After a win from Dustin Johnson--who appears to enjoy this whole ranked No. 1 thing--at the inaugural WGC-Mexico, the PGA Tour returns to the United States this week for the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead) in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Before we get to Valspar, it's always a good for DFS purposes to take a look at the previous week to analyze what went right and what horribly, horribly wrong. At the WGC-Mexico, my optimal lineup had three in the Top-10: DJ (first), Thomas Pieters (tied for fifth) and Tyrrell Hatton (10th). Unfortunately, it also had Gary Woodland (38th), Alexander Noren (55th) and Danny Willett (69th). The latter seemed like a great value even with the way he was playing prior to the tournament, but it was a harsh reminder of the importance of recent form.
On to Valspar. Played at Copperhead, a 7,340-yard Par 71, this has annually been one of the most difficult non-majors on Tour. Charl Schwartzel beat Bill Haas in a playoff at seven-under last year, marking the fourth consecutive time the winning score was 10-under or worse. Greens are typically hard to hit, while wind can also play a major factor. The field is weak relative to last week's tournament, as Henrik Stenson and Justin Thomas are the only players inside the Top 10, and there are a total of just 15 players inside the Top 50.
With all of that in mind, you can click through the gallery for my ideal DraftKings lineup, or you can read here for my PGA DFS strategy. (Getty)
Matt Kuchar
Price: $10,200
Kuchar enters with both good form and positive course history, having netted three Top-22 finishes in his last four overall events and four Top-15 finishes in seven career starts at Copperhead. Moreover, since 2013-14, Kuch ranks 10th in strokes gained on hard courses and 11th in strokes gained on less-than-driver courses, both of which define Copperhead. While Justin Thomas is likely to be the popular choice with the way he's playing, Kuch is a reliable contrarian play at $1,700 cheaper. (Getty)
Charles Howell III
Price: $9,400
Howell's 52nd-place finish at the Honda Classic two weeks ago marked the first time since October(!) that he failed to finish a tournament inside the Top 20. Nevertheless, he still has a streak of nine consecutive made cuts, he's still 15th on Tour in GIR percentage and 18th in scrambling (two stats that will prove important on a course with difficult-to-hit greens), and he still has six career Top-10's at Copperhead, including a 10th in 2015 and a fifth last year. There's not a whole lot of value in his price, but he's playing too well this year to pass up. (Getty)
Graham DeLaet
Price: $8,400
After an inconsistent start to the season, DeLaet caught fire in February, finishing ninth, 17th and 10th in the three tournaments he played. It couldn't be better timing, as he enters a tournament in which he has finished 17th, eighth and fifth in his last three appearances. (Getty)
Jason Dufner
Price: $7,900
Though Dufner sits at 70th in the official world golf rankings, he has quietly been playing well lately with four Top-25 finishes in five tournaments since the start of the calendar year, including a T23 against a stacked field at last week's WGC-Mexico. Expect him to continue that momentum at Copperhead, where he has made it to the weekend the last eight years and amazingly has never finished outside the Top 30 during that span.
At $100 cheaper, Luke Donald (four Top-10's, including a win in 2012, at this tournament) is awfully compelling, but Dufner gets the edge as he should have a slightly lower ownership percentage. (Getty)
Ollie Schniederjans
Price: $7,100
After three missed cuts to start the season, Schniederjans has made it to the weekend at seven consecutive tournaments and racked up three Top-10's during that stretch. Though he missed the cut in his only other appearance here in 2015, the rising 23-year-old is playing the best golf of his career and represents terrific value at $7,100 despite the watered-down field. He has the shown the ability to get really hot with his irons (eighth in strokes gained approaching the green at the Genesis Open and second at the Farmers Insurance Open), and if that happens again, he absolutely has what it takes to contend, making him a high-ceiling play. (Getty)
Kyle Stanley
Price: $7,000
At a difficult course like this one where there is trouble off the fairways and greens that are hard to hit, I tend to look for ball-strikers that rank well in strokes gained off the tee and strokes gained approaching the green. Well, Stanley ranks seventh and 11th in those two categories, respectively. Though he hasn't fared well in his two appearances here (missed cut in 2014, 53rd last year), I still like how he fits the course, especially for a player who costs just $7,000. (Getty)
DraftKings PGA Lineup: Valspar Championship 2017 Optimal Picks