This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Fortinet Championship
Napa, California
Silverado Resort (North Course) - Par 72 - 7,123 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $8.4M
The Preview
The PGA Tour's brand new FedExCup Fall commences this week in wine country as Napa Valley's Silverado Resort plays host to the Fortinet Championship for the 10th consecutive year. The 7,123-yard, par-72 layout is shaped by narrow oak-lined fairways, but it doesn't quite compare to a similarly short venue like Harbour Town where players are forced to sacrifice distance for accuracy, oftentimes laying back to the 175-200 yard approach range. Here at Silverado, aggressiveness off the tee is welcomed as the event typically becomes a wedge fest, simply emphasizing angles into tucked pins. Several reachable par-5s help inflate par-breaker opportunities while slick, but bumpy poa greens serve as the primary defense. Napa's weather forecast looks promising throughout all four rounds, but the tournament's field strength is underwhelming with the BMW PGA Championship taking place across the pond as the Ryder Cup approaches later this month.
Recent Champions
2022 - Max Homa
2021 - Max Homa
2020 - Stewart Cink
2019 - Cameron Champ
2018 - Kevin Tway
2017 - Brendan Steele
2016 - Brendan Steele
2015 - Emiliano Grillo
2014 - Sangmoon Bae
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Off-the-Tee
Proximity: 75-150 yards
Par-5 scoring
SG: Putting (Poa)
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Max Homa - $48
Even if he weren't the back-to-back champion in Napa, Homa's salary would be justifiable as the obvious best player in an extremely weak field. Rebounding from a pair of missed cuts at the U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship, Homa closed out his summer with six consecutive top-25 finishes, including four straight top-10s from the Open Championship through the TOUR Championship.
Cam Davis - $41
I'm expecting Sahith Theegala to get steamed despite an inflated $45 salary, given he played his first 12 rounds at Silverado in a collective 31-under-par over the past three editions of the Fortinet. So, although Davis might be similarly popular, there's a bit of salary relief with the $4 discount from Theegala. Sampling his past 24 measured rounds, the Aussie ranks second among the field in Par-5 Efficiency, second in proximity from 125-150 yards and ninth in Birdies or Better Gained.
Glue Guys
J.J. Spaun - $35
Spaun joins the aforementioned Davis as two of the five players in this field that rank top-20 in both SG: Approach and SG: Off-the-Tee over their last 24 rounds. Spaun has gained at least 2.3 strokes from tee to green in each of his six starts dating back to the Memorial Tournament in early June. Additionally, he tied for ninth here at the 2020 Fortinet when he gained 5.1 strokes with his irons.
Beau Hossler - $33
Hossler's price makes him a steal compared to other DFS websites and the betting market, so don't expect him to be a very unique selection in these contests. He placed 26th or better in three of his last four events from the John Deere Classic to the FedEx St. Jude Championship, notably gaining a combined 9.5 strokes off the tee during this stretch. Over his last 24 rounds, Hossler sits No. 1 in P4: 400-450 Efficiency and fourth in P5: 550-600 Efficiency. Nine of the North Course's 18 holes lie within these two par/yardage parameters.
Bargain Bin
Nate Lashley - $22
Another trio of holes at Silverado fall within the P3: 175-200 zone, in which Lashley ranks second in efficiency over his past 36 rounds. He's also 10th in SG: Approach in the 36-round sample, and he finished his 2022-23 regular season with four straight made cuts from the Rocket Mortgage Classic to the Wyndham Championship. Lashley has placed top-20 in two of six Fortinet appearances, including a T16 here in 2021 when he gained strokes across the board.
Peter Kuest - $20
Kuest's upside from a DFS scoring perspective makes him a really intriguing building block in star(s) and scrubs builds, while he's second to none in driving distance over his last 36 rounds. Shrinking the time frame to his past 24 rounds, Kuest ranks fifth in Birdies or Better Gained and seventh in SG: Putting. His paths to a lofty par-breaker percentage are typically difficult to find at the minimum salary.
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