FanDuel PGA: 2019 Desert Classic Targets: Rose or Rahm?

Welcome to this edition of FanDuel PGA Targets from FantasyCPR.com. Here you will find players to target for this weekend’s Desert Classic, taking place in Southern California, and played over three courses.

In this article, I will present to you some players to consider from each price tier for FanDuel PGA. Some plays will be geared toward cash games, and some for GPP tournaments. Some of course will also technically qualify as both. As we break each play down, I will be sure to specify which type of contests I am targeting that player in.

I will give two players to target from the $11K-$12K, two targets from the $9K-$11K range, and two from the $8-9K range. After that, I will offer a GPP flyer or two below $8K. Last but certainly not least, I will end the article the ever popular sample lineup we like to do here at FantasyCPR.

FanDuel PGA: 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii Recap:

It was another solid week all around for my targets and my PGA DFS, as 13 out of 16 of my targets made the cut at the Sony Open. The Sample Lineup was anchored by Marc Leishman, who was written up as my cash lock in the top tier targets. He finished T-3, and posted 121.6 FDP. Even though James Hahn missed the cut, this lineup still found green in most contests. If you missed last weeks Sony Open Targets, you can check out that lineup in last weeks article here.

The final tally on that lineup was 532.5, and it could have been much better if Kevin Kisner would have played up to my expectations. That spot could have easily been Andrew Putnam, who I also wrote up as a GPP play and had plenty of exposure to. I just wasn’t ready to play him in cash.

This is week is much harder due to the rotating courses and larger field. But in my opinion, this presents a great opportunity to roster stars and scrubs in cash games, which almost never happens. The three top guns in the field this week in Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, and Patrick Cantlay are all great bets to finish in the top-10, and it is really easy to pair two of the three of them, with two cut-makers we will talk about later, who are priced way too low.

***Click the bar below to proceed to this weeks 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii FanDuel Targets!***

FanDuel PGA: Top Tier Targets: ($11,000 – $12,000)

Jon Rahm – $11,900 – (Cash/GPP)

Depending on where you look this week, you will either see Rahm or Rose at the top. While there is no doubt in my mind Rose will play well, this is setting up for the perfect fade situation this week. With the way Rahm played here last year, holding off Andrew Landry in a playoff to pick up a win, and the way he has played recently, he is the clear-cut favorite in my mind.

On the contrary, maybe Rose will be low owned and be the right GPP play? I am not sure, but there are a few things to consider with him. He recently switched clubs, and we are yet to see what kind of effect, if any, that will have on his game. He also hasn’t played competitively since the Hero World Challenge at the end of November. Rose did finish third there and is the top ranked player in this field, but that doesn’t always equal a victory.

Rahm shot 22-under here last year, with an opening round 62 at La Quinta, then two impressive 67’s at the Stadium Course. Fresh off a victory at the Hero World Challenge, and a T-8 two weeks ago at Kapalua, I am tempted to go 100% Rahm here on FanDuel with my 20 lineups, but that is yet to be determined. One thing is for sure, he will be paired plenty with this next target.

Patrick Cantlay – $11,300 – (Cash/GPP)

The reason you are seeing the “Cash/GPP” tag already often this week is simple. This is one of the hardest weeks of the year as far predictive analysis goes, and with all of the value we have below $8500 this week, it is incredibly easy to roster three players in this price tier.

My hope is that because of this, golfers just below Cantlay in price go under owned. Charles Howell remains another top play of mine this week, as he too has been on fire, with a win and three top-15’s in his last three tournaments. But here is why I prefer Cantlay this week.

Cantlay played twice in October and twice in November. He finished T-17 at the Safeway Open, then posted three straight top-10’s thereafter. Cantlay finished a solo second at the Shriners Open, and came up just short of Rahm and Rose at the Hero World Challenge, finishing T-5. I will probably split my shares of Cantlay and Howell, but I will likely have plenty of each.

***Also Consider: Charles Howell – $11,100***

FanDuel PGA: Mid Tier Targets: ($9,000 – $11,000)

Joaquin Niemann – $10,400 – (GPP)

Looks like the days of value Niemann are long gone. The 20-year-old Chilean sensation is an incredible ball-striker, and looks poised to join Sungjae Im as the top two young players to watch this season. It feels like you can usually say this about anyone, but if he putts well here he can easily compete for a victory.

Niemann was usually priced well below this last season, and his solid stretch through the fall season and the Asian Swing is likely what brought his price up where it should be. He has made all five cuts in his five fall events, although he did MDF at the Safeway Open. Niemann’s best finish in that stretch was a T-10 at the Shriners Open. I think his ownership may be down a little bit with all of the hype that Luke List and Aaron Wise are getting at $300 less, and that makes me want to have an extra share or two here in GPP’s. He is going to win at some point this season, and when he does I likely will too!

Chez Reavie – $9,800 – (Cash)

Reavie is about as automatic of a cash lock this week as Leishman was last week. Chez is on fire as of late, and the fact he didn’t get bumped up to at least over $10K after tying for 3rd last week at the Sony Open just seems odd. He set an incredible record at Waialae, holing out from 100+ yards three times for eagles on par fours. If he would have putt a little better, he likely would have won, and that seems to be the story for him often as of late.

Chez now has two top-10’s and is 6-for-6 making cuts so far in the early season. He has scored more than 90 FDP four times, and if your targets in this price range can get you solid scoring for four rounds, you have to just lock them in and not think twice. He will be chalk this week, but I will happily eat this one.

***Also Consider: Luke List $10,100 – Aaron Wise $10,100 – JJ Spaun $10,000***

FanDuel PGA: Low Tier Targets: ($8,000 – $9,000)

Hudson Swafford – $8,200 – (Cash)

I can’t remember anything like this. It is usually extremely difficult to find cash plays under $9K, and I might be crazy for thinking this, but I also said Patton Kizzire was cash safe last week, so I am going to keep trusting my gut. Swafford checks all the boxes here at the Desert Classic, as he held off Adam Hadwin by one stroke in 2017 for his lone PGA Tour victory in his eight years as a pro. Being a past champ here should give him the confidence he needs to take the next step, after putting together a solid run in the early goings thus far.

Another cut-maker, Swafford is also 6-for-6 this season. He had back-to-back top-30 finishes at the Sanderson Farms Championship and the Shriners Open, but really made some noise last week at the Sony Open. Swafford put together a final round 6-under, to creep up into a tie for third place, and his best finish since his victory here in 2017. He should also be pretty chalky, but it might be the best per dollar play on the board.

Ryan Armour – $8,200 – (Cash)

I guess we can start playing Ryan Armour in cash games. What is funny to me is that I am actually considering Harris English as cash safe this week instead, and it may not even be necessary. What I am likely to do is use Armour in GPP and Swafford for cash, as Swafford may lean a little more on the safe side.

Armour missed the cut here last year at 3-under, and that may keep some away. He did make some noise last week at the Sony Open however, and that fact will likely get another group right back on him. Either way, he finished strong on Sunday, shooting a bogey-free 4-under, and moving him into a T-22 finish. That gave him three straight top-25’s, and like the other targets before him, he is also 6-for-6 making cuts.

With an easy “stars and scrubs” approach this week, click one more slide below for the sample lineup for this weeks Desert Classic.

***Bonus GPP Flyers: Harris English (Cash Safe!) – $7,500***

FanDuel PGA: 2019 Desert Classic – Sample Lineup

The line-up below is meant to be illustrative only to further back-up the logic laid out in previous slides. It is not an optimal line-up. It is in fact, just a “Sample Lineup.” 

G – Jon Rahm – $11,900
G – Patrick Cantlay – $11,300
G – Chez Reavie – $9,800
G – Hudson Swafford – $8,200
G – Harris English – $7,500
G – Charles Howell – $11,100

That is all for this weeks FanDuel PGA Targets for the 2019 Desert Classic. If you have any questions, give me a follow on Twitter with the link at the top of the article. You can also leave a question right here in the comments, and I will do my best to respond before lock Thursday morning. Thank you for reading, and may your golf tilt be minimal this weekend!