The final stop before the Open Championship takes place this week with some of the world’s best making the trip to Akron, Ohio and the Firestone Country Club for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. 40 of the top 50 golfers in the world will compete this weekend and we took the time to break down the field and provide you with the best possible combination of star talent and sleeper value plays. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s DraftKings WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Justin Rose, $10,200
Passing on Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth wasn’t easy, but the reality is that Rose has been an absolute beast at this course in the past. He is an excellent value as our top pick on the board for this week. A lot of people will like Johnson in this spot not only because he’s coming off a U.S. Open victory, but because he’s also a big hitter. Driving distance will be a valuable commodity for your fantasy lineup this weekend.
However, Rose has finished in the top five in three of the last four Bridgestone Invitational tournaments and while he has dealt with a back injury he has given the green light as good to go this week. Some will hesitate to roll with Rose because of the injury but that will only make him a better play for this week with a good chance he contends for the win again at the Firestone. There are a number of big names to invest in for your top player but we’re going with Rose.
Jim Furyk, $9,500
Furyk is another horse for the course this week with an amazing history that includes top-10 finishes in 10 of his 16 starts here since 1999. That run includes a T-3rd at this tournament a year ago. Factor in that Furyk is in excellent form after he tied for second at the U.S. Open two weeks ago and then followed it up with a T-21 at Congressional and it should be enough to make him a lock in most lineups this week.
Daniel Berger, $8,200
Rose and Furyk were excellent bargains based on their abilities and Berger fits that bill as well. He didn’t look great at Oakmont but still finished in the top-40 and he isn’t far removed from his first-career win at the St. Jude Classic the week before the U.S. Open. Berger will be making his debut at this tournament but at just $8.2K it’s almost impossible to overlook him as a smart value play.
Danny Lee, $7,400
Lee played the Bridgestone Invitational for the first time since 2009 last year and he finished T-6th. The fact that he struggled a little bit at the U.S. Open and at the Memorial led to his price tag dropping a little more than it should and that makes him an excellent value option in DraftKings tournaments for this week.
Kevin Na, $7,300
Na is coming off a seventh-place finish at the U.S. Open. He’s had a couple of weeks to prepare for this event, so he should be relaxed and ready to shine. He should be confident as well after he T-15th at this event a year ago. Like Lee, Na is a little underpriced based on his potential and that is enough to convince us he is worth taking a chance on as a strong sleeper play.
Byeong-Hun An, $7,200
The final sleeper play on our board is An, who has performed well at previous WGC events and has looked good of late including a T-23rd at the U.S. Open and a T-11th at the Memorial. His recent form combined with a game that should translate well this week makes him an intriguing play. There is no doubt the 28th-ranked golfer in the world is an excellent value play at just $7.2.K. We have budgeted enough to fit him in and you should too. When you start to get to this range in fantasy, there are a lot of players can fit the bill but An is one who actually has potential. There’s some evidence here; this isn’t just a dart throw.
