DFS GPP Pivot Plays | John Deere Classic 2022
The Pivot Point series focuses on finding the players that will give you the ownership leverage to take down the biggest GPP contests!
Results from the Travelers Championship Pivot Point
Xander Schauffele ($10,000) | 1
Denny McCarthy ($8,300) | MC
Russell Knox ($6,900) | MC
Finally. I've given you a winner in The Pivot Point. Xander was the best player on the course from the start. He didn't go wire-to-wire because Rory bested him by 1 on Thursday, however, Xander probably could have shot 10-under on Thursday with ease if he made a couple more putts early.
Either way, he got caught late on Sunday, but outside of the one hole he trailed Theegala, Schauffele had this tournament won from the start. On top of that, there was some question regarding his projected ownership. There was a pretty big difference among some of the sites, but he came in around 12-13%, so he fit in perfectly as a pivot, and you're welcome. We finally got a winner!
Beyond Xander, a bunch of trash. This is how my week went. It was a pretty bad DFS week, but did well in all my OADs.
DraftKings GPP Pivot Plays for the 2022 John Deere Classic
Before we get into the actual picks, let me just say: YUCK. This is quite literally the field that other tour is trying to capitalize on. This is the event that the casual viewer will not watch one swing of. It's bad. It's so bad that I'm only going to give two pivots. Truthfully, you can talk me into just about anyone this week.
If there's ever a tournament that you can just play whoever you want and not get laughed at, we're here. I do believe distance off the tee will help this week. But past champions will tell me otherwise. Who has any clue what is going to transpire over the next four days. There's not a player in this field that would shock me if they win; other than Webb Simpson. He is not winning this week.
Lanto Griffin ($8,200) | ~11.5%
This is a higher number than I like going with in this series. However, as of right now, using the wonderful Fantasy National site, there are only two people priced higher than Lanto with a lower projected ownership. I have no idea whether people are going to try to grab a couple "studs" and throw a dart at some $6k guys, or start in the $9k range (which I am doing).
I am starting in the $9s and avoiding all that is the mess below $7k. I only have four unique lineups I'm submitting this week, and Griffin is in all four. I play him more than the average person, but I believe this is a great spot for him. Before I begin my research, I check out the rolling reports to see who's riding hot with approach play/putting, and who's riding cold in those same aspects. Lanto hit the list as one of the hotter approach players over the last 12 rounds than anyone else in the field.
His ownership should stay down due to missing his last two cuts, but he's missed those cuts primarily because of off the tee game. This course can reward length, but boasts some of the easiest fairways to hit on Tour. That bodes well when you add that to the hot iron play. Griffin excels in easy scoring conditions, gaining 0.6 strokes per round over the course of his career. In addition, he plays best in moderate wind conditions, and TPC Deere Run is expected to experience some steady wind this week.
All of this is lining up for what should be a good week for Lanto. Plus, on paper, over the past 12-18 months, he's truly one of the premiere players in this field; and the only one you will find under 15% ownership.
Anirban Lahiri ($7,800) | ~5%
Again - yuck. It was truly difficult finding multiple people to recommend. This is truly the "play your guys" week. Anything goes. I like, don't love, Lahiri in this spot. His good run of six events came to a crashing halt as he's now missed the cut in three straight events. The caveat is two of those three were in some of the strongest fields we'll see this year. Missing the cut at the PGA Championship and the Memorial in back-to-back weeks isn't something that scares me away from a guy of Lahiri's caliber.
This is the type of the field where he can really excel. The only thing that has really been suffering in this three-week stretch is his putter. He's lost 8.3 strokes on the greens combined over the last three events. No bueno. His approach and off the tee play has remained solid. He's gained off the tee in 10 straight events, which will come in handy when we're entering what could be a wedge fest this week.
He's 35th in this field in opportunities gained over the past 36 rounds played. Hitting fairways and giving himself birdie opportunities is all we're looking for this week. Obviously, as he's shown recently, the putter can absolutely fail him. But, in a week like this, I'm willing to roll the dice.