The Winning Element: PGA DFS Picks for The John Deere Classic 2022

A volatile week awaits at the John Deere Classic, as no golfer ranked inside the top 50 in the world is here to compete. In weeks like this, embracing volatility is vital because names that are typically priced thousands of dollars cheaper come with great sticker shock. However, with $200,000 offered up to first place, there is plenty enough reason to dig deep this week.

PGA DFS & Golf Betting Picks: The John Deere Classic

PGA Weather Forecast

Wind gusts will be apparent over most of Thursday, with highs in the upper 20s, but with 13 to 15 mph on average projected throughout the day, it shouldn’t create much of a weather advantage this week. Temperatures will be warm throughout the tournament.

PGA DFS Slate & Golf Betting Preview

Total Expected Team Pool: 74

Expected Number of Lineups Created: 300+

Total of Main Outright & Each Way Bets: 3

Total Longshots 100-1 or Greater: 4

Total Bombs 200-1 or Greater: 0

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The John Deere Classic Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections

Make sure to check out OddsShopper to get the best golf betting odds this week.

Patrick Rodgers

$8,800 DraftKings/$10,700 FanDuel | 35-1 (DraftKings) + Each Way

Rodgers is on a nice string of quality golf, and while he didn’t finish in the mix, he was definitely a part of the story at the U.S. Open, especially through 36 holes. He took last week off, giving himself time to rest up for the John Deere, an event where he has had some of his best finishes on tour. He’s made six of seven cuts and looks good in his statistical attributes over that time as well. He’s one of the golfers in this range for which I don’t mind paying the price tag this week.

Nick Hardy

$8,700 DraftKings/$10,400 FanDuel | 40-1 (DraftKings) + Each Way

The only concern here is that Hardy’s injury could flare up after three straight weeks of competition in the PGA/U.S. Open. But given it’s his home state and he is playing quality golf right now, it’s worth the risk to see it out one more week. Hardy needs a good start to improve his standing in the FedEx Cup race.

Cameron Davis

$8,400 DraftKings/$10,300 FanDuel | 40-1 (DraftKings) + Each Way

Similar to Rodgers, Davis’s price is a tag I’m willing to pay this week. He’s been at the top of his game the last couple of starts but also hasn’t missed a cut in well over a month. His talent level alone is worth the salary in this field, even if his current form isn’t his best.

Golf Betting Longshots

These golfers will get between 10% and 20% allocation this week and will be a part of the pre-tournament betting card.

Alex Smalley

$7,600 DraftKings/$9,200 FanDuel | 80-1 (DraftKings) + Each Way

A couple of trends are lining up this week for Smalley. One, he seems to be an every-other-tournament performer — at least in this stretch, which yields to boom-or-bust play. Over the last six starts, he’s finished tied for sixth, missed cut, 27th, missed cut, 21st, missed cut. So following that trend, it would be time for a boom week. Also, he’s feasted on these weaker-field events, coming in sixth at the Mexico Open, second at the Corales Puntacana Championship and a tie for 12th at the Bermuda Championship. Finding reasons to play golfers this week is difficult, and these few stats alone are enough to earn shares of Smalley this week.

Chris Gotterup

$7,300 DraftKings/$8,400 FanDuel | 150-1 (DraftKings) + Each Way

Last week was another solid one for Gotterup, who at the Travelers Championship made his third cut in four professional events. His only stumble was in Round 3, where he shot an even-par 70 but bounced back with a solid 67 to close the event and head into this week with momentum. How quickly he gains traction remains to be seen, but at this point he doesn’t need many more made cuts to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which are coming up in a few months. He’s only burned two of his five sponsor exemptions as well. These are all good things as DFSers wait to see Gotterup’s true trajectory in the coming weeks and months. At these prices, and in this event, it’s still worth the risk.

Taylor Pendrith

$7,300 DraftKings/$8,700 FanDuel | 80-1 (PointsBet) + Each Way

After making 10 of 15 cuts in his rookie season before fracturing a rib sometime around the Players Championship, Pendrith has missed way more than the month he had first expected. He was finally given clearance in late May to start hitting balls again, but he was not ready to play at his home country of Canada’s national Open a few weeks ago. While rib injuries are undoubtedly problematic for a golfer, it’s clear Pendrith has been cautious with his return. If he were in form and playing as he did during the first part of the season, he’d be one of the highest owned on the slate, if not the highest. But because of his injury, he remains in check, creating an opportunity if he is, in fact, healthy.

Hayden Buckley

$6,900 DraftKings/$8,700 FanDuel | 130-1 (DraftKings) + Each Way

For the second straight week, Buckley has put himself into the mix, but this time, instead of a bad Saturday like he had at the U.S. Open, he closed with a bad Sunday at the Travelers Championship. It was his putter that let him down, losing him over two strokes on the day, but his ball striking remained intact throughout the week. He’s shown in his short stint on tour that he’s a true-to-form player, earning his two best finishes in back-to-back starts and his longest made cut streak within those finishes as well. It seems he’s found his form in this little stretch of golf.

PGA DFS Chalk Zone (Projected for 10%+ Ownership)

E = Equal-Weight to projected Ownership
U = Underweight to projected Ownership
O = Overweight to projected Ownership

1. Webb Simpson (E to u)
2. Adam Hadwin (E to U)
3. Sahith Theegala (E) — Also part of the betting card at 35-1 from early in the week.
4. Denny McCarthy (E to U)
5. Maverick McNealy (E)
6. Charles Howell (E)
7. Christian Bezuidenhout (E to O)
8. Scott Stallings (E)
9. Adam Long (E)
10. Brendon Todd (E to U)
11. Lanto Griffin (E to U)
12. J.T. Poston (E to U)
13. Chez Reavie (E to U)
14. Kevin Streelman (E to u)
15. John Huh (U)
16. Adam Schenk (E)
17. Adam Svensson (E)
18. Doug Ghim (E)
19. Martin Laird (E to U)

Fringe PGA DFS Picks (12-17% of Lineups)

1. Lucas Glover
2. C.T. Pan
3. Chad Ramey
4. Brandon Wu
5. Taylor Moore
6. Rory Sabbatini

Alternates (6-11% of Lineups)

1. Cameron Champ
2. Dylan Frittelli
3. Emiliano Grillo
4. Nick Taylor
5. Mark Hubbard
6. David Lipsky
7. Patton Kizzire
8. Andrew Putnam
9. Nate Lashley
10. Matt Wallace
11. Ryan Moore
12. Hank Lebioda
13. Matthias Schwab
14. Ryan armor
15. Sam Ryder
16. Chesson Hadley
17. Stephan Jaeger
18. Charley Hoffman

Holes in One (1-5% of Lineups)

1. Scott Brown
2. Ben Martin
3. Lee Hodges
4. Brice Garnett
5. Brandt Snedeker
6. Kramer Hickok
7. Joseph Bramlett
8. Vaughn Taylor
9. Callum Tarren
10. Chase Seiffert
11. Justin Lower
12. Doc Redman
13. Brian Stuard
14. Peter Malnati
15. David Lingmerth
16. Austin Cook
17. Seung-Yul Noh
18. Patrick Flavin
19. Camilo Villegas
20. Andrew Landry
21. Brandon Hagy

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