Rick Gehman warned against rostering Chris Gotterup, saying a long rookie campaign appears to have ‘officially taken its toll.’ Gotterup lost 4.5 strokes in Memphis and another 4 at Caves Valley, posting almost across-the-board negatives. Although he gained 2.5 strokes on Sunday to sneak into the TOUR Championship, Gehman believes the ball-striking dip combined with clear fatigue makes this a week to let others chase the name value.

Rick Gehman highlighted Harris English at $6,900 as a dependable lineup filler. English posted a T-12 last week despite losing 1.5 strokes on Sunday and hardly appearing on the broadcast. Gehman noted English’s strong Georgia roots, improved form since hip surgery, and the fact that he hasn’t played East Lake since 2021 when he was a very different golfer. With consistent off-the-tee gains and a putter that can catch fire, English offers top-15 equity at sub-7K pricing in a condensed field.

Rick Gehman advised mostly fading Nick Taylor this week. Although Taylor’s ceiling is proven—he has won Phoenix and flashed contention spikes—he has lost two or more strokes tee-to-green in all three starts since The Open, which includes both FedExCup playoff events. Gehman conceded Taylor can ‘play over his head’ on occasion but views him strictly as a low-probability dart in the 6K range, noting he ‘doesn’t think Taylor can win this golf tournament’ and the ball-striking trend is firmly pointing down.

Rick Gehman is ‘cautiously optimistic’ on Sepp Straka for GPPs after the Austrian skipped last week for an undisclosed personal matter. Straka’s recent log reads win, MC, 3rd, MC, 45th, 7th, 53rd, 17th—proof of extreme volatility that Gehman only wants to touch in high-risk, high-reward builds. Straka ranks top-10 on Tour in fairways-gained and owns an 11-stroke week-long putting range, giving him the skill set to spike when the flat stick cooperates. With most of the DFS crowd gravitating to safer 7K options, Gehman expects single-digit ownership and is willing to leverage that upside despite uncertainty around recent practice time.

Rick Gehman called Ben Griffin one of his favorite DFS values, insisting the North Carolinian has played ‘about seven bad holes all summer.’ Griffin’s only missed cuts since June came at the John Deere—where he finished bogey-double on 8 and 9—and The Open, yet he still gained strokes tee-to-green in both. Last week he opened with a triple bogey, recovered, and still finished T-12. Gehman noted Griffin has finished inside the top-20 in five of his last seven starts while gaining tee-to-green in each of those. At a low-7K salary with a limited 30-man field, a T-18 finish could be enough to pay off, making him a core lineup piece.

Rick Gehman said Hideki Matsuyama is a high-upside DFS target at East Lake. Matsuyama gained 1.5 strokes in Round 1 and 5.5 in Round 2 last week, then crashed by losing 5 strokes in Round 3 and another 2 in the final round. Gehman argued the erratic finish masks the fact that Matsuyama ‘might have made more birdies than anybody’ in the field, showcasing the kind of firepower that pays off in DraftKings’ birdie-bonus scoring. Course history at the TOUR Championship is a ‘mixed bag’—some top finishes, some poor—but Gehman is willing to chase the ceiling because Hideki’s combination of elite iron play and streaky putting can pop for a top-5 any given week.

Gehman is going right back to Cameron Young after an 11th at Caves Valley that masked elite form. Young entered off a win at Wyndham and a 5th at South Wind, then lost three strokes on Thursday and still gained 3.3 tee-to-green for the week despite five penalty strokes. Gehman’s power rankings have Young 5th over the last 24 rounds, and he believes a top-3 finish is well within reach, making Young a strong GPP play in the 7K tier.

Rick Gehman said Patrick Cantlay ‘absolutely needs’ a big week to make the Ryder Cup and views him as a boom-or-bust play. Cantlay’s season has been merely solid, so Gehman will avoid him in consistency-focused DFS builds but is interested in game-theory angles and a top-five outright bet, accepting a miss-cut-like 25th if the upside cashes.

Gehman likes J.J. Spaun at $8K, emphasizing Spaun’s elite accuracy and a fade he hits 77% of the time. Even in a ‘poor’ BMW start where he lost 3.5 strokes putting and 1.5 around the green, Spaun still gained 4.2 tee-to-green and beat the field in three of four rounds. Gehman believes that dependable shot shape plus a proven record on tough set-ups like Oakmont makes Spaun a sneaky DFS value at Eastlake.

Gehman warned against rostering Collin Morikawa, pointing out that Morikawa has bled almost ten strokes putting over his last eight measured rounds, lost strokes around the green in five of his last six and continues to produce ‘wipey’ misses with the driver. While a spike-week of +6 strokes on approach is always possible, Eastlake’s narrow fairways make the current driver issues a DFS landmine in Gehman’s view.

Rick Gehman will be heavy on Russell Henley, noting that in four trips to Eastlake Henley has gained roughly 21 strokes over 16 rounds and has picked up strokes putting in three of those four visits. Henley’s trademark driving accuracy and strong tee-to-green numbers fit a venue that punishes misses, and Gehman expects him to outperform his mid-tier salary in both cash games and GPPs.

Gehman advised passing on Justin Thomas at roughly $9K. Although JT rewarded backers earlier with his Heritage win, Gehman said Thomas is only “good, not great” right now and worries the wayward driver will leave him hacking from Eastlake’s thick rough. With better uses of salary in the same range, Gehman will have minimal or no DFS exposure to Thomas this week.

Rick Gehman starred Viktor Hovland as a core play and outright winner candidate. Over the last 24 rounds Hovland is second only to Scheffler in ball-striking and is gaining two strokes per round in August (1.8 via ball-striking). He finished T7 at Caves Valley after picking up seven strokes on approach and gaining in every strokes-gained category, and he won at Eastlake in 2023, gaining 14 strokes on the field (10.7 tee-to-green). Gehman believes the tougher the track, the better Hovland performs and is ‘riding with Victor’ for DFS, matchups and outrights.

Rick Gehman said he will be overweight on Ludvig Aberg in every DFS format and in head-to-head or “without Scheffler” betting markets. Since the Memorial, Aberg has gained at least one stroke both off-the-tee and on approach in every start, ranks third in ball-striking over the last 24 rounds (behind only Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland) and has finally solved the short game, gaining around the green in four straight and with the putter in three of his last four events. Gehman noted Eastlake’s demand for length and accuracy fits Aberg’s profile and allows salary relief in the 9K range, planning a 60/20/20 lineup split of Scheffler, Rory and Aberg if he were entering 100 lineups.

Rick Gehman highlighted Ludvig Aberg as the type of high-ceiling pivot who could steal the FedEx Cup with everyone starting at even par. Aberg ranks third in ball-striking over the last 24 rounds—trailing only Scheffler and Viktor Hovland—and has gained at least one stroke both off the tee and on approach in every start since the Memorial. Gehman emphasized the Swede’s combination of length and accuracy, a premium at East Lake’s penal fairways, and is considering swapping some Rory shares to Aberg at $10,100 to gain salary relief and differentiate builds.

Rick Gehman labeled Rory McIlroy the obvious No. 2 win candidate at East Lake and the main ownership pivot off Scheffler. Since 2016 McIlroy has seven starts here and is gaining 1.5 strokes per round—better than anyone in the field except Russell Henley, who has only two appearances. Gehman joked that McIlroy can 'roll out of bed and finish inside the top-10' at East Lake, highlighted his still-elite driver, and noted the putter has been hot, gaining multiple strokes in five straight events. Although he wants sharper wedge play long-term, Gehman plans roughly 30 % Rory exposure versus 70 % Scheffler across 100 lineups.

Rick Gehman said Scottie Scheffler is going to win the Tour Championship and should be the core DFS play this week. Scheffler has never lost strokes tee-to-green at East Lake and, after hemorrhaging putts in his first four visits, gained a full stroke per round on the greens last year—the most improved area of his game. He is 30-under for the FedExCup Playoffs, five shots clear of the next closest player, and made Rory McIlroy 'look silly' during their BMW pairing by constantly playing from better positions. Gehman plans to roster Scheffler in roughly 70 % of his DraftKings lineups and urged listeners to 'act accordingly.'

Rick Gehman flatly declared, “Cam Young’s going to win,” after Young graded third in his custom BMW Championship model that still had Scottie Scheffler miles ahead but slotted Young behind only Scheffler and Kurt Kitayama. The model weighted driving distance (15%) and long-term approach (25%), two categories where Young routinely sits near the top of the PGA Tour, along with birdie rate and easy-course scoring that fit Olympia Fields’ expected setup. Gehman plans to bet Young outright and likes pairing him with Kitayama on cards, viewing Young’s power and scoring upside as capable of dethroning the favorites in a 50-man field.

Rick Gehman advised steering clear of Si Woo Kim despite eye-popping ball-striking numbers. Kim lost 5.5 strokes with the putter last week and has now dropped strokes putting in nine straight starts. Even after picking up 10 strokes tee-to-green at St. Jude, Gehman fears the putter may be "lost" beyond immediate repair. On his trends tool Kim is literally bulging outside the normal breakout quadrant—an extreme outlier whose upside may never materialize because of the flatstick. Gehman concluded that the risk of another catastrophic putting week outweighs Kim’s approach ceiling, making him a fade for both DFS and betting cards at Olympia Fields.

Rick Gehman said Rickie Fowler sets up as a near-ideal DFS core play at the BMW Championship. Fowler gained 3.7 strokes off-the-tee and 4.7 on approach at FedEx St. Jude while losing only one stroke apiece around the green and with the putter, ending a four-event streak of putting gains without flashing red-flag issues. On Gehman’s breakout-candidate scatter plot covering the last 24 rounds, Fowler lands in the coveted upper-left quadrant— only 10 of 50 golfers qualify—indicating elite ball-striking with merely average putting that can positively regress. Fowler is “incredibly highly incentivized” after needing another strong finish to keep advancing in the FedEx Cup and has already proven he can grind for four rounds under pressure (top-12 last week to move on). Gehman labelled the 7k salary tier a “smash spot” for Fowler given his all-around statistical profile and motivation.

Rick Gehman slotted Ludvig Aberg third in the 10K tier behind Scheffler and Rory, citing a massive tee-to-green upswing. Aberg gained five strokes tee-to-green en route to a T-9 at Southwind and has totaled roughly 15 strokes tee-to-green over his last 12 competitive rounds (Scottish, Open, St. Jude). Although he has no history at Caves Valley, Gehman dismissed that as irrelevant because the course offers few secrets to elite talents. He plans to take overweight DFS exposure to Aberg and fade the rest of the 10K crowd outside his top three.

Rick Gehman is lukewarm but not fading Patrick Cantlay at $10,100. Cantlay gained six strokes on approach and finished T-9 at FedEx St. Jude, one of his best iron weeks of 2024, and he won this event at Caves Valley in 2021. Although Gehman dislikes the salary bump, he still considers Cantlay 'a very fair golfer' and plans to match the field’s ownership rather than fading him. The takeaway: keep Cantlay in multi-entry player pools because his combination of recent ball-striking and proven course success still warrants exposure.

Rick Gehman suggested pivoting to Russell Henley at $9,700 as ownership gravitates toward Cam Young and JJ Spaun. Henley’s last five starts are all 17th or better with four top-10s across wildly different venues—from the narrow TPC River Highlands to links-style Royal Portrush—showing that course fit is no longer a concern. He ranks top-10 in total strokes gained over the last 36 rounds. Gehman views Henley as a high-floor, high-ceiling option who can differentiate tournament lineups without sacrificing upside.

Rick Gehman called Akshay Bhatia his favorite play in the low-8K range. Bhatia opened Southwind with a 62, gaining five strokes on approach while gaining only 0.5 strokes with the putter—proof it was ball-striking driven. Over the last 24 rounds he ranks fourth in this field in strokes-gained approach (behind Scheffler, Matsuyama, Kitayama). Gehman expects Bhatia’s tendency to spray drives will be far less costly at spacious Caves Valley, allowing his elite irons to shine. At $8,200 he offers ceiling at a discount and is a priority GPP target.

Rick Gehman advised buying Hideki Matsuyama at $8,600. Matsuyama gained 5.5 strokes on approach at Southwind—one of the week’s top iron numbers—and posted another top-20. Gehman noted Hideki has won low-scoring shootouts before (32-under at Kapalua) and has quietly beaten the field by 3–8 strokes in recent starts. With Caves Valley shaping up as another birdie fest and far less punitive off the tee, Gehman thinks Matsuyama’s elite irons are about to pop, making him a strong mid-range DFS and outright candidate.

Rick Gehman highlighted Ben Griffin as a smash $9,100 DFS option. Griffin sits second only to Scottie Scheffler in strokes-gained trend, running roughly two strokes per round above his 100-round baseline over his last 36 rounds. He finished ninth at Southwind and Gehman believes the wider corridors at Caves Valley will let him "cut the driver loose" without Southwind’s water and overhanging-tree penalties. Griffin’s top-10/top-20 consistency plus a projected top-six FedEx Cup standing confirm the breakout is real. Gehman expects another high finish that easily clears salary and gives GPP winning upside.

Rick Gehman said Cameron Young might win the BMW Championship and should be a core play in outright markets (30-1 on Monday) and DraftKings builds. Caves Valley rewards length and birdie making, two areas where Young excels. He gained 8.5 strokes tee-to-green during his Wyndham win and another six at last week’s FedEx St. Jude despite a disastrous Saturday; he still picked up five strokes on Sunday. Gehman noted Young’s natural draw has returned after recent swing tweaks, fueling confidence, and his last-36-round total strokes gained ranks ninth in the field. With plenty still at stake in the FedEx Cup and a bomber-friendly setup, Gehman views Young as a high-ceiling DFS play and live outright ticket.

Although Gehman ‘hates’ the salary bump to $10,100, he still views Patrick Cantlay as a fair play. Cantlay never threatened in Memphis yet quietly finished T-9 while gaining six strokes on approach— his second-best iron week of 2025. Cantlay also won the 2021 BMW at this course, so the combination of elite recent iron play and proven course history offsets the price increase enough for Gehman to keep him in DFS pools, particularly in balanced builds that skip the very top salaries.

Gehman is off Tommy Fleetwood at $10,400. He witnessed Fleetwood’s tense Sunday collapse in Memphis— shoulders rising, double-cross drive on 17, and a weak five-footer that sealed his fate. Statistically, Fleetwood’s two best putting weeks of the season came in his last three starts, suggesting looming negative regression. Gehman also argues Caves Valley’s wide landing areas and emphasis on raw distance neutralize the finesse advantages that usually boost Fleetwood. Combining likely putting give-back, poor course fit, and lingering pressure after the collapse, Gehman will avoid Fleetwood in DFS builds.

Gehman advised fading Xander Schauffele at $10,500. The putter that historically carried Schauffele has been merely good, not great, in 2025, and the early-season gains off the tee are fading— he is no longer gaining a stroke per round with the driver. Compared to McIlroy at only $900 more, Schauffele’s profile is less appealing, and his T-49 finish at Caves Valley in 2021 offers no reassurance. Gehman will keep season-long shares but plans to be light on Xander in DFS this week.

Gehman called Rory McIlroy’s $11,400 price tag an attractive pivot from Scheffler. He concedes McIlroy can be rusty in his first start after a three-week layoff, but Caves Valley sets up as a bomber’s paradise and Rory finished fourth here in 2021. Gehman notes the $2,000 savings versus Scheffler lets gamers jam in stronger mid-tier options, and if Ted Scott remains off Scheffler’s bag, any caddie-related half-stroke dip would further tighten the gap. Net: Rory’s distance, past success on this course, and salary relief make him a core DFS option.

Rick Gehman said spending $13,400 on Scottie Scheffler is still a slam-dunk DFS move. Scheffler has finished no worse than eighth in every tournament since THE PLAYERS and is gaining an outrageous 3.5 strokes per round over his last 36— almost double the historical benchmark for a world No. 1. The next-closest golfer in this field is a full 1.5 strokes behind. Even without regular caddie Ted Scott on Sunday in Memphis, Scheffler still gained 2.5 strokes and finished T-3. With only 50 players getting four guaranteed rounds on a soft, birdie-friendly Caves Valley, Gehman expects Scheffler’s floor/ceiling combo to dwarf the field and will be massively overweight on him in DraftKings lineups.

Rick Gehman urged bettors to grab Kurt Kitayama tickets before markets tighten. Since the 3M Open, Kitayama owns three straight positive putting performances and just finished T9 at FedEx St. Jude while gaining heavily tee-to-green. Over the last 24 rounds he slots between Hideki Matsuyama and Akshay Bhatia in strokes-gained approach and ranks #2—behind only Scottie Scheffler—in Gehman’s custom BMW model that emphasized total SG (25%), distance (15%), long-term approach (25%), birdie-or-better (20%) and easy-course scoring (15%). Having already won the Arnold Palmer Invitational this season, Kitayama “could legit play spoiler for the Tour Championship” and is priced well below the elites, making him both an outright bet and a high-upside DFS option.

After weighting the last 20 rounds for total strokes gained, multiple approach buckets, driving accuracy, and Bermuda putting, Rick Gehman’s custom model popped Russell Henley as the No. 1 golfer in the entire FedEx St. Jude field. Gehman remarked that Henley has been “really hot” lately and acknowledged the short-term nature of the build, but the across-the-board gains were enough to push Henley ahead of names like Fitzpatrick, English, and Scheffler. Given the model’s emphasis on recent approach play—Henley’s specialty—Gehman indicated he will have to strongly consider making Henley a centerpiece of his DraftKings core.

Rick Gehman placed Emiliano Grillo on his short list of 6K values who are trending up rather than down. Grillo finished T44 last week despite dropping only 1.5 strokes with the putter—encouraging for a player historically labeled "team no-putt." His tee-to-green metrics remain strong, and he is one of just seven sub-$7K golfers gaining at least 0.33 strokes per round over the last 24 rounds. Gehman interprets the mild putting loss as proof Grillo’s new-found flat-stick competence has real staying power, making him a solid ball-striking play at TPC Southwind.

Rick Gehman recommended Justin Rose as a mid-salary anchor, stressing that the FedEx St. Jude’s no-cut format removes Rose’s typical volatility concerns. Rose rolls in with a 6th at the Scottish Open and a T16 at The Open, then took two weeks off to rest. Gehman noted Rose’s extensive resume at TPC Southwind—"a lot of top-20s and a handful of top-10s"—and called the current stretch "probably the best golf Rose has played in five years." Comfortable course history plus rested form makes Rose a cornerstone for DFS lineups this week.

Rick Gehman highlighted Nick Taylor as the safest punt in the $6K DraftKings tier for the FedEx St. Jude. Taylor’s lone blemish is last month’s missed cut at The Open, but Gehman dismissed it because Taylor is gaining 1.1 strokes per round over his last 24—best among all 30 golfers priced under $7,000. While most of the cheap pool is “limping home” with three-plus consecutive missed cuts, Taylor’s previous run included multiple top-20s and a win, and he remains positive in both ball-striking categories plus Bermuda putting. Gehman views Taylor as rare salary relief that does not sacrifice recent form or upside.

Kitayama’s win at the 3M was backed up with a solid T31 at Wyndham despite a Saturday round where he lost two strokes to the field. Gehman pointed to the ball-striking turnaround that started at the Byron Nelson—arguably the chief issue earlier in the season. With the driver and irons trending up, Kitayama projects as a volatile but appealing tournament play in the 7k range.

Clark owns three consecutive top-12s and a T7 at Southwind last year, yet costs just $7.6k. Gehman noted his lone blemish was losing four strokes off the tee at TPC Twin Cities, where water looms everywhere—relevant because Southwind has water on 11 holes. Still, Clark gained across the board in last year’s visit and is highly motivated to climb the FedEx standings. Gehman sees major-winning equity at a mid-7k price tag.

Hall sits fifth in SG over the last 36 rounds (1.7 per round) largely via the putter. Gehman admitted concern about three straight negative approach weeks but still trusts Hall’s elite short game to provide a floor at $7k. He is willing to hold one more week before abandoning ship, making Hall a viable salary-saver in large-field GPPs.

Rai’s season had been lost until Wyndham, where he gained 10.4 strokes on approach—the third-best iron week recorded by anyone in this playoff field in 2025 (trailing only Scheffler and Schauffele). Gehman believes the Wyndham spike could be a signal Rai is rounding back into the form that produced last year’s Wyndham win, giving him sneaky upside in the 8k range.

Burns gained seven strokes putting on his way to a T5 at Southwind last year, but Gehman flagged multiple red lights: the putter has gone cold over his last two starts and ball-striking numbers are slipping compared with the Canadian/US Open stretch. Gehman is wary of paying for past course history when current form is trending down.

At $8.1k, Griffin has now beaten the field nine straight starts—even the two missed cuts (John Deere, Open) came with positive strokes-gained totals once context is applied. Over his last 36 rounds he’s gaining 1.82 strokes per round, third-best in the entire playoff field. Gehman views him as a high-floor core play who remains underpriced relative to form.

Gehman labeled Morikawa his ‘sleeper’ of the 9k tier. Two missed cuts overseas have people off him, yet before leaving the States he posted a T8 at Rocket Mortgage. Southwind rewards accuracy off the tee and precision irons—both Morikawa staples. Gehman predicts sub-10 % ownership and said if projected ownership confirms that, he will side with Morikawa over similarly priced Patrick Cantlay.

Hovland’s season-long approach streak finally snapped at Royal Portrush, but Gehman refuses to punish him for an Open-style setup. At TPC Southwind the Norwegian owns four top-20s in his last five appearances, including a runner-up last year where he ‘knocked the cover off the ball’ and rolled it well. With past ties to Memphis (former coach Jeff Smith) and comfort on the greens, Gehman expects another top-tier finish and sees $9.3k as a discount.

Gehman highlighted Matt Fitzpatrick’s scorching run – four consecutive top-8 results – and dug into why the Wyndham T8 was sneaky: Fitzpatrick gained 8.3 strokes on the weekend, the second-best two-day surge in the entire field (behind only Patrick Fishburne). Three of the four recent starts were complete tee-to-green weeks, and Southwind history shows T18 last season and T5 in 2022. Complete-game form plus encouraging course results make Fitzpatrick a top-end DFS anchor at $9.7k.

Rick Gehman called Russell Henley the DFS X-factor in the 9k tier, noting almost no buzz around him despite four straight top-10 finishes. Henley’s iron play has always been his calling card, but Gehman stressed that the putter—Henley’s lone weakness in a three-event slump—is now cooperating again. Because salaries in the 9k range will pull attention to bigger names, Gehman expects suppressed ownership and argues Henley merely needs another top-5/8 to smash salary, not an outright win.

Rick Gehman called Russell Henley the overlooked X-factor of the slate because DraftKings priced him above $10K for only the fourth time since 2020. The sticker shock, plus star names around him, should drive ownership down even though Henley enters with four consecutive top-10 finishes. Gehman framed those results as peak "Henley DNA": elite approach play combined with a recently reheated putter after a brief cold stretch. In a 69-man, no-cut field where placement points are king, Henley doesn’t need to win but must finish near the top, a scenario Gehman believes is realistic given his current ball-striking. He recommends using Henley as a contrarian leverage play in GPP builds that fade one of the chalky $10K options.

Rick Gehman highlighted Justin Thomas as a ceiling play whose current putting form outweighs his wild-driver risk at Southwind. Thomas has gained strokes on the greens in every event since The Players, the longest and best putting stretch of his career, quelling a long-standing fantasy concern. Gehman noted Thomas’s Southwind record is "good enough," but emphasized that missed fairways here carry up to two-thirds of a stroke penalty—so keeping the driver straight is the key variable. If JT can stay in the short grass, his elite iron game and now-hot putter give him a "really good chance" to pay off his $10K price tag. Gehman recommends incorporating Thomas into roughly 20% of multi-entry builds as a high-risk/high-reward tournament option.