6,900	T37	T26	DNP	DNP	DNP
Keegan Bradley	$6,900	T49	T67	T43	MC	T24
Matt Jones	$6,900	MC	DNP	DNP	T36	T60
James Hahn	$6,800	T25	T67	T11	MC	T17
Joel Dahmen	$6,800	W/D	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Kevin Streelman	$6,800	MC	T50	T40	MC	MC
Nick Taylor	$6,800	T49	MC	T52	MC	T65
Stewart Cink	$6,800	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Kyle Stanley	$6,700	MC	MC	MC	T36	T45
Ryan Moore	$6,700	MC	MC	MC	T61	T11
Harold Varner, III	$6,700	MC	MC	T10	T38	T68
Patrick Rodgers	$6,600	T16	MC	MC	MC	T17
Austin Cook	$6,500	MC	MC	T31	DNP	DNP
Tom Hoge	$6,500	T25	T44	MC	DNP	DNP
Brian Stuard	$6,400	MC	T55	T65	T16	DNP
J.B. Holmes	$6,400	T16	T26	MC	T24	T6
Vaughn Taylor	$6,300	MC	MC	T11	T52	DNP
Hudson Swafford	$6,200	T9	DNP	MC	DNP	MC
Brian Gay	$6,100	MC	T55	T9	T47	64th

Footnote

* Our periodic homage to Cliff Clavin's epic run on Jeopardy.

Email the Fantasy Golf Report at fgr@fantasygolfreport.com.