GOLF

Valero Texas Open: Top PGA DFS Picks, Values, and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings

The PGA TOUR is in Texas for a second straight week for the final tournament before the first major championship of the season. Even with the Masters at Augusta National just a week away, the Valero Texas Open still draws a good field to The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. Of the full field of about 145 players, 27 have already secured their spot in the Masters next week, and the winner can claim the last ticket to Augusta if they’re not already eligible. This week’s event is also a prestigious one in its own right as the oldest professional golf tournament to be held in the same city its entire existence, dating back to 1922.

This week’s tournament is another full-field event featuring a typical cut, providing plenty of great fantasy golf options to choose from as you get your roster together. For more info on the field, the course, the weather, and some key stats, check out this First Look from RotoGrinders.

The focus of this post is strong GPP options that have lower ownership projections than their potential performance.  Finding high-leverage plays is critical for GPP success, so the picks here go against the grain, looking for under-owned options.

All Strokes Gained metrics referenced are from the Rabbit Hole.

Usually, I rely heavily on the Stroked Gained Model in FantasyLabs, which is very predictive of results. I also tend to lean toward players who excel in Strokes Gained: Approach, which is more sustainable week-to-week than a hot putter.

Since these are GPP picks, we can accept more risk in exchange for getting a higher ceiling. High-risk, high-reward options with low ownership create the “boom-or-bust” style lineups that often lead to large-field success. To find guidance for all contest types, check out our full Daily Fantasy Golf coverage each week.

No matter what type of format you prefer, be sure to use the FantasyLabs PGA Models to help you make the best choices. These models use stats and simulations to highlight different players’ strengths and weaknesses. A few critical new stats for GPP play are Perfect% and SimLeverage, which are further explained here.

As you dig into the numbers, you can enjoy the many tools FantasyLabs offers, including the Lineup Optimizer, which effortlessly creates up to 300 lineups. Alternatively, you can use the Lineup Builder if you prefer a more hands-on approach.

Check out my top picks in each price range listed below.

Editor’s note: SimLeverage and Perfect% numbers may change after this piece is published. Be sure to check the PGA Models for any updates to the sims.

Become an All-Access Member Today

Lineup builder and optimizer

Real-time DFS models & projections

Data-driven analysis & tutorials
Become a PRO Member

High-Priced PGA DFS Picks

Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link! 

Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.

Tool Highlights

  • Build unlimited custom stat models with official PGA TOUR data.
  • Hundreds of filters to find the exact data split you’re looking for.
  • Save custom reports and run them again with next week’s field.
  • Download anything right to your computer with the click of a button.
  • See expert models each week.

Ludvig Aberg $10,800

The most expensive golfer in the field is usually the betting favorite and the most skilled player in the field, but it can be tricky to figure out when it makes the most sense to pay up for the top option. Last week, Scottie Scheffler had the top salary but ended up a great play in tournament lineups because he delivered a high finish at reasonable ownership. This week, we appear to have a similar situation brewing with Aberg.

One key tool to help determine when it makes sense to pay up for a player is SimLeverage. That number is a comparison between the Perfect% and their ownership projection. Perfect% reflects the percentage chance that a player lands in the optimal lineup based on thousands of simulations driven by FantasyLabs’ projections. SimLeverage shows the difference between Perfect% and projected ownership and is best used to determine leverage in GPPs.

Aberg has the highest SimLeverage in the field since his Perfect% is the highest in the field, but his ownership projection isn’t extremely high. He also matches the most Pro Trends, has the best odds to win according to Vegas, and brings the highest median and ceiling projections.

Aberg has only played six PGA TOUR events this season, but he has posted top-25 finishes in three Signature Events, with a win at the Genesis Invitational, a T5 at The Sentry and a T22 at Bay Hill.

After missing the cut in his debut at TPC San Antonio back in 2022, Aberg finished T14 last year. If he’s in his top form, he has the game to win this week, and at his ownership projection, his ceiling makes sense to pay up for.

Jordan Spieth $9,700

Spieth has been even more volatile than normal this season, which is saying something for the roller-coaster golfer who always seems to mix together eagles and double-bogeys in rounds full of thrills and spills. This week, he has the fourth-highest SimLeverage in the field, with his ownership projection checking in under 10%.

Despite his high level of variance, he has been very consistent in San Antonio. He’s made the cut in each of his six appearances, with a win in 2021 and a solo second in 2015. He has a total of four top-10 finishes in six trips to this event, and he has also posted a pair of top-10 finishes in his six tournaments since returning from wrist surgery. Those two top-10 finishes came at the WM Phoenix Open (T4) and the Cognizant Classic (T9). He has made the cut in five of his six events in 2025 and finished T28 last week in Houston.

Since his return, he has shown good balance in his game overall, gaining strokes in all major categories over his last 12 rounds. He ranks in the top 20 in the field in Total Strokes Gained and Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee over his last 20 rounds.

Spieth can be an enigma at times, but his high ceiling makes him exactly the kind of golfer that makes sense for GPP lineups. The fact that he has so much history on this course and comes at such a low ownership projection makes him a great option for GPP lineups.

Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

Mid-Priced PGA DFS Picks

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Shriners Children’s Open Top PGA DFS Picks, Values and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba Top PGA DFS Picks, Values and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks and Conviction Plays for the American Express

The PGA TOUR is in Texas for a second straight week for the final tournament before the first major championship of the season. Even with the Masters at Augusta National just a week away, the Valero Texas Open still draws a good field to The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. Of the full field of about 145 players, 27 have already secured their spot in the Masters next week, and the winner can claim the last ticket to Augusta if they’re not already eligible. This week’s event is also a prestigious one in its own right as the oldest professional golf tournament to be held in the same city its entire existence, dating back to 1922.

This week’s tournament is another full-field event featuring a typical cut, providing plenty of great fantasy golf options to choose from as you get your roster together. For more info on the field, the course, the weather, and some key stats, check out this First Look from RotoGrinders.

The focus of this post is strong GPP options that have lower ownership projections than their potential performance.  Finding high-leverage plays is critical for GPP success, so the picks here go against the grain, looking for under-owned options.

All Strokes Gained metrics referenced are from the Rabbit Hole.

Usually, I rely heavily on the Stroked Gained Model in FantasyLabs, which is very predictive of results. I also tend to lean toward players who excel in Strokes Gained: Approach, which is more sustainable week-to-week than a hot putter.

Since these are GPP picks, we can accept more risk in exchange for getting a higher ceiling. High-risk, high-reward options with low ownership create the “boom-or-bust” style lineups that often lead to large-field success. To find guidance for all contest types, check out our full Daily Fantasy Golf coverage each week.

No matter what type of format you prefer, be sure to use the FantasyLabs PGA Models to help you make the best choices. These models use stats and simulations to highlight different players’ strengths and weaknesses. A few critical new stats for GPP play are Perfect% and SimLeverage, which are further explained here.

As you dig into the numbers, you can enjoy the many tools FantasyLabs offers, including the Lineup Optimizer, which effortlessly creates up to 300 lineups. Alternatively, you can use the Lineup Builder if you prefer a more hands-on approach.

Check out my top picks in each price range listed below.

Editor’s note: SimLeverage and Perfect% numbers may change after this piece is published. Be sure to check the PGA Models for any updates to the sims.

Become an All-Access Member Today

Lineup builder and optimizer

Real-time DFS models & projections

Data-driven analysis & tutorials
Become a PRO Member

High-Priced PGA DFS Picks

Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link! 

Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.

Tool Highlights

  • Build unlimited custom stat models with official PGA TOUR data.
  • Hundreds of filters to find the exact data split you’re looking for.
  • Save custom reports and run them again with next week’s field.
  • Download anything right to your computer with the click of a button.
  • See expert models each week.

Ludvig Aberg $10,800

The most expensive golfer in the field is usually the betting favorite and the most skilled player in the field, but it can be tricky to figure out when it makes the most sense to pay up for the top option. Last week, Scottie Scheffler had the top salary but ended up a great play in tournament lineups because he delivered a high finish at reasonable ownership. This week, we appear to have a similar situation brewing with Aberg.

One key tool to help determine when it makes sense to pay up for a player is SimLeverage. That number is a comparison between the Perfect% and their ownership projection. Perfect% reflects the percentage chance that a player lands in the optimal lineup based on thousands of simulations driven by FantasyLabs’ projections. SimLeverage shows the difference between Perfect% and projected ownership and is best used to determine leverage in GPPs.

Aberg has the highest SimLeverage in the field since his Perfect% is the highest in the field, but his ownership projection isn’t extremely high. He also matches the most Pro Trends, has the best odds to win according to Vegas, and brings the highest median and ceiling projections.

Aberg has only played six PGA TOUR events this season, but he has posted top-25 finishes in three Signature Events, with a win at the Genesis Invitational, a T5 at The Sentry and a T22 at Bay Hill.

After missing the cut in his debut at TPC San Antonio back in 2022, Aberg finished T14 last year. If he’s in his top form, he has the game to win this week, and at his ownership projection, his ceiling makes sense to pay up for.

Jordan Spieth $9,700

Spieth has been even more volatile than normal this season, which is saying something for the roller-coaster golfer who always seems to mix together eagles and double-bogeys in rounds full of thrills and spills. This week, he has the fourth-highest SimLeverage in the field, with his ownership projection checking in under 10%.

Despite his high level of variance, he has been very consistent in San Antonio. He’s made the cut in each of his six appearances, with a win in 2021 and a solo second in 2015. He has a total of four top-10 finishes in six trips to this event, and he has also posted a pair of top-10 finishes in his six tournaments since returning from wrist surgery. Those two top-10 finishes came at the WM Phoenix Open (T4) and the Cognizant Classic (T9). He has made the cut in five of his six events in 2025 and finished T28 last week in Houston.

Since his return, he has shown good balance in his game overall, gaining strokes in all major categories over his last 12 rounds. He ranks in the top 20 in the field in Total Strokes Gained and Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee over his last 20 rounds.

Spieth can be an enigma at times, but his high ceiling makes him exactly the kind of golfer that makes sense for GPP lineups. The fact that he has so much history on this course and comes at such a low ownership projection makes him a great option for GPP lineups.

Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

Mid-Priced PGA DFS Picks

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Shriners Children’s Open Top PGA DFS Picks, Values and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba Top PGA DFS Picks, Values and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks and Conviction Plays for the American Express

About the Author

Zach Thompson writes NBA, MLB, NFL, golf and soccer content for Fantasy Labs. Zach's fantasy experience dates all the way back to high school when he would manually tabulate fantasy football scores using Tuesday morning's newspaper. Even though he was raised on the island of Guam on the opposite side of the world, Zach is a hardcore Boston sports fan who loves playing fantasy sports in almost any format. He's always in search of a great bargain play and keeps a close eye out for rising talent that can provide leverage. Zach joined the FantasyLabs team in 2022 and is also a contributor for DraftKings Network.