The 2023 Players Championship is more than just another designated PGA Tour event, but the field couldn’t get much better than last week’s. The event tees off Thursday and features 43 of the world’s top 50 players, led by No. 1 Jon Rahm, so finding the best to feature in your 2023 Players Championship fantasy picks will be tricky. The iconic Pete Dye design of TPC Sawgrass can create parity, and the weather can cause chaos, so finding the hidden gems will be critical. Rahm is the 17-2 co-favorite, along with Rory McIlroy, in the latest 2023 Players Championship odds from Caesars Sportsbook. World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler is right behind at 10-1 as those three golfers continue to battle for the top spot in the rankings.
McIlroy and Scheffler both finished in the top five last week at Bay Hill, while Rahm tied for 49th. Does that mean the top-ranked Spaniard should be left out of your Players Championship 2023 fantasy rankings? Could a talented but overlooked player like Xander Schauffele (25-1) or Viktor Hovland (27-1) be a shrewd pick and put you in a better position to win? Before setting your fantasy golf rankings or making any 2023 Players Championship picks, you need to see the fantasy golf projections and lineup advice from SportsLine fantasy expert Jim Holliman.
Holliman has been a writer and editor for nearly 25 years and has been playing and following the game closely for more than three decades. The Florida-based writer knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour and how the players’ games fit the courses. Holliman has been on a roll on his picks since last season, and last week, 11 of his picks finished in the top 15 and only one missed the cut. Three of his top seven picks posted top-five finishes. The golf expert also was behind Chris Kirk as winner at the Honda Classic, backing the 25-1 longshot to get his first victory since 2015. Holliman also crushed the Genesis Invitational, backing Rahm as five of his top 12 picks finished in the top six.
Last season, he nailed the Tour Championship, saying Rory McIlroy was the only player capable of making up a six-stroke deficit to get past Scheffler. “He has a lot of ground to make up,” Holliman said, “but he is the most well-rounded player in this field, so if anyone can do it, he can.” The Northern Irishman was actually down by 10 through two holes Sunday but stormed back to claim the title. Anyone who has followed Holliman’s predictions is way up on their golf picks.
Now, Holliman has ranked his top golfers from the 2023 Players Championship field. You can only see his fantasy golf rankings and Players Championship picks at SportsLine.
2023 Players Championship fantasy golf picks
One player Holliman isn’t hesitating to back this week is Rahm, despite the fact that he faltered at Bay Hill. The 28-year-old roared out of the gate with a 65 last Thursday, so a couple of poor rounds aren’t enough to cause panic. The expert also has learned not to doubt the tour’s leader in scoring average and stroke gained total. “He has been elite in every category,” Holliman says, “and he will bounce back and be right there again Sunday.” The Spanish star has 18 worldwide victories in his seventh year as a professional, and five of them have come since October.
On the other hand, the expert is having trouble finding a reason not to fade Schauffele, who doesn’t even crack his top 10. The California native has missed three straight cuts at the Players and has been outside the top 30 in consecutive outings. The talent is there, but the 29-year-old is rarely in true contention. He has seven career tour victories, but he had seven top-10’s and finished outside the top 25 six times in 21 tournaments last season. Schauffele is 82nd in strokes gained off the tee and 101st around the green, not a great combination for TPC Sawgrass. You can see who else to back this week at SportsLine.
How to set your 2023 Players Championship golf rankings
For the Players Championship 2023, Holliman is backing several longshots, including three golfers in his top 10 who are priced higher than 30-1. One of these golfers has a recent top-10 finish at TPC Sawgrass and could thrive if weather causes problems this weekend. You can find out who it is, and check out all of Holliman’s PGA picks, only at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2023 Players Championship? Who are the top PGA Tour players to target for your Players Championship fantasy picks? And which overlooked players can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Jim Holliman’s Fantasy golf rankings for the 2023 Players Championship, all from the fantasy expert with his finger on the pulse of the game, and find out.