Shell Houston Open, I'ma let you finish, but the Masters is the best golf tournament of all time. While a handful of the world's top players are currently battling it out at GC of Houston, it's never too early to start looking ahead towards Augusta. If you've yet to dive into the waters of PGA DFS, then the Masters is the perfect time to change that. On the other hand, if you're already a DraftKings golf veteran, you know just how big the year's first major is going to be. Either way, if you want to win some money, selecting the correct sleepers and bargain picks is going to be integral to your success.
While the Masters' soft pricing combined with the deep field is going to allow you to afford more high-end players than usual, you're going to have to work a little harder to differentiate your lineups. Because of the popularity of the Masters, prize pools are bigger and tournaments feature more participants. Finding those players who are flying under the radar will be crucial.
Look at the last two years at Augusta, for example. In 2015, the millionaire maker-winning lineup included Justin Rose and Charley Hoffman, who were 3.5 percent and 8.1 percent owned, respectively. In 2016, the winner of the millionaire maker had Troy Merritt (3.3 percent owned) and Lee Westwood (2.7 percent).
It's obviously going to be key to nail the winner, but the importance of finding those right sleepers--especially in GPP and tournament formats--can't be overstated. With that in mind, you can click through the gallery for my favorite value picks and bargains. You can also click here for my Top 10 contenders for Augusta. (Getty)
Sergio Garcia
Price: $8,300
He may not be a true "sleeper" in terms of price, but Sergio is a good potential contrarian play. Considering the more attractive options around him--multiple-time Masters winners Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, as well as a scorching-hot, exciting young player in Jon Rahm are all priced directly above him--and the widely-discussed fact that he has yet to win a major, it wouldn't be surprising if Sergio has a pretty low ownership percentage.
Still, he has three career Top-10's at Augusta, he's been inside the Top 20 in three of the last five years, and he comes in with great form, boasting eight consecutive made cuts, a win in Dubai in February (the last three winners of the Masters had previously won in the same year), and a recent T12 inside a stacked field in Mexico. Will Sergio win? Maybe not, but he's an against-the-grain pick who has a strong chance of being in contention on Sunday. (Getty)
Tyrrell Hatton
Price: $7,600
The parallels between Hatton right now and eventual 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett at this time last year are strong, and not just because they're both from England. Willett entered Augusta red-hot, while Hatton is coming in with arguably even better form, having tallied four Top-10 finishes in his last five starts (with the only exception being a T17 at the WGC-Match Play). Willett was ranked 12th, while Hatton is ranked 15th. Willett had 50-to-1 odds, while Hatton stands at 55-to-1.
One key difference is that Willett had played the Masters the year before, while this will be Hatton's first trip to Augusta. In most cases, I stay away from players with zero experience at the Masters, but anytime you can get a Top-10 machine who has the elite short game (sixth in strokes gained approaching the green and first in strokes gained putting) to conquer Augusta's difficult greens for under $8,000, you don't pass that up. (Getty)
Matt Kuchar
Price: $7,400
Kuchar's last seven starts at the Masters: T24, T27, T3, T8, T5, T46, T24. The 38-year-old isn't the flashiest player around, but that (along with a bad showing at the Shell Houston Open) also means he's likely to have a low ownership percentage, and when it comes down to it, he just knows how to get it done at Augusta. If you have a lineup full of high-risk players and are looking for some cheap consistency, Kuch is a strong play. (Getty)
Daniel Berger
Price: $7,300
If you're playing the millionaire maker or any other GPP contest that features massive amounts of entrants, you want upside. You want guys who can guys who can rack up birdies and who can go low.
Enter Daniel Berger. The 23-year-old has missed three of his last five cuts, so he doesn't come without risk, but he's capable of getting hot in a hurry. He's 12th on Tour in birdie or better percentage (a stat topped by only the best in the world), he tears up Par 3's and 4's, he has four Top-20's this season (two of which have come at elite-level WGC events) and he finished 10th in his debut at Augusta last year. That's ideal upside for a pick this cheap. (Getty)
Emiliano Grillo
Price: $7,300
After a hot start to the season, Grillo has been so-so over the last couple of months, but he encouragingly bounced back with a T7 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational a couple weeks ago. Moreover, the straight hitter is one of the best tee-to-green players on Tour (28th), and we know he has no problems taking on strong fields, as he tallied Top-20's in three of the four majors last year, including a really impressive T17 in his debut trip to Augusta.
Like Berger, he's a bit of a boom-or-bust, but his upside is compelling. (Getty)
Bill Haas
Price: $7,200
In seven starts at the Masters, Haas has made every cut and finished inside the Top-25 four times--with each of those Top-25's coming in his last four appearances. That's pretty amazing course comfort, but there are plenty of other things to like here, too. Notably, Haas comes in with strong form (seven Top-20's on the year and looked fantastic in advancing to the semifinals at the WGC-Match Play) and has the short game (22nd in strokes gained approaching the green, fourth in strokes gained around the green and 19th in GIR percentage) to excel at Augusta, clearly.
I wouldn't bet on him to win, but at $7,200, Haas has a good chance to provide big value here. (Getty)
Brendan Steele
Price: $7,100
Playing some of the best golf of his career, Steele has racked up three Top-10's and a win this year. He has cooled off a little bit as of late, and his only other Masters appearance was a missed cut in 2012, so there is certainly plenty of downside, but there's also lots of potential. He's really solid off the tee (24th in good drive percentage), he's an accurate ball-striker (20th in strokes gained approaching the green and 24th in GIR percentage), he can get out of trouble (fourth in scrambling), and he crushes Par 4's (13th in scoring average) and 5's (seventh).
Steele's putter can often let him down, which is a bit scary for Augusta, but if he's even average with the flatstick, he has the rest of the game to make a lot of noise. (Getty)
Adam Hadwin
Price: $6,900
Even in what will be the strongest field of the year, Hadwin feels like a bit of a steal at $6,900 with the way he's playing. Ranked fifth in the FedEx Cup standings, he has made the cut in each of his last 10 tournaments, he has six Top-25's, and in his last two starts, he won the Valspar and finished sixth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Moreover, his game bodes well for Augusta. He's strong with his irons (29th in strokes gained approaching the green) and even with better with his putter (sixth in strokes gained putting), he has the ability to go low (18th in birdie or better percentage) and he avoids the blowups that can be so costly at the Masters (second in bogey avoidance behind only Jordan Spieth).
Hadwin is likely to be pretty popular, but it's hard not to love his outlook. He has better odds than guys like Danny Willett ($7,800), Alex Noren ($7,500) and Branden Grace ($7,500), who are all priced well higher. (Getty)
Kevin Kisner
Price: $6,900
His Masters debut last year yielded a promising 37th-place finish, and now he's playing even better this time around. He has gone Top-25 in seven of his last eight starts, including an 11th-place finish at the WGC-Mexico and T2 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in his last two 72-hole tournaments (not Match Play), and he has the short game you're looking for (seventh in strokes gained approaching the green).
Kisner's collapse at Bay Hill was bad enough that it will deter a lot of people from him, but don't overthink this one. This is a very good player in terrific form at a low price. (Getty)
Marc Leishman
Price: N/A
Leishman wasn't in the DraftKings player pool as of writing this, but he'll be added on Monday, April 3. Because of that late add, he could fly pretty far under the radar, but there's a lot to like here. He's been amazingly consistent this season (Top-30 in all but one tournament), he has been lights out with the putter (second in strokes gained putting), he's coming in red-hot (won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and finish ninth in the WGC-Match Play), and he finished fourth at Augusta back in 2013.
His price could potentially change things, but target him as a contrarian play. (Getty)
DraftKings PGA Lineup: Masters Sleepers & Value Picks 2017