Travelers Championship 2020 DraftKings and FanDuel picks: Why this might be Bryson DeChambeau’s week

For any casual golf/DFS fan who doesn’t normally pay close attention to regular tour events like Colonial or Harbour Town, now you see why so many of us are so enthusiastic about wagering on golf! Following dramatic endings in back-to-back weeks, there are no signs of slowing down, as nine of the top 10 players in the world will tee it up at the Travelers Championship on Thursday at TPC River Highlands. We were on the latest victor, Webb Simpson, for a nice win of our own, and we hope you were, too. It’s a new week, and some more top players will make their post-lockdown debut, including Patrick Cantlay and Paul Casey, both of whom have a decent history at this sub-6,900-yard par 70 that should yield plenty of low scores.

Below you'll find my best value DraftKings and FanDuel plays for the Travelers Championship. You might've read me fading Bryson DeChambeau last week (we're not perfect in this industry, I did nail the winner!) ... and he continued to play well, which tells me this might be his time. In building your Millionaire Maker lineups on DraftKings, after it filled up another contest last week, or your FanDuel fantasy lineups, read below for my picks in each price range.

$9,000 and above

High Upside: Patrick Cantlay ($9,800 DraftKings | $11,300 FanDuel)

Welcome back, Patrick Cantlay! Not only has he not played since the tour’s shutdown, Cantlay had surgery in February to repair a deviated septum, so we haven’t seen him since his 17th-place finish at the Genesis Invitational. Cantlay has proven he can compete in all fields, and he clearly likes this course: He has back-to-back top-15s at TPC River Highlands and in his debut here in 2011, fired a 10-under-par 60.

Safest Option: Justin Thomas ($10,800 DraftKings | $12,000 FanDuel)

Thomas has said in his post-round interviews that he’s “close,” and he proved that on Sunday at Harbour Town with a final-round 63. That’s three straight top-10s for Thomas, who looks like one of the best players on the planet, and oddsmakers agree, making him a co-favorite with Rory McIlroy this week.

Most Likely To Disappoint: Xander Schauffele ($9,600 DraftKings | $11,200 FanDuel)

We’ll likely know how Schauffele’s week will go within his first few holes on Thursday. He has a habit of “checking out” when he’s not in contention, like last week at Harbour Town. He lost 2.33 strokes on his approaches last week, which is enough to cause concern.

Pick To Win: Bryson DeChambeau ($11,000 DraftKings | $11,700 FanDuel)

It feels like it’s time for DeChambeau to capture a trophy. He will enter the Travelers Championship with five consecutive top-10 finishes, including each event since the restart. He had one really bad round last week, where he lost over a stroke off-the-tee and a stroke on approach on Saturday. Per my RickRunGood.com database, that’s the first time in his last 27 rounds that he’s lost more than a stroke in both categories. Despite that sub-standard third round, Bryson still ranked sixth in strokes-gained/tee to green.

Travelers Championship 2020 odds: The odds for every player this week at TPC River Highlands

$8,000 to $9,000

High Upside: Sergio Garcia ($8,500 DraftKings | $10,100 FanDuel)

Garcia led the field in strokes-gained/tee to green last week and charged up the leaderboard on Sunday, finishing at 19-under, which was good for a T-5—despite him losing more than three strokes/putting for the second straight event. TPC River Highlands sets up to be a second-shot course, and Garcia is dialed in at the moment, and with less benign greens

Safest Option: Paul Casey ($8,900 DraftKings | $10,700 FanDuel)

The only concern for Casey is that this will be his first event since the restart. A glorious record at TPC River Highlands, including four top-five finishes in the past five years should ease those concerns.

Most Likely To Disappoint: Bubba Watson ($8,800 DraftKings |$10,800 FanDuel)

This is a perfect storm for “Bubba Week.” He’s a three-time winner at the Travelers Championship and has flashed some great play, including a T-7 at Colonial. Remember, consistency is not Watson’s strong suit, so roster at your own peril.

Pick To Win: Sungjae Im ($8,600 DraftKings | $10,400 FanDuel)

A missed cut for Sungjae is a rare thing, and we found one last week. Still that didn’t stop him from hanging out on the driving range for the weekend! He lost 4.40 strokes putting last week, the worst recorded performance of his career. His previous worst? Last year’s RBC Heritage where he lost 3.74 strokes. Obviously he doesn’t like the greens at Harbour Town—on to TPC River Highlands!

$7,000 to $8,000

High Upside: Scottie Scheffler ($7,600 DraftKings | $9,600 FanDuel)

I was excited to roster Scheffler at Harbour Town before his late WD before the week. His fantasy ceiling is so much higher than this price thanks to his ability to pile up birdies. He almost always outperforms his tournament finishing position with fantasy points, which speaks to his upside.

Safest Option: Brian Harman ($7,600 DraftKings | $9,200 FanDuel)

Harman and “safe” aren’t necessarily synonyms, but he sports a stellar record at TPC River Highlands, including three top-eight finishes in the past five years. He’s also finding his game right now with a 28th and 23rd since the restart.

Most Likely To Disappoint: Chez Reavie ($7,300 DraftKings | $8,900 FanDuel)

The defending champion always gets a boost in ownership, but Reavie hasn’t done much since he won this event last year. Only two top-10s in his 23 starts since, including seven missed cuts.

Pick To Win: Viktor Hovland ($7,800 DraftKings | $9,700 FanDuel)

Let’s run it back with Hovland who finished T-21 last week but 14th in strokes gained/tee-to-green. The 5,000-square-foot greens at TPC River Highlands will feel massive after last week for this man who struggles with his short game. Fire enough darts, and you never have to get up and down!

$6,900 and below

High Upside: Jhonattan Vegas ($6,700 DraftKings | $8,400 FanDuel)

Vegas almost always has the best raw talent in his pricing tier. And he thrives off the tee. He’s incredibly volatile, but a T-17 last week at Harbour Town shows he can pop up in any field.

Safest Option: Matthew NeSmith ($6,600 DraftKings | $8,300 FanDuel)

At this price point, you’re not asking for much other than making the cut. NeSmith has found the weekend in 10 of his past 11 starts while sprinkling in four top-20s along the way.

Most Likely To Disappoint: Emiliano Grillo ($6,300 DraftKings | $7,800 FanDuel)

Many will opt for Grillo because of his stat profile. He’s a great tee-to-green player who cannot putt, but he has failed to make the weekend in seven of his past eight events.

Pick To Win: Doc Redman ($6,700 DraftKings | $8,100 FanDuel)

Doc Redman finished 13th in strokes gained/tee-to-green last week and after an opening-round 72, finished with 66-65-67. In fact, he was fourth in strokes gained/tee-to-green in the final three rounds.

Rick Gehman is the founder of RickRunGood.com and the RickRunGood YouTube Channel, is one of the industry’s leading experts on golf DFS and gambling. Gehman is co-host of the First Cut Podcast and appears regularly on the Pat Mayo Experience golf podcasts. Follow him on Twitter: @RickRunGood.