PGA DFS Picks for the U.S. Open: Top Studs and Value Plays on FanDuel

Building a PGA DFS lineup requires plentiful considerations: course fit, cut rules, current form, and much more.

After weighing all those factors, which golfers stand out on FanDuel this week for the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club?

Let's dig into the field, using FanDuel Sportsbook's golf betting odds as a guide for our lineups.

Top Golfers for PGA DFS at the U.S. Open

PGA DFS Studs

Scottie Scheffler ($13,800)

This weekend's U.S. Open figures to be one of the most challenging in recent memory. Groundskeepers have upped the difficulty of the rough and greens from even the 2016 edition at Oakmont that saw just four players break par.

With that, variance in lies out of the rough could swing results wildly. How about a golf robot that doesn't make mistakes as a DFS pick? Yeah, Scottie Scheffler can certainly work.

Scheffler isn't super long with his driver (72nd in PGA driving distance) but still leads the tour in strokes gained: off-the-tee (SG: OTT) because of his accuracy. That was no issue at a long Quail Hollow course, where his long irons shined to win the PGA.

The world's best player also has an elite short game, and he's gained strokes putting in five of his last six starts. FanDuel's U.S. Open odds show him -200 to finish in the top five because his mistake-free tendencies are ideal for a course that'll play as hard as this one.

Bryson DeChambeau ($12,500)

Most are pointing to Bryson DeChambeau as someone with the upside to dethrone Scheffler.

It makes sense in theory. Bryson's elite driver, leading LIV in driving distance and accuracy, has won a pair of U.S. Opens already, including last year's at Pinehurst. He's finished top five in both majors this year and seems to put the utmost focus into these weeks specifically.

However, I'm probably going to end up with significantly more of Scheffler. DeChambeau's irons are a bit of a concern when even he can't overpower this 7,372-yard behemoth. He's lost strokes gained: approach (SG: APP) per round in 4 of his last 10 starts, including at Augusta (-0.70). They were pretty mid at Quail Hollow (+0.13).

DeChambeau was also actually in contention to win the 2016 U.S. Open here, sitting at +1 entering the final round before melting down on Sunday. He's still the obvious second choice to win outright behind Scottie, but his $12,500 salary requires decisions to be made.

Tommy Fleetwood ($11,200)

Wouldn't it be fitting if "Floorwood" ended up getting his first PGA win at a major as others crash and careen behind him?

Tommy Fleetwood has been a decent U.S. Open performer with three top fives in nine starts. The only start he missed in the last 10 Opens, of course, was 2016 at Oakmont, so he's blank on course history. I just love his profile at a hard track this weekend.

The Englishman is 34th in driving accuracy but lacks distance (296.8 average yards off the tee), and he's 26th in strokes gained: around-the-green per round (SG: ARG). However, I think he can make up for his length with long irons. He's got extremely positive per-shot worldwide rankings in SG: APP from 150-200 yards (13th) and over 200 yards (65th) since January 1st.

I think some bettors and DFS players will chase length, but the rough is so punitive that I prefer those who are great ballstrikers, avoid critical mistakes, and can scramble. Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa ($11,600) are both contrarian studs in that mold.

PGA DFS Mid-Range Picks

Joaquin Niemann ($10,900)

I'll be honest. I don't know enough about LIV to know if they have a "Player of the Year" award. If they do, Joaquin Niemann is a shoe-in.

Niemann won his fourth event in Virginia this past weekend, and it's possible he'll finally pop into contention at a major for the first time this year. The Chilean was T29 at Augusta and T8 at the PGA Championship, but he didn't truly contend in either event.

He's one of the best iron players in the world, ranking 25th in the world on a per-shot basis in SG: APP since the calendar turned to 2025. From over 200 yards, he ranks second. It's just not super common we see him that far away on Par 4s, per a 327.3-yard driving distance with LIV.

If there's an emphasis or concern for Niemann this weekend, he's hit just 59.5% of fairways on easier LIV courses. A positive performance at Quail Hollow helps calm those concerns, though.

Viktor Hovland ($10,600)

Is Viktor Hovland back?

Since Hovland's win at the Valspar, he's made six straight cuts and finished in the top 25 in four of those events. He's gained on approach in 10 straight starts, too.

If you haven't noticed, long-iron approach is my primary concern this week given the lengthy Par 3s and trenches on several Par 4s that force less than driver. Hovland is one of the best in the world on a per-shot basis between 150 and 200 yards (+0.073 SG: APP) since January 1st, which erases a lot of others errors in his profile. He's also 42nd in driving accuracy to stay within the lines.

In addition to Niemann and Hovland, I like this tier quite a bit with Patrick Cantlay ($10,800) and Sepp Straka ($10,700) also fit our "keep it in play" mold with excellent long irons. The problem? Those two have combined for one made cut at majors this year, and it was Cantlay's water-laden run at The Masters.

Hovland's top-30 finishes at both majors this year also include the previous upside of winning the FedEx Cup. I trust him most of these four in big spots.

Russell Henley ($9,800)

Though not a perfect fit for Oakmont, Russell Henley is probably too solid of a golfer for his salary.

Henley's torrid start through Bay Hill cooled off between the season's first two majors. He missed both of those cuts, but I'm not worried about him "shrinking" considering three top-eight finishes in majors since the start of 2023.

Overall, Henley has gained on approach in 10 of his last 11. A frigid putter failed him at Augusta, and the one blip in the sample came at Quail Hollow. He finished T5 at The Memorial despite losing strokes on the green, which was an awesome sign the tee-to-green game might be back.

Of course, Henley's driving distance (284.2) is a huge issue for some at a course like Oakmont. Optimistically, I see Henley's 67.8% fairway rate as the more important criteria, and he's got an excellent short game (11th in SG: ARG per round), as well. There are too many positives to hyper-fixate on length.

PGA DFS Value Plays

Taylor Pendrith ($8,800)

While things didn't go as planned in his home country last week, Taylor Pendrith could contend for a great finish in America's national tournament.

Pendrith lost SG: APP per round (-0.33) for just the third time in his last 13 starts, but he still managed a T27 finish at a TPC Toronto layout with modest rough itself. Ranking 10th in 150-to-200-yard approach since January 1st (+0.063 SG:APP per shot), he's got the right game to find greens at Oakmont.

The Canadian also has a rare combination of distance (308.9) and accuracy (60.97% fairways) off the tee for someone in this salary tier.

If things go awry for Pendrith at Oakmont, it's probably the short game that spoils him. He's just 134th in SG: ARG per round (-0.147) and has lost strokes putting in 7 of his last 13 tournaments. I can't trust Daniel Berger ($9,000) off frighteningly poor form in his last two events, so Pendrith gets the nod around the $9,000 mark.

J.J. Spaun ($8,600)

We got a whiff of J.J. Spaun at the PGA Championship. He profiles to be a well-rounded dark horse again.

Spaun's got every box checked from tee to green. He's plenty long (305.0) while hitting 61.43% of his fairways (61st on PGA Tour). He's a huge positive on approach from any distance or lie. In total, he's made 13 of 15 cuts since the calendar turned to 2025.

From 2018 to 2024, he made three total cuts at majors. He's already made a pair this year, underselling his efforts at Quail Hollow with a final round 74 to slide out of the top 10. In terms of high-level experience, a Monday playoff at golf's fifth major against Rory McIlroy -- even coming up short -- provided some.

I don't expect J.J. to contend for the dub, but datagolf's 25th-ranked golfer in the world is a tremendous value play in DFS.

Andrew Novak ($7,000)

Someone at FanDuel dropped the ball here. This isn't a positive layout for Andrew Novak, but it's insane he's minimum salary.

Novak's breakout 2025 hasn't translated to the big tournaments yet, missing the cut at THE PLAYERS and PGA Championship. Those are longer, more difficult courses, but he's scored four top-12 finishes since the start of April to slot in as datagolf's 45th-ranked overall golfer. The next-lowest salary on a top-45 player is $7,900 (Max Greyserman).

The South Carolina native has gained on approach in seven of his last nine events, yet one of the exceptions was a poor week at Quail Hollow. He's also 29th in SG: ARG per round in case he's got to scramble around Oakmont's slopes.

It's plausible he's dead on arrival off the tee. He's not accurate off the tee (57.72%) with poor distance (299.4), and that's a problem. Yet, he's still managed to post positive strokes gained: off the tee (SG: OTT) per round in 11 of his last 13 starts. Even a neutral week with the driver could make this salary look silly.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.