Sanderson Farms Championship: Top PGA DFS Picks, Values, and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings

The PGA TOUR returns to its regular stroke play tournament this week after last week’s Ryder Cup extravaganza. It’s a full-field event in Mississippi at the Sanderson Farms Championship. The FedExCup Fall continues with the second tournament in the series that will ultimately determine a player’s status for next season. This series of tournaments began at the Procore Championship a few weeks ago and will go through the end of November at the RSM Classic. The top 100 retain exempt status for 2025, with Nos. 100-125 retaining conditional status. There are also invites for THE PLAYERS and the early Signature Events on the line over the next few months

The field for this year’s event is slightly stronger than usual, but the focus remains on fringe players looking to improve their status. The event will be held once again at the Country Club of Jackson for the 12th straight year, which is known as a low-scoring, straightforward layout. It’s a great place for a breakthrough win, since seven of the last 11 winners at the Sanderson Farms Championship have been first-time winners on the PGA Tour. To find out more about the course and the field, as well as some top stats to target, check out this First Look from RotoGrinders.

Especially in large-field GPP tournaments, you’ll want to make sure to target players who 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 Strokes 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.

High-Priced PGA DFS Picks

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

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Akshay Bhatia $10,100

Bhatia is the highest-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings in this week’s field, but his ownership projection looks like it won’t be too high to keep him from being a solid GPP play. This week, he has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections, along with the highest Perfect% and one of the highest SimLeverage marks in the field.

Bhatia has the shortest odds in the field to finish in the top 10 and is tied for the shortest odds to win the tournament, according to Vegas.

The 23-year-old lefty has already won twice on the PGA TOUR and can definitely contend in low-scoring birdie-fest events like this one typically is. He made the cut here two years ago in his only previous career appearance, finishing T43.

In his second appearance at this venue, Bhatia comes in with solid form. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in seven of his last nine tournaments and ranks in the top six in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green over his last 20 rounds. He is also second in the field in Total Strokes Gained over that span.

The lefty was a little inconsistent this season but posted 10 top-25 finishes in 25 events and made it all the way to the TOUR Championship after his strong finish going into the playoffs.

Davis Thompson $9,700

Thompson is another young player who has shown that he can shine in very low-scoring tournaments. He has the fourth-highest Perfect% in the field and the second-highest SimLeverage.

Thompson has exceeded salary-based expectations in five of his last seven tournaments with three top-20 finishes in his last five events. He finished T11 at the Wyndham Championship but finished 71st in the FedExCup standings after a three-putt for bogey from 46 feet at No. 18. He missed the playoffs as a result, but he bounced back with a T19 at the Procore Championship to start the FedExCup Fall.

Over the last 20 rounds, Thompson ranks second in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and ninth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. His driver-forward approach should be a good fit for this course that demands length and offers plenty of birdie chances. Thompson didn’t play this event last year but finished T16 in 2023 in his last visit.

In 2025, Thompson only had one top-10 finish after getting his first PGA TOUR win at the John Deere Classic in 2024. He did have seven top-25 finishes, though, and will look to finish his season with a successful fall to secure his spot in next year’s first few Signature Events.

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

Mid-Priced PGA DFS Picks

All Strokes Gained metrics referenced are from the Rabbit Hole.

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.