DFS Dish: Don’t be afraid to leave Scottie Scheffler out at East Lake

He might be the favorite to win it all but don’t be afraid to leave Scottie Scheffler out of your DFS lineups for the TOUR Championship.

Since the FedExCup Playoffs began in 2007, East Lake Golf Club has hosted the 30 golfers who have outlasted the rest and will play for the FedExCup and $25 million bonus.

Newly restored East Lake will now play to par 71, stretch 7,491 yards, and feature new grass surfaces on the tees, fairways, and greens which just might be the help Scheffler needs after faltering the last two seasons.

DraftKings – Top of the board

Scottie Scheffler ($12,200): For the third consecutive August at East Lake, the man from Texas will lead the field of 30. The six-time winner on TOUR in 2024 will look to cap off his excellent year with his first FedExCup. Caught and passed by Rory McIlroy on Sunday in 2022 and blown away by Viktor Hovland last year, the 2024 Masters winner has redemption on his agenda on the newly restored track.

Xander Schauffele ($11,000): Making his eighth consecutive start at East Lake, the Californian cashed T7 or better every visit. The winner on debut in 2017, he has added T2 or better in three more events. Matching the gross tournament scoring record of 19-under last year, he has been in the top three of gross scoring at East Lake in six of his seven appearances. After churning out T2 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and T5 last week at the BMW Championship, it’s all systems go again.

Overvalued or undervalued

Sungjae Im ($7,500): Safely a member of the International Presidents Cup team, the Korean can play completely free this week. Making his sixth consecutive appearance at East Lake, the 2022 co-runner-up will look to take it one step further. Sitting seven shots off Scheffler’s FedExCup Starting Strokes lead, he knows it will take a bucket of birdies to catch up. Averaging over four birdies per round, 12th-best on TOUR, he knows the plan to contend.

Collin Morikawa ($9,100): After his big 36 holes to open the proceedings last year (61-64), the two-time major champion ran out of gas on the weekend and faded to T6. After posting big results in April, May, and June, the Californian has signed for his three quietest finishes in the last three events he’s played on TOUR, none of them inside the top 20. The restorations at East Lake employ larger targets off the tee, and the new TifEagle Bermuda greens will ratchet up the concentration on the putting surfaces.

Hideki Matsuyama ($10,100): When a lower back injury forces a player out of a no-cut event with a $20 million purse, I pay attention. Avoiding players with lingering injuries in a field of this magnitude seems like a simple aversion.

Sahith Theegala ($7,000): A wrist injury forced him out of the pro-am last week in Denver. Returning for tournament play, he closed 79-76 on the weekend and finished dead last.

Justin Thomas ($6,800): Without posting anything inside T30 over his last four starts, it is hard to find inspiration. The optimist will point out that his bogey-free 68 on Sunday at Castle Pines pushed him into the field this week and that he's a former FedExCup champion with multiple top fives at East Lake.

Robert MacIntyre ($6,800): The Scotsman also withdrew from the BMW Championship with a lower back injury during the third round.

Makers or breakers

Rory McIlroy ($9,600): The only three-time winner and the only man to win from outside the No. 1 position heading into the week twice, the four-time major champion has the pedigree to steal this again.

Patrick Cantlay ($9,400): After three years of acclimation, the Californian won the 2021 FedExCup as the No. 1 seed. Returning the next two years, he followed with T7 in 2022, and T5 in 2023. Back-to-back paydays inside the first two Playoffs events suggest he’s getting ready to pop at the right time.

Ludvig Åberg ($9,900) and Viktor Hovland ($8,300): Trying to time these two is like trying to time the stock market: a bad idea. After cashing T40 in Memphis on Bermuda, Aberg shared second spot last week. After cashing T2 in Memphis, Hovland returns to defend his title after T26 last week outside Denver.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($6,300): Making his debut at East Lake, the excellent short-game player from South Africa will have plenty of room off the tee and into the greens this week. Sitting at 20th in Strokes Gained: Total, he saves his shots around and on the greens.

Chris Kirk ($6,200): Posting T9 last week, the Atlanta native forced himself through the backdoor and into the field this week. Most will not remember that he led the 2014 FedExCup going into East Lake. Finishing T4 wasn’t enough as Billy Horschel won the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship to nip him for FedExCup. Making just his second visit, everyone needs a longshot!

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 ($11,100)
• Rory McIlroy ($9,600)
• Patrick Cantlay ($9,400)
• Sungjae Im ($7,500)
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($6,300)
• Chris Kirk ($6,200)

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