DFS Dish: Is Will Zalatoris worth low-cost investment in his return to Memphis?

The top 70 players in the FedExCup standings take on TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. Without a cut after 36 holes, the backdoor will be left open for those figuring out the par 70, 7,243 yards on the weekend.

With an eye on making the top-50 cutoff for next week’s BMW Championship, who should be in your DFS lineup and who can you leave on the bench? Let’s take a look.

DraftKings – Top of the Board

Scottie Scheffler ($12,400): Finding reasons to avoid the No. 1 player on the PGA TOUR and in the Official World Golf Rankings is difficult. Nobody has more wins on top-10 paydays on TOUR. Ranking first in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and SG: Approach additionally winning a gold medal at the Olympics, does not provide a deterrent. This stat won’t help either: The Texan has circled 330 birdies, second most on TOUR from 16 events he’s entered. There have been 32 weeks of golf this season. He’s played half of the schedule and has produced the second most birdies. It should not surprise anyone that he racks up the most points on average in this format. The only surprise this week is his lack of riches from this event. The 2024 Masters champion has never cracked the top 12 in the heat of August or June in six previous starts in Memphis.

Xander Schauffele ($11,400): The major question was answered TWICE in three months this summer. The winner at East Lake in his rookie season, the nine-time winner on TOUR now would like to add FedExCup champion to his growing trophy room before Scheffler beats him to the punch. Making his sixth start at TPC Southwind, the Californian has cashed one top-10 paycheck (T6, 2020). With 2,000 FedExCup points for a win this week, a victory would nudge him slightly ahead of the world No. 1 in the Playoffs rankings.

Trivia Break: The last three FedEx St. Jude Championships needed a playoff to determine the champion. Only one winner returns this week. Name him!

Overvalued or Undervalued?

Viktor Hovland ($9,500): The defending champion of the FedExCup Playoffs, the Norwegian arrives woefully out of form. Not ranking in the top half of the field in fantasy PPG and sitting eighth in salary doesn’t add up. With only one top 10 this season, I don’t need to reach (or hope) in a field of this depth and breadth.

Hideki Matsuyama ($9,300): The bronze medalist from Paris should feel he's playing with house money this week. Sitting eighth in points, he won’t have to worry about a 36-hole cut and can ease into the proceedings. The demanding tracks tee to green bring out the best in his game.

Ludvig Åberg ($10,200): After leaving Paris with T18 for his native Sweden, the 24-year-old will have a stress-free introduction to the FedExCup Playoffs. Earning two runner-up paydays and sitting sixth in points, the former Texas Tech Red Raider is comfortably into East Lake for the TOUR Championship, and nothing he does this week will change that fact. With water in play on 11 of the 18 holes, another four-round grind is on the cards. I’ll choose one of the veterans instead.

Billy Horschel ($8,500): Making his 13th visit to Memphis and first since missing the cut in the 2022 edition, the Florida man should have the most course experience at TPC Southwind. From his nine weekends, he’s cashed seven times in the top 25 and five times in the top 10. Toss in back-to-back top-10 paydays in his last two events, including another course he loves, T7 at Sedgefield last week, and I’m in.

Makers or Breakers

Aaron Rai ($8,200): The Englishman will look to pile on his Wyndham Championship maiden victory with another in consecutive weeks. Quit laughing! Lucas Glover did the same two-step over the same two weeks in 2023. The only difference is Glover was a previous winner on TOUR and played TPC Southwind. The 29-year-old will have to digest all the earned benefits, plus take on the best 69 players on TOUR. Posting in the top 10 in four of his last five starts, he will be a popular roster edition.

Will Zalatoris ($7,000): Folks will see this price tag for the 2022 winner here and load up. I’m passing on the course horse because of his recent form. Without a top-40 finish since T9 at the Masters, his game is not returning to form as quickly as he hoped after back surgery.

Sungjae Im ($8,700): After carrying the mantle as the favorite in Greensboro last week, the Korean ended his streak of rounds at par or better with 72 in the final round. Thanks to Mother Nature dumping five inches of rain on Thursday, nothing was on schedule last week. I’d imagine a return to T12 or better, just like he posted in six of his last eight, this week on a dry TPC Southwind. He’s 21 under par over the previous two years (T6, T12) in Tennessee.

Adam Scott ($7,700): The Australian has only three top-10 results this season, but two resulted from his last two starts, both in Scotland. Returning to TPC Southwind for the first time since T5 in 2022, the 14-time winner on TOUR will need to hold or better his place at No. 46 in the rankings to advance to the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Course outside of Denver next week. I’ll play a veteran hot hand.

Corey Conners ($9,100): In nine events from May onward, he has taken home T27 or better bounties from each event. TPC Southwind provides station-to-station execution and has some of the smallest green complexes (4,300 square feet on average) on TOUR. Closing 65-65 last year for T6, he put together his two best rounds in his seventh appearance. Code cracked!

Eric Cole ($6,700): He loves Bermuda and he’s in form. Needing a big week to jump from No. 54 inside the top 50, the man from Florida who grew up on this surface, will remember that he’s hit the top 10 in three of the last five events he’s entered, including closing with 63 for T7.

Brendon Todd ($6,100): Last week he signed for T12 for the second time in four weeks. His best two checks this season are on difficult driving tests, Bay Hill (T6) and TPC San Antonio (T5).

The Lineup

Here’s a look at how I would devise a six-team roster this week while staying below the $50,000 salary cap offered for DraftKings contests:

• Xander Schauffele ($11,400)
• Hideki Matsuyama ($9,300)
• Billy Horschel ($8,500)
• Adam Scott ($7,700)
• Eric Cole ($6,700)
• Brendon Todd ($6,100)

Trivia Answer: Of the last three champs, only Zalatoris (2022 winner) is in the field this week.

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