Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: BMW Championship

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

The PGA Tour season is nearly over, and we've got just two more events lined up. The BMW Championship heads to Olympia Fields, the first notable event since the 2015 U.S. Amateur. Olympia Fields also hosted the 2003 U.S. Open. That gives us very little to go off of, but with some corollaries of long par 70s (e.g. Bethpage Black and Harding Park) and how typical BMW Championships have played (the past five winners were all 20-under or better), we can go with a birdie-maker's stat list.

Last week on a scorable setup, approach and putting strokes gained explained roughly 75% of scoring, and at corollary courses, strokes gained: off the tee was a little more important than usual.

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

Bryson DeChambeau (FanDuel Salary: $11,600 | FanDuel Sportsbook Win Odds: +1100) - In a field like this, we're nitpicking the top, and I initially liked Rory McIlroy ($11,500) as a pivot, and I still do. I bet him to win outright. However, there are better process plays at the top for daily fantasy. McIlroy is working his way back with his driver, and Bryson sure isn't. DeChambeau leads the field in strokes gained: off the tee and is first in birdie or better rate gained, as well. He won the 2015 U.S. Amateur here, giving him a smidgeon of knowledge that other golfers may not have. I worry a bit about his irons, but he's ninth in greens in regulation since the restart and is a great putter.

Patrick Cantlay ($10,700 | +3300) - Cantlay missed the cut last week due to poor putting but gained strokes on the field (when adjusted for difficulty) in all three tee-to-green stats. Not much has changed in those two rounds, and Cantlay is still one of the best long-term statistical golfers on the planet. Cantlay hasn't cracked the top-30 in four starts but is priced well enough to be a borderline core play.

Others to Target:
Justin Thomas ($11,700 | +1200) - My model's favorite win pick and third in my stats model for the week. An easy play.
Daniel Berger $11,200 | +2000) - So good right now: field leader in strokes gained average since the restart and fifth in birdies gained over past 50 rounds.
Scottie Scheffler ($10,600 | +3100) - Tee-to-green game is back, and he's seventh in birdie or better rate gained.

Mid-Priced Picks

Hideki Matsuyama ($10,100 | +3400) - Hideki has five top-30 finishes in his past six starts and is a borderline neutral putter on bentgrass/poa. Any time we don't have to worry about his putting (we always do), we can rally behind him. He's 15th in birdie or better rate gained and 5th in approach over the past 50 rounds. There's consistency in that over four guaranteed rounds.

Matthew Wolff ($9,800 | +3300) - Wolff's irons were cold last week, but he has the game to pile up birdies, and that's always a must in daily fantasy formats. Wolff won the Illini Invitational here in 2018, which is definitely not a negative. Combining strokes gained: off the tee and approach, Wolff ranks fifth over the past 24 rounds.

Others to Target:
Paul Casey ($9,600 | +5000) - Approach play regressed since PGA Championship but a premier ball-striker. Concern is birdie rate (63rd).
Billy Horschel ($9,400 | +5500) - Is 11th in birdie or better rate and 7th in bentgrass/poa putting (100 rounds).
Abraham Ancer ($9,000 | +6500) - Cooling off but 27th in approach and 21st in bentgrass/poa putting (100 rounds).

Low-Priced Picks

Gary Woodland ($8,900 | +8000) - Woodland's finishes have been spotty (i.e. bad) since the return, for the most part. He has two top-10s and another top-25 finish but in five other starts since the reboot, he has two missed cuts and no finishes better than T57. That being said, Woodland sits 19th in birdie or better gained and 13th in approach.

Cameron Champ ($8,600 | +6500) - Champ's win odds are way better than his salary, and he won the Illini Invitational in 2016 and was 22nd in 2015. Champ is 14th in birdie or better rate gained, and that can add up over four guaranteed rounds. Champ is a poor putter but has a tiny bit of an edge due to course familiarity (it won't play the same) and should be a fantasy point scorer.

Others to Consider:
Russell Henley ($8,800 | +7000) - Second behind only JT in strokes gained: tee to green since the restart and two straight top-10s from solid putting.
Kevin Na ($8,200 | +12000) - Rarely gains off the tee but has irons and putting to be top-10, which he's done twice in past five finishes.
Matt Kuchar ($8,500 | +10000) - Five of six top-40 finishes in recent starts and 18th last week. Not the Kuchar of old but too good to ignore entirely at $8,500.
Joaquin Niemann ($8,100 | +13000) - Left for dead at this salary but fifth in strokes gained: approach since the reboot. Putter is awful.
Talor Gooch ($7,800 | +12000) - He's 20th in birdie or better rate and 29th in approach for a strong sub-$8,000 profile.