This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
BMW ChampionshipLake Forest, Illinois
Conway Farms Golf Club - Par 71 - 7,251 yards
Field - Top 70 in the FedExCup standings
Purse - $8.75M
The Preview
As halftime draws to a close with two of four playoff events out of the way, high-profile names such as Adam Scott, Branden Grace and Bubba Watson have already begun their offseasons while the top 70 in the FedExCup standings advance to the third leg of the playoffs. Conway Farms Golf Club, just north of Chicago, plays host to the BMW Championship for the third time since 2013, with Jason Day and Zach Johnson claiming victories at this venue in recent years. The par-71 layout includes just three par-fives, so par-four scoring is one key statistic to look at when building lineups this week. No surprise here, but hitting greens in regulation at an elite rate will be paramount to finding the winner's circle. However, also delve into proximity numbers in order to find those golfers who could be in line for additional birdie opportunities. Lastly, scrambling and SG: Putting should also be a focus with the bombers not necessarily earning a major advantage this week. Typical late-summer weather is forecasted as temperatures are expected to hit the low-80s on Friday and Saturday, with the only real chance of rain coming Sunday afternoon.
Past Champions
2016 - Dustin Johnson
2015 - Jason Day
2014 - Billy Horschel
2013 - Zach Johnson
2012 - Rory McIlroy
2011 - Justin Rose
2010 - Dustin Johnson
2009 - Tiger Woods
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Jordan Spieth - $19,600
It wouldn't be surprising to see the ultra-competitive fire come steaming out of Spieth throughout the next two weeks after finishing runner-up in the first two legs of the playoffs. The current leader in FedExCup points doesn't have much separation from Justin Thomas nor Dustin Johnson, but Spieth ranks first in SG: Total, par-four efficiency and proximity from 75-125 throughout his last eight rounds.
Paul Casey - $17,000
Casey's $3.5M in earnings and $159.6K per entry through 22 events without a single victory this season is astounding. He has finished no worse than a T13 in his past six starts while also notching four top-5s during this incredibly consistent stretch. Throughout his last eight rounds, Casey ranks top-20 among the field in every SG category.
Henrik Stenson - $16,400
Stenson's reduced price should be taken advantage of this week, as he placed no worse than T17 in his last five starts, including a win at the Wyndham Championship in August. Throughout his past eight rounds he ranks third in SG: Total, eighth in SG: T2G, second in proximity and even second in SG: Putting. He also finished T10 the last time this event was held at Conway Farms in 2015.
Glue Guys
Marc Leishman - $15,500
Leishman missed his first cut in 10 starts at The Northern Trust, but rebounded nicely with a third-place finish one week later at the Dell Technologies Championship to remain inside the top-10 of the FedExCup standings. Other than occasional driving accuracy woes, it's tough to find many flaws in Leishman's game as he sits no worse than 47th in any Strokes Gained category this season, including a ranking of 16th in SG: T2G and ninth in SG: Total.
Patrick Cantlay - $14,700
Through his first two career playoff events, Cantlay has yet to finish outside of the top-15 after posting a T10 at The Northern Trust followed by a T13 at the Dell Technologies Championship. In 11 events this season Cantlay never finished outside of the top 50, as he climbed to 41st in the FedExCup standings without a victory. Throughout the playoffs he's fifth in SG: T2G and seventh in SG: Around-the-Green, while also ranking 15th in par-four efficiency.
Kevin Na - $14,300
Na figures to be a popular play at this price after finishing top-6 in two of his last three starts, and the pressure is on for the 40th-ranked golfer in the FedExCup standings to jump at least 10 spots in order to qualify for the TOUR Championship. He placed T10 at Conway Farms in 2015 and ranks eighth in SG: Total, seventh in SG: Approach, third in SG: Around-the-Green and ninth in SG: Putting throughout his last 12 rounds.
Bargain Bin
Pat Perez - $13,000
With one victory and six top-10s throughout his 2016-17 campaign, Perez quietly enters the BMW Championship as a member of the top-10 in the FedExCup standings. He ranks eighth in SG: Around-the-Green for the season, while he's sixth in SG: Putting and 13th in SG: Total throughout the playoffs thus far, leading to a sixth-place finish in his previous start at the Dell Technologies Championship.
Kyle Stanley - $12,900
Stanley followed up his win at the Quicken Loans National with a stretch of three missed cuts in five events, but has bounced back during the first half of the playoffs with a pair of T25s. This season the excellent ball-striker ranks first on Tour in GIR percentage, second in total driving and fourth in proximity. He's also made improvements with the putter as of late, ranking ninth among the field in SG: Putting throughout his last eight rounds.
Chez Reavie - $12,200
Reavie has made 10 consecutive cuts heading into the BMW Championship, but he remains outside of the top-30 in the FedExCup standings by 16 spots. In need of a big week at Conway Farms GC, Reavie needs to keep a scorching putter hot while making improvements with his ball striking as he ranks just 62nd in SG: T2G throughout his last eight rounds, though he did finish top-10 at The Northern Trust.