DFS Dish: Look to Corey Conners as popular roster option at TPC San Antonio

DFS investors will have plenty of options this week at the Valero Texas Open, as they look to sort through recently trending players and historical course horses to assemble rosters for DraftKings contests.

The Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio requires big-time ball-striking over and through the 7,438 yards (par 72) of Texas Hill Country. Ludvig Åberg ($10,800) sets the pace at the top of the board. The winner of The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines (and a Texas Tech alum) commands interest because of his ability to produce on big tracks and navigate breezy conditions. Tommy Fleetwood ($10,700), yet to win on TOUR, sits just off the pace after debuting T7 in 2024. The Englishman ranks in the top 10 in 2025 in Strokes Gained: Total (fourth) and SG: Tee to Green (eighth) while sitting 39th in SG: Putting. This balance throughout his bag, combined with his steely nature in windy conditions, has produced five results of T22 or better in 2025.

Patrick Cantlay ($10,200) and two-time Valero winner Corey Conners ($10,100) are the other two players commanding $10,000 or more. Building my lineup this week without Conners would require convincing. Not only has the Canadian won this event twice since 2019, but also he enters the week on three consecutive paydays of T8 or better over his last three starts on TOUR. Never missing the cut in San Antonio, he should be a very popular roster selection and one I would not be afraid to take.

Cantlay, making his event debut, has collected T33 or better in all six events this season with a pair of T5 paydays and can be an excellent counterpoint. He is the highest scorer of fantasy points, on average, in the field. Four of the six previous champions won on the second or third attempt, so it is not a course that requires multiple years of study.

Jordan Spieth ($9,700) is one of two native Texans to win the event since moving to TPC San Antonio in 2010. The 13-time winner flashed signs of life with T4 at Pebble Beach and T9 at Palm Beach Gardens, but investors are paying for his four top-10 results in eight starts.

Defending champion Akshay Bhatia ($9,300) skipped his last start at the Valspar Championship after racking up a personal best T3 at THE PLAYERS Championship. Picking up his third top-10 paycheck in four starts, the left-hander arrives well-rested and ready to defend for the second time on TOUR. The 23-year-old opened with 63 in 2024 and never trailed at the end of four rounds, picking up his first top-10 result with his playoff victory. Solid tee to green, his broomstick putter is the star of the show.

Hunting for value off the top lines, Bud Cauley ($8,300) fulfilled the terms of his major medical extension, and another top-10 result this week will extend his streak to three. I hope Jacob Bridgeman ($8,200) missing the cut last week in Houston throws the hounds off the scent. The 25-year-old opened with 72 but closed with 66 to miss the weekend by one shot. The 66 was more important to me than the 72.

Sam Stevens ($8,000) grew up in Oklahoma and can handle himself from tee to green, but Gary Woodland ($7,900) sticks out in this range. Picking up his best finish on TOUR since winning the U.S. Open, his confidence after recent brain surgery should be through the roof. Posting 62 and tying the course record, he shared second with Scottie Scheffler last week, one shot behind Min Woo Lee. He’s easy to root for and has the ball-striking chops to get it around San Antonio.

Charley Hoffman ($7,400) makes his 15th start in the 15th event hosted at TPC San Antonio. The only time he missed playing the weekend was in 2022 after he cashed T2 in the previous two tournaments. The 2016 winner knows this place better than most. Lee Hodges ($7,500) began 2025 with a pair of top-10 paydays and did not miss the cut in his first five events. A rib injury after the WM Phoenix Open sidelined him until last week, when he closed 66-65 for a T11 in Houston. Isaiah Salinda ($7,300) is proving he is ready for rosters. The former Stanford man is on a run of six straight made cuts, which includes a T3 at VidantaWorld and a T11 last week in Houston.

For those digging deeper to find points of differentiation, I would look at Trey Mullinax ($6,900). He popped up on the leaderboard in Houston for a minute on Saturday and owns the course record, 62, at TPC San Antonio. Sam Ryder ($7,200) has made nine cuts in a row, while Jesper Svensson ($7,200) owns a streak of seven straight. Zach Johnson ($6,500) won this event twice, although when it was held across town at La Cantera, not TPC San Antonio. Texas A&M grad and Huntsville native Chandler Phillips ($6,600) cashed in six of his last seven on TOUR.

Here's how I would devise a six-man lineup this week at the Valero Texas Open, staying within the $50,000 salary cap for DraftKings contests:

• Corey Conners ($10,100)
• Jordan Spieth ($9,700)
• Bud Cauley ($8,300)
• Gary Woodland ($7,800)
• Lee Hodges ($7,500)
• Chandler Phillips ($6,600)