Erik Polzin advised fading the Ben Griffin / Andrew Novak pairing in both betting markets and DFS. DraftKings slapped a 10‑k salary on the team even though they own four combined missed cuts at TPC Louisiana and have never finished better than 23rd here. Polzin noted that Novak’s two solid results the past month are propping up the price, while Griffin grades just 23rd in his blended model. With no meaningful chemistry beyond shared southeast roots and both ranking outside the top‑40 in recent‑form SG, Polzin called them a clear overpay relative to similarly priced teams that actually project to see the weekend.

Eric Polzin noted a few potential worthwhile bets on Underdog Fantasy for golfer finishing positions at RBC Heritage, identifying Ben Griffin to secure a top 20 finish as one of the viable plays. He observed that Underdog has placed nearly every golfer around a top-20 finish mark and highlighted Griffin as someone providing some genuine upside at favorable odds. Although acknowledging they may feel marginally forced, Polzin believed Griffin genuinely showed better value compared to other finishing position lines offered, resulting in a solid betting opportunity.

Pat Fitzmaurice sees Ben Griffin as a very safe and appealing betting choice at 20-to-1 odds for the Corales Puntacana event running concurrently with the RBC Heritage. Fitzmaurice praised Griffin for his strong recent performances and admirable consistency throughout the year. Given Griffin's steady reliability, Fitzmaurice believes 20-to-1 odds represent good value for bettors seeking a safer play in a less predictable field.

Derek Farnsworth points to Ben Griffin (+5500 odds) as a viable longshot play at the Valero Texas Open driven by his 'must-win' motivation. Sitting at 51st in the Official World Golf Ranking, Griffin narrowly missed automatic Masters qualification after finishing T18 last week in Houston. Farnsworth highlights that Griffin ranks among the field's best from the fairway inward and gained an impressive 6.1 strokes on approach last week—his fifth-highest career mark. Griffin has logged three top-10 finishes in his last 14 events and enters this tournament highly motivated, aiming for a victory to qualify for Augusta. Farnsworth suggests that this 'win or go home' mentality could spark a fairy tale ending for Griffin this week.

Matt Brown advised caution betting on players who have been competing continuously to qualify for the Masters, noting significant fatigue as a potential impact. He cited Ben Griffin as an extreme example, highlighting Griffin has played tournaments consecutively for 12 straight weeks since the Sony Open without a single break. Matt suggested bettors carefully factor this grinding schedule into their selections, expressing concern players like Griffin could be running out of gas physically and mentally by the time they tee off at the Valero Texas Open.

Matt Every expressed hesitation about betting on Ben Griffin at the Valero Texas Open, citing concerns over Griffin playing his seventh consecutive event. Although Every initially liked Griffin's fit for TPC San Antonio, the extended stretch of tournaments was a clear negative in his assessment, believing accumulated fatigue could significantly hamper Griffin's ability to perform at peak form.

Steve Bamford sees Ben Griffin as a compelling pick at the Valero Texas Open, emphasizing Griffin's high motivation to qualify for next week's Masters tournament, which he can only achieve with a victory this week. Griffin comes in having arguably his best season ever, evident by three top-10 placements including recent events in Florida and Mexico this season. His strong form was underlined recently at the Houston Open, notably shooting a final round 65 and ranking strongly in key metrics: 4th in Strokes Gained Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation, and 3rd Tee-to-Green overall. Ben’s solid previous experience at the Oaks Course, finishing 39th last year despite poorer incoming form, suggests he’s poised to greatly improve upon that performance this time around.

Derek Farnsworth voiced caution in rostering Ben Griffin at this week's Valero Texas Open despite Griffin's urgent motivation to win and secure a Masters invite. Farnsworth expressed legitimate worry given Griffin is participating in his 13th consecutive event, warning of potential fatigue contributing to diminished performance. While acknowledging Griffin's general strength in approach play, scrambling, and putting, Farnsworth warned specifically that a slow start could quickly sap Griffin's motivation and performance due to the increased stakes and accumulated fatigue, posing noteworthy downside risk for DFS lineups this week.

Kenny Kim highlighted Ben Griffin as an intriguing betting candidate at the Valero Texas Open, noting that Griffin narrowly missed qualifying automatically for the Masters by just 0.001 points in the World Golf Rankings. Griffin, ranked 51st after narrowly missing out due to Michael Kim at 50th, must now secure victory at Valero to earn a Masters invitation. Kim also mentioned the historical trend in which seven of the past thirteen Valero winners have qualified for the Masters by winning there, making Griffin's added motivation potentially crucial this week for betting purposes.

Pat Mayo favored Ben Griffin as a DFS pivot away from the potentially higher-owned Alex Smalley despite comparable or even superior results. Griffin recorded an 11th, 22nd, 24th recently and notably finished top-10 at last year's Houston Open. Mayo projects Griffin to come at about half the ownership and a cheaper price compared to Smalley, making him an appealing leverage play in DFS tournaments.

Derek Farnsworth recommends Ben Griffin as a sneaky DFS play, currently projected at just 4% ownership. Griffin recently missed the cut at The Players Championship but had previously shown exceptional consistency, making 17 consecutive cuts including three runner-up finishes during that stretch. Farnsworth further emphasizes Griffin's elite putting abilities, calling him the best putter in this week's field. Additionally, Griffin placed inside the top-10 at Memorial Park last year, reinforcing his strong fit for the event. Farnsworth anticipates Griffin's ownership projection may increase slightly but still expects him to present significant leverage as a lower-owned upside play.

Will Gray recommended betting Ben Griffin in the top-20 finishing markets at the Texas Children's Houston Open due to Griffin's high motivation to qualify for this year's Masters. Griffin has played 12 straight PGA Tour weeks, relentlessly chasing world rankings points needed for Augusta qualification—needing roughly a top-50 result. Gray believes Griffin enters this event with heightened focus, where small leaderboard moves matter significantly (from T23 to T18) for Master's qualification purposes. This unique pressure affords extra betting value this week compared to a typical event.

Wes Reynolds mentioned Ben Griffin as a compelling top-20 option this week. Griffin currently ranks 53rd in the world, just outside the top 50 necessary for Masters qualification. Reynolds speculated about Griffin's heightened motivation and situational narrative to secure the required finish for gaining enough ranking points this week, aligning perfectly with top-20 positional betting.

Ryan Pohle advises taking Sahith Theegala (-110) over Ben Griffin in a head-to-head bet, emphasizing Griffin's recent struggles, missing two consecutive cuts. Griffin's primary strength—iron play—is not emphasized at Memorial Park, detracting from his potential this week. Conversely, Theegala's superior short-game skills align better with course demands, increasing confidence in a favorable head-to-head result.

Byron Lindeque recommended targeting Ben Griffin at $7,900 in DFS this week despite recent back-to-back missed cuts. Lindeque noted Griffin’s recent ball striking was excellent, and his struggles largely came from atypical chipping and putting failures. Given Griffin's typically elite short-game skills, Byron expects a significant positive regression in short game metrics, labeling his struggles as bad luck rather than poor form. He specifically highlighted Griffin’s strengths aligning well with Memorial Park’s test, recommending Griffin confidently as a DFS value play.

Eric Polzin likes Ben Griffin as a GPP option despite recent struggles, citing impressive consistency within key metrics. Griffin ranks top 21 or better in the most important stats used for this event, performs well specifically at Texas-based tournaments (23rd), long tracks, smaller fairways, and Parkland-style courses. While recent events were disappointing (81st and 83rd), Polzin suggests fatigue could have impacted these results. However, Griffin does rank poorly on harder scoring events (72nd), which adds DFS risk.

Derek Farnsworth recommended Ben Griffin as a consistent option with high upside for the 2025 Valspar Championship due to his success on shorter courses. Griffin has achieved 7 top-5 finishes on the PGA TOUR, excelling on courses where driving distance isn’t crucial, such as Copperhead. His track record in Florida is promising, finishing T17 here last year. Griffin's strengths lie in his approach and around the green play, with putting being one of his best attributes. Farnsworth believes Griffin's frequent presence in contention on Sundays makes him a valuable pick this week.

Justin Van Zuiden identifies Ben Griffin as one of the top options in the $6,000 DFS pricing tier, given his impressive iron play recently and strong form over the past six to eight months. Given TPC Sawgrass is shorter and emphasizes iron skill, Griffin fits well. However, Van Zuiden expresses mild concern regarding Griffin playing nine straight events without rest, potentially affecting his performance at a demanding venue.

Pat Perry expressed continued confidence in Ben Griffin despite disappointing performance at the API. Perry remains a fan of Griffin's overall game and sees value in betting him at 90-1 odds or potentially longer. He suggested that Griffin's subpar outing last week was an anomaly and expects a bounce-back performance at Sawgrass.