{"id":49415,"date":"2026-08-12T15:35:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/49415\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T15:35:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:35:09","slug":"top-fantasy-golf-targets-and-pivot-picks-for-the-fedex-st-jude-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/49415\/","title":{"rendered":"Top fantasy golf targets and pivot picks for the FedEx St. Jude Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

The PGA TOUR has reached the FedExCup Playoffs, as the top 70 golfers on the FedExCup Standings qualified for this week\u2019s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. The top 50 advance to the next round next week after what should be a fun and dramatic week at TPC Southwind.<\/a> DraftKings is ready for the playoffs with some strong GPP contests available in the lobby. As you build your rosters for this week, check out my top three fantasy golf picks to use as pivot plays for tournament play this week. These three players will likely have lower ownership but still bring high upside. My favorite GPP picks for this week are Sam Burns ($9,500), Justin Rose ($8,000) and Sungjae Im ($6,700).<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s define what we\u2019re searching for in this post, to be sure we\u2019re all aiming for the same target. A fantasy golf pivot play is a golfer with low expected ownership in tournament formats but high upside. These picks go against the grain and typically come with more risk compared to popular options with similar salaries. In large-field tournaments, it\u2019s important to differentiate your lineup with low-ownership plays like these, even though they are NOT the safest options.<\/p>\n

These are \u201cgrip it and rip it,\u201d boom-or-bust style options that could go off or flame out. Getting players at low ownership is critical for success in GPP tournament-style events with many entries, so making yours stand out is critical. Be sure to check out my companion post to this one that highlights my picks for cash lineups if you\u2019re looking for safer options that raise the floor.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break down why I like each of my top three pivot plays this week!<\/p>\n

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA $750K Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]<\/a><\/p>\n

Top Pivot Picks for the 2026 Rocket Classic<\/p>\n

Sam Burns ($9,500)<\/p>\n

The top of the field is stacked with many top options that deserve consideration and many that seem overdue for a win. While Scottie Scheffler ($13,500), Ludvig Aberg ($9,100) and Xander Schauffele ($10,000) are getting most of the attention as pay-up plays to build around, Sam Burns brings great upside as a pivot play for this week.<\/p>\n

Burns hasn\u2019t played since The Open Championship, but he ranks in the top 10 in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained: Putting, Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, and Total Strokes Gained. He has run off five straight top-20 finishes and also finished in the top 25 in nine of his last 12.<\/p>\n

He finished runner-up at the U.S. Open and third at The Open Championship in the last two major championships, and he has been another top player who has been searching for a victory.<\/p>\n

Burns finished runner-up at TPC Southwind in 2021 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational at this week\u2019s venue, and he finished T5 two years ago in 2024. Last year, he finished in the middle of the pack at T28, but with better recent form he has the potential to be a great leverage with a high finish this year.<\/p>\n

Justin Rose ($8,000)<\/p>\n

Last year, Rose defeated J.J. Spaun ($7,800) in a playoff to win the St. Jude, and he\u2019ll defend his title this year without a lot of hype coming his way at his salary of $8,000. Rose missed the cut at The Open Championship, which may be why managers aren\u2019t backing him as much this week, but he still has the kind of high ceiling that makes sense for tournament lineups.<\/p>\n

Rose\u2019s win last year was his third straight top-25 finish at TPC Southwind, and he picked up another victory this past February at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. The veteran has six top-25 finishes in his last 10 PGA Tour events, including a top-10 at the PGA Championship, a T11 at the U.S. Open, and a T25 at the Travelers.<\/p>\n

He ranks 14th in this strong field in Strokes Gained: Approach over the last six months, and his course fit makes him a great way to get some leverage in the mid-range while still getting a player who has the potential to end up high on the leaderboard, or even holding the trophy.<\/p>\n

Sungjae Im ($6,700)<\/p>\n

With a limited field, 30 of the 69 players on the board have salaries under $7,000. Each of them will play all four rounds barring withdrawal or disqualification since the event does not have a cut. Some of these bargains will have a big week and be the key contributors to posting a high tournament finish. However, finding the right value play can sometimes be tricky.<\/p>\n

Sungjae Im is a fascinating pivot play as a bargain option since he does have a great history at this week\u2019s venue and has flashed signs of returning to top form. He has had a quiet season and comes in at No. 53 in the FedExCup Standings. He has made the TOUR Championship in seven consecutive seasons, but he\u2019ll need to have a big two weeks to keep that run alive.<\/p>\n

Im got a late start to the season due to injury, but he has piled up six top-25 finishes, including three top-10 finishes in his 20 events this year.<\/p>\n

He finished T5 at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow earlier this year and brings good form after running off three straight top-15 finishes in his last three tournaments. Im also posted a T14 at The Open Championship, a T15 at the Rocket Classic, and a T14 at the Wyndham Championship in his last four events, while also missing the cut at the 3M Open.<\/p>\n

His short game and putting have been strong lately, with his iron play a little inconsistent. If he can get his approach game in gear, he could be back in the mix this week for a win, and be ready for another deep playoff run.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s had success at TPC Southwind in the past, with three top-20 finishes in the last four years, including a career-best T6 in 2023. If he can put together another top-20 this week, he will be a top value play and a great option in this week\u2019s fantasy golf picks to build around.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The PGA TOUR has reached the FedExCup Playoffs, as the top 70 golfers on the FedExCup Standings qualified…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49416,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[18109,18108,1438,44,144],"class_list":["post-49415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fedex-st-jude-championship","tag-dfs","tag-draftkings-fantasy-advice","tag-fedex-st-jude-championship","tag-golf","tag-pga-tour"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}