Fantasy Golf: The Players Championship Preview

We will be rationing words this week as the effects of a Sunday that escalated gradually to a full-on Second Saturday continue to linger. It will never cease to amaze me how a couple back nine beers can evolve into a few post-round beers which dovetails into some red wine and the next thing you know, this happens . . . 

The only good news is that I ran out of gas early so at least (according to my very optimistic watch) I got a great night's sleep and woke-up on Monday ready to take the week by storm. Apparently, however, that storm is still in the "brewing" stage.  

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Two comments on this Tweet: (1) Jason Sudekis' John Tesh impression may be his best work outside of Ted Lasso; and (2) the world was simply not ready for Tim Robinson as a full-time SNL cast member which is a shame.

Me for the rest of the month. pic.twitter.com/DlZeeJLxwt

— Carmine Laguzio (@carminelaguzio) March 10, 2024

GOLF ANALYSIS

I've officially come full circle on the Players Championship from full-on hater to now preparing to log some major minutes this weekend unless it's a snooze fest like last year's tournament . . . and last week's tournament. Hey, at least I finally relented and acknowledged that Scottie Scheffler was the logical pick before I proceeded to talk myself out of him. 

And I'm going to do it again this week. I mean what are the odds of the prohibitive favorite going back-to-back in consecutive weeks while the defending champion? (Don't answer that). I just can't get my increasingly addled mind around it so I'm looking elsewhere. And that elsewhere is Max Homa who I am starting to envision as a highly accomplished non-major guy a la Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler - two players who's ceiling was the Players. 

I also love the quartet of Shane Lowry, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood and Min Woo Lee. They're my John, Paul, George and Ringo of the mid-value picks and they've all got serious top five potential. Then again, don't we all at some point. 

Denny McCarthy is your classic Players sleeper. He's played it four times without missing a cut and he posted a T13 last year which indicates he's figuring it out to the extent that's possible at the always enigmatic TPC Sawgrass. See, I didn't call it a dog track this year. #Growth.   

One and Done Pick: Max Homa

Suffice it to say, the PGA Tour would
welcome a Max win with open arms.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Scottie Scheffler

Sleeper Pick: Denny McCarthy 

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Scottie Scheffler	$12,800
Justin Thomas	$10,600
Max Homa	$9,600
Shane Lowry	$9,100
Jason Day	$8,900
Tommy Fleetwood	$8,800
Min Woo Lee	$8,000
Tom Hoge	$7,800
Denny McCarthy	$6,900
Taylor Moore	$5,900

Apparently I'm not supposed to make light of the name of my preferred communal bar drink due to its dark origins. Whatever.

                            THE IRISH TRANSMISSION ADJUSTMENT

                                HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

We had to make some tough calls this week that left quality options like Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley and Brian Harman on the bench. Sometimes it's just about who you know.

	DK Price	2023	2022	2021	2019	2018
Scottie Scheffler	$12,800	1st	T55	MC	DNP	DNP
Rory McIlroy	$11,600	MC	T33	MC	1st	MC
Xander Schauffele	$11,300	T19	MC	MC	MC	T2
Justin Thomas	$10,600	T60	T33	1st	T35	T11
Patrick Cantlay	$10,300	T19	MC	MC	MC	T23
Viktor Hovland	$10,100	T3	T9	MC	DNP	DNP
Will Zalatoris	$9,900	73rd	T26	21st	DNP	DNP
Wyndham Clark	$9,700	T27	MC	MC	DQ	DNP
Max Homa	$9,600	T6	T13	MC	DNP	DNP
Jordan Spieth	$9,500	T19	MC	T48	MC	T41
Colin Morikawa	$9,400	T13	MC	T41	DNP	DNP
Ludvig Aberg	$9,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sam Burns	$9,200	T35	T26	MC	DNP	DNP
Shane Lowry	$9,100	T35	T13	8th	MC	T46
Cameron Young	$9,000	T51	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Hideki Matsuyama	$8,900	5th	DNP	MC	T8	MC
Jason Day	$8,900	T19	MC	T35	T8	T5
Tommy Fleetwood	$8,800	T27	T22	MC	T5	T7
Sahith Theegala	$8,700	74th	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Russell Henley	$8,600	T19	T13	MC	MC	MC
Tony Finau	$8,500	T19	MC	MC	T22	T57
Sungjae Im	$8,400	T6	T55	T17	MC	DNP
Corey Conners	$8,300	MC	T26	7th	T41	DNP
Matt Fitzpatrick	$8,200	MC	MC	T9	T41	T46
Tom Kim	$8,100	T51	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Byeong Hun An	$8,100	T35	DNP	MC	T26	T30
Si Woo Kim	$8,000	T27	W/D	T9	T56	T63
Min Woo Lee	$8,000	T6	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Keegan Bradley	$7,900	MC	5th	T29	T16	T7
Brian Harman	$7,900	T44	T63	T3	T8	MC
Tom Hoge	$7,800	T3	T33	T22	T30	MDF
Harris English	$7,800	MC	DNP	DNP	MC	MC
J.T. Poston	$7,700	MC	MC	T22	T22	DNP
Eric Cole	$7,700	T27	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Chris Kirk	$7,600	MC	MC	T48	T56	T46
Adam Scott	$7,600	71st	MC	T48	T12	T11
Keith Mitchell	$7,500	T35	T13	MC	T47	T77
Adam Hadwin	$7,500	T13	T9	T29	MC	T57
C. Bezuidenhout	$7,400	T13	DNP	T41	DNP	DNP
Emiliano Grillo	$7,400	MC	MC	MC	T26	T37
Rickie Fowler	$7,300	T13	DNP	MC	T47	MC
Erik Van Rooyen	$7,300	DNP	T13	DNP	DNP	DNP
Alex Noren	$7,200	MC	T26	MC	MC	T17
Stephan Jaeger	$7,200	T44	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jake Knapp	$7,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Nicolai Hojgaard	$7,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Justin Rose	$7,000	T6	MC	DNP	T8	T23
Cam Davis	$7,000	T6	MC	MC	DNP	DNP
Denny McCarthy	$6,900	T13	T60	T55	T41	DNP
Nick Taylor	$6,900	MC	DNP	T48	T16	T79
Beau Hossler	$6,800	MC	MC	DNP	MC	T46
Doug Ghim	$6,800	MC	T6	T29	DNP	DNP
Luke List	$6,700	MC	W/D	MC	T56	MC
Matthieu Pavon	$6,700	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Billy Horschel	$6,600	MC	W/D	T58	T26	T37
Kurt Kitayama	$6,600	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sepp Straka	$6,500	T65	T9	MC	DNP	DNP
Brendon Todd	$6,500	T27	MC	T35	DNP	DNP
Austin Eckroat	$6,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Patrick Rodgers	$6,400	MC	MC	T65	77th	MC
Aaron Rai	$6,400	T19	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Andrew Putnam	$6,300	MC	MC	MC	MC	DNP
Lucas Glover	$6,300	T51	MC	T48	MC	T72
Ryan Fox	$6,200	T27	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Adam Svensson	$6,100	T13	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Taylor Montgomery	$6,000	T44	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Taylor Pendrith	$6,000	T69	T13	DNP	DNP	DNP
Ben Griffin	$6,000	T35	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Taylor Moore	$5,900	T35	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Webb Simpson	$5,900	MC	MC	MC	T16	1st
K.H. Lee	$5,800	MC	T55	T41	DNP	DNP
Mark Hubbard	$5,800	T35	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP
Thomas Detry	$5,700	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Mackenzie Hughes	$5,700	MC	MC	MC	DNP	T57
Brandon Wu	$5,600	T19	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Matt Wallace	$5,500	MC	MC	DNP	T30	DNP
Matt Kuchar	$5,400	MC	MC	MC	T26	T17
Gary Woodland	$5,400	T54	MC	MC	T30	MC
Scott Stallings	$5,200	T69	T42	MC	MC	MC
Joel Dahmen	$5,100	T60	T33	MC	T12	DNP
Francesco Molinari	$5,100	T60	T42	MC	T56	MC

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