Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: The Honda 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

This is another week where I want to look for well-rounded golfers. That's not always the case, but the course plays tough, the winning score between 5 and 13 under. That tends to favor the best golfers in the field, those who can overpower a course or avoid mistakes.

PGA National has ranked 37th in average FanDuel points in each of the past two calendar years, meaning it's a pretty tough place to secure fantasy points and scoring will be hard to come by.

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

Tommy Fleetwood (FanDuel Price: $11,800 | FanDuel Sportsbook Win Odds: +1200) - Fleetwood finished 4th here in 2018, his only attempt at PGA National, and he enters with really strong form that features a win, two runners-up, an 11th, and an 18th over his past five starts. Fleetwood also checks the ever important box this week for being good in all three tee-to-green areas (6th off the tee, 36th in approach, and 18th around the green). Fleetwood has claim to the best cut odds in my simulations.

Gary Woodland ($11,300 | +2000) - Woodland has three top-12s in his past five starts and is a top-tier ball-striker who ranks 12th in strokes gained: approach over the past 50 rounds on the PGA Tour. He does struggle with the short game (101st around the green), but he still has two top-six finishes at this course over the past nine years. He's historically putted terribly at this event but has gained strokes tee to green in each of the five years he's been here since 2013.

Byeong-Hun An ($10,500 | +2900) - A great all-around player side from putting, An has finished 5th and 36th here the past two years. An has three top-30s in his past five starts and leads the field in strokes gained: around the green. That's usually not an impactful stat overall, but it should be this week at PGA National.

Others to Consider:
Brooks Koepka ($12,000 | +1100) - The favorite may still be injured but can run away with a tournament if focused; worth tournament consideration if nothing else.
Viktor Hovland ($11,000 | +2700) - As consistent as can be before some missed cuts. Admittedly sucks at chipping but coming off an alternate-field win.

Mid-Range Options

Erik Van Rooyen ($10,200 | +3700) - We're dealing with a big drop off this week, so maximizing the sheer number of above-average golfers I can get is my priority. In the mix last week, EVR is a great ball-striker with no course form, but that's fine by me because the field is so watered down. He rates out third in my stats-only model.

Joaquin Niemann ($10,100 | +4500) - Niemann was 59th here last year with just a missed cut, 49th, and 57th in his past three starts. Still, he's good to ignore entirely, and there's legitimate value in building your lineups around balanced golfers. His putting his coming around, and that means he does everything but the wedges at a plus level.

Russell Knox ($9,400 | +8000) - The $9,000 range is pretty barren, so I'm getting a little more extreme than usual. Knox's main problem is distance, but he doesn't necessarily need to bomb it this week to pay off his price tag. Knox is 26th in the field in adjusted FanDuel points since the start of 2018.

Others to Consider:
Corey Conners ($9,900 | +4000) - Some of the best adjusted tee-to-green numbers in the world in 2020.
Jason Kokrak ($9,700 | +5000) - Big question marks are the short game; 9th here last year but cut, cut, 41st, cut, 42nd prior.
Kevin Streelman ($9,400 | +5500) - Despite recent missed cuts, more of a safety play than an upside one; he checks the boxes statistically.

Low-Priced Picks

Harold Varner ($9,000 | +6500) - Varner is pretty well-balanced (42nd off the tee, 41st in approach, 33rd around the green) and is quite a discount. He flirted with a win at the Genesis and will have to overcome his topped 3 wood, and Varner has not finished top-50 at this event the past four years. We should bank on the more recent form.

Vaughn Taylor ($9,000 | +9000) - Taylor is an all-around good golfer for the salary, and the main blemish is his off-the-tee number due to a lack of distance. Taylor sits 20th in Bermuda putting over a 100-round sample and has -- perhaps -- the best long-term form of any golfer priced at $9,000 or below.

Brian Harman ($8,800 | + 10000) - Harman sits 10th in strokes gained: tee to green over the past 50 rounds while not ranking worse than 26th in any of the three tee-to-green stats. He's 27th in Bermuda putting, as well, and at a course where scoring won't be super low, we can rely on Harman to come through.

Others to Consider:
Rory Sabbatini ($8,600 | +10000) - A win in 2011 and nine straight appearances at PGA National; lukewarm irons.
Tom Hoge ($8,400 | +13000) - Great current form despite a two-week layoff and positive adjusted approach numbers in 2020.

Risk/Reward Options

Denny McCarthy ($8,400 | +10000) - Carried by his putter but makes cuts and does have a 9th here five years back.
Cameron Tringale ($8,300 | +10000) - Hot and cold approach play but nine straight years playing this course and decent overall recent form.
Matt Jones ($8,200 | +13000) - Cut/5th/cut and priced appropriately for the volatility.