2015-16 Shriners Open DraftKings Fantasy Picks
By Danny Norris
October 18, 2015; Napa, CA, USA; Emiliano Grillo hoists the trophy during the final round of the Frys.com Open at Silverado Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
$12,200 to $10,200
Rickie Fowler ($12,200) might be the favorite, but I’m not willing to pay on his price tag. Fowler had a good start at the Presidents Cup, but faltered down the stretch going 1-3 at the Presidents Cup capped off by losing to Adam Scott 6&5.
I don’t hate Fowler, I’m sure he’ll finish inside the top 25, but when you are paying top dollar you want a win. Fowler obviously has that upside, but it’s not very likely. This is the kind of tournament where he just wants to stay sharp.
Fowler will look to get his swing right, figure out his putting stroke, and just put in a quality week. Kind of like Rory McIlroy last week.
I love Brooks Koepka ($10,900) this week, but not at this price point. I believe Koepka has a great shot at winning, but Koepka has that bust ability of potentially missing the cut as well.
TPC Summerlin fits his game perfectly. Koepka can bomb this course, eagle a bunch of holes and finish up at 25-under.
However, we’ve been down this road before. On paper, Koepka should have had a fantastic week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, but he didn’t he missed the cut.
Koepka just hasn’t been that consistent lately. At the BMW Championship, Koepka shot a first round 75 and then followed that up with a 65.
Just this past week, after struggling early Koepka still shot a 69 in the first round. But, then he followed that up with a 72. Koepka finished off the weekend 66-75. It’s been a roller coaster of late as Koepka just hasn’t found that consistency.
Normally, Koepka is worth putting in your lineup because he has never been in the five digits before. But, now he is. Is he worth it? It depends on how you construct your lineup.
One of things that makes golf so difficult to handicap is you can’t quantify how emotionally and physically a golfer maybe drained after a tournament.
Just how motivated is a golfer heading into the week? How is he mentally between the years after winning or losing the previous event?
No amount of statistical analytics can tell you that, but it should be factored in some way. Which brings me to my point, do you take or fade Emiliano Grillo ($10,200)? Do you take or fade and Kevin Na ($10,400)?
Grillo and Na are both tailor-made for TPC Summerlin. Na has won here before and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Grillo wins here sometime in the future.
In general, I don’t usually take the winner of the previous week, but Grillo is so hot right now that it’s tough fade him.
I will say that fading these two might be a bit easier considering their price tags. If they were in the nines then it would be tougher, but five digits is a steep price.
If you are playing quite a few lineups, obviously, you’ll want some exposure. If you are only playing one or two lineups, then maybe not. It just depends on how high you are on them.
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