The best in the world have made their way to Shanghai, China for the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions this week. We took the time to break down an absolutely loaded field to figure out what the best combination of star power and sleeper value picks should look like and we came up with a strong DraftKings lineup from top to bottom. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s DraftKings PGA fantasy tournaments.
Rory McIlroy, $12,100
McIlroy took a few weeks off to rest and prepare for this event so he should be at the top of his game by the time he tees off in Shanghai. He has an outstanding track record at this tournament where he has finished inside the top-11 in each of his four appearances including three top-six results. McIlroy is the sports betting favorite to win this event outright for a reason and we are banking on him delivering at the HSBC Champions.
Martin Kaymer, $8,700
Kaymer might be getting up there in years but he has dominated this tournament in the past and we are counting on him to deliver another strong performance at this year’s tournament. He has been respectable of late, finishing in 15th in the 2016 Summer Olympics, seventh in the PGA Championship, 36th at the British Open and 37th at the U.S. Open. We’re not necessarily looking at a Top 10 results but something in the range of Top 25 would be great.
Kaymer might not be the most popular pick on the board but his status at this event makes him an excellent value pick to contend for the outright win and make a strong impact in your DraftKings lineup this week.
Russell Knox, $8,600
The fact that the golfer that won this event a year ago is listed at under $9K should raise eyebrows across the board. Knox dominated last year’s HSBC Champions when he finished with a final score of 20-under and he should be rested and motivated to successfully defend his title. He’s currently ranked 20th in the official world golf rankings and is coming off a Top 10 performance at the CIMB Classic.
Knox might be a little undervalued in this spot so lock him in as another outstanding value play for this week.
Rickie Fowler, $8,400
Fowler finished off one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory with a missed cut at the U.S. Open followed by finishes outside of the top-30 at both The Open Championship and the PGA Championship so it’s understandable that he is being overlooked heading in to this event. However, Fowler has all of the tools to contend for the outright win at the Sheshan International Golf Club this week and at $8.4K there is some decent value having him in your lineup. He might not win the HSBC Champions outright but he could surprise with a top-10 finish this weekend.
Zecheng Dou, $6,100
After loading up with McIlroy, Kaymer, Knox and Fowler we had to do some serious research to find the best value sleeper picks still available with the remaining salary cap space left over and Dou is one of them. The youngster will not turn 20 until January but he is already making his third start at the HSBC Champions and there is a lot to like about his game. The native of Henan, China is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour in China and he could turn a lot of heads with another strong performance as a strong sleeper pick for this week.
Hideto Tanihara, $6,000
Tanihara is available for around the same price as Dou and he might be equally as capable of surprising a lot of people and producing a strong performance at this event. Tanihara is a13-time winner in China and while this is just his second career start in a WGC he is in excellent form heading in to the event with two wins and nine top-10 finishes this season. Tanihara is currently second on the JGTO in earnings, scoring average and greens in regulation so he should be a strong sleeper pick for the WGC-HSBC Champions.
