Brian Stuard

Stuard played a whopping 35 events in 2020-21. He was inconsistent early on, but his last few months of the season give you reason for optimism going into 2021-22. Stuard finished top-15 in four of his last six starts. He is one of the shortest hitters on tour, but also one of the most accurate. Stuard also wields a very strong putter. He finished top-80 in SG: total and scoring average last season.

Stuard is never going to be an exciting fantasy option, but he is able to get the most out of his game. One of the shortest hitters on Tour, he's able to make up for it with solid play on and around the greens. For someone of his skill level, he does a good job making cuts - 36-out-of-54 over the last two seasons (67 percent rate). He can be an occasional sleeper top-10 pick on shorter courses.

Stuard is the proverbial workhorse on the PGA Tour. He plays a ton, rarely contends, but generally ends up in the top-125 at the of the season. Stuard has won on the PGA Tour, but even in that season, he could only manage a 76th-place finish on the points list. He finished in that same range this past season, even without the benefit of a win. Stuard seems destined to be somewhere in the 75-100 range on the points list every season, which is great for him, but bad for those looking for value in a salary cap format.

Stuard has been on the PGA Tour for seven years and he's started 196 events. He's made the cut in roughly 56% of those events and he's earned a total of 14 top-10s. That's and average of just two top-10s per season. He does have a win on his resume, but only two other top-3s to show. Stuard has managed to stay inside the top-125 more often than not through his career, but he's done little else. He'll likely end up being a guy who grinds it out each season and he'll sometimes retain his card and sometimes not. He's not a salary cap target and holds just a small amount of value in other formats.

Stuard has rode the coattails of his surprise maiden victory at the 2016 Zurich Classic for a year and a half, and he gets one more season of full exemption to make something happen. His win is unfortunately shaping up to be a fluke, as Stuard has failed to record a top-10 since that lone victory and missed the cut his last seven events. There's simply too much risk to trust Stuard in any event other than the Sony Open, so it's best to avoid him at all costs.

Stuard picked-up his first win on the PGA Tour last season at the Zurich Classic in May and subsequently went in the tank for quite a while. He pulled himself out of that rut, but didn't get a whole lot accomplished the rest of the way. Stuard's results have been a bit scattered since joining the PGA Tour in 2013. He's played well in that time, but he hasn't shown a very-high ceiling as of yet. With that in mind, he's not a great salary cap selection this season. In drafts, he should go near the 7th-round.

Stuard struggled in his first go-round on the PGA Tour in 2010, but he fought his way back and in 2012 he ended up safely inside the top-125. Last year he built upon that success and finished with a career-high in earnings. The biggest difference between last season and the season prior was a runner-up showing at the Mayakoba Classic. Considering that showing was his only top-3 finish on the season, there's certainly room for improvement, but there are plenty of better choices in this range than Stuard in a salary cap format. In draft leagues he should go near the 5th round.

A decent year from Stuard in 2013. He started the season well and ended the season well, but did little in the middle. In all, he earned a total on four top-10s. Here's the kicker with Stuard though, in the 2013-2014 season, he's already earned nearly $750k because of his two top-25s, one of which was a runner-up. The question now is, with his card all but assured for 2015, does he get complacent, or does he thrive because he has more confidence? When those types of questions remain entering a season, it's best to let someone else take the chance on him.