This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
Quicken Loans National
Potomac, MD
TPC Potomac - Par 70 - 7,139
Field - 120 Entrants
Purse - $7.1M
Conquering the Course
Just three players in the Official World Golf Ranking's top 25 will tee it up at TPC Potomac, where major renovations in 2009 essentially render course history useless when constructing lineups this week. The par-70 layout includes two scorable par-fives, a trio of 200-plus yard par-threes, and six par-fours over 450 yards in length, which will place a premium on long-iron play and FIR percentage. Foreign putting surfaces with plenty of undulation will add to the challenge, so gaining strokes on and around the greens could provide more of an advantage than at a bomber's paradise. Tee-to-green performance is still principal, as top-notch ball striking leads to higher birdie-or-better percentages and the opportunity to score on par-fours, surpassing those who grind out pars come moving day. Remember that a 120-man field yields a higher chance at making the cut, so there's a bit more comfortability when selecting fliers in GPP formats with the lowest score on a roster being dropped.
Past Champions
*Not held at TPC Potomac
2016 - Billy Hurley III
2015 - Troy Merritt
2014 - Justin Rose
2013 - Bill Haas
2012 - Tiger Woods
2011 - Nick Watney
2010 - Justin Rose
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Rickie Fowler - $19,100
Selecting the most-expensive player paid off last week as Jordan Spieth won the Travelers Championship, and there's good reason to back the betting favorite again this week. Fowler ranks first on Tour in total driving, 12th in SG: Approach, and seventh in SG: Putting, and his elite all-around skill set is tough to pass up against below-average competition. He's also seventh in average proximity to the hole on approaches from over 200 yards, so birdies on the lengthy par-threes and par-fours aren't out of the question for the world's No. 9 golfer.
Bill Haas - $16,400
Haas found the winner's circle at the Quicken Loans National in 2013 -- then hosted by Congressional CC -- but he has the game to contend at TPC Potomac as well. The 35-year-old is eighth on Tour in GIR percentage despite hitting less than 60 percent of his fairways in regulation so far this season. He's also seventh in scrambling and coming off a stretch of three consecutive top-25 finishes, including a T5 at the U.S. Open.
Brendan Steele - $16,300
Steele, currently No. 13 in the FedExCup standings, posted three top-25 results over his last four events while averaging 126 FantasyDraft points in that stretch. He ranks sixth among the field in SG: Total throughout his past 12 rounds, fifth on the season in total driving, and fourth in terms of proximity from 175-200 yards out.
Second-Level Studs
Russell Henley - $15,800
Henley is more of a GPP suggestion after missing two cuts in his last three events, but he most recently finished top-30 at the U.S. Open before resting last week. He's top-15 among the field in terms of SG: OTT and SG: Around-the-Green throughout his last 12 rounds, while ranking 16th in GIR percentage for the season.
Danny Lee - $15,700
Lee hasn't missed a cut since THE PLAYERS Championship, notching three top-six finishes in that same span. He's riding a hot putter and accuracy off the tee, which should translate to success at TPC Potomac. Lee's FantasyDraft scoring average throughout his past five events was an impressive 123 points.
Graham DeLaet - $15,300
The Canadian continues to be held back by his brutal wedge play around the greens, but he otherwise excels tee-to-green and has finished T26-T10 in his past two starts. DeLaet ranks 15th on Tour in proximity from over 200 yards and 20th in GIR percentage.
Mid-Tier Glue Guys
Kevin Streelman - $14,900
Streelman, coming off a final-round 64 at the Travelers Championship, has placed top-20 at three straight events. He's first among the field in terms of SG: Total throughout his past 12 rounds thanks to his putter, but he's also 12th in proximity from 200-225 yards and 25th in total driving for the season.
James Hahn - $14,800
Hahn is another solid candidate for GPP lineups with a pair of top-six finishes in his last three starts, even though he missed three cuts over his past six events. He's second among the field in terms of SG: T2G throughout his last 12 rounds, climbing to No. 66 in the OWGR. Hahn's putting woes have kept him winless since last year's Wells Fargo Championship.
Grayson Murray - $13,600
Murray is riding a streak of nine consecutive made cuts heading into the Quicken Loans National, including no finish worse than a T35 throughout his past four events. The rookie is 26th on Tour in SG: OTT and even ranked 14th in SG: Putting at last week's Travelers Championship, where he also recorded a hole-in-one.
Hidden Gems
Jonas Blixt - $12,400
Blixt, who teamed with Cameron Smith to win the Zurich Classic in late April, has finished T62-T31-T18 in his last three starts. The Swede is one of the best putters on Tour and will look to use that to his advantage on the tough greens at TPC Potomac.
Ryan Brehm - $11,800
Brehm has quietly made four consecutive cuts, and he most recently averaged five birdies per round at the Travelers Championship, scoring 127 points on FantasyDraft despite finishing outside the top 30. The bomber lacks accuracy off the tee at times, but has made up for it with the putter as of late.
J.J. Henry - $11,700
Henry has been awesome from tee-to-green lately, but the 42-year-old simply can't putt. He's third among the field in terms of SG: T2G throughout his past 12 tournament rounds, but dead last in SG: Putting. If he figures out how to putt one of these weeks, expect a finish near the top of the leaderboard.
