The Fantasy Insider: Travelers Championship

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Cue up a little "Brass Bonanza," and let's head to the Greater Hartford area for the Travelers Championship, a tournament dear to my heart as a native New Englander. Birdies should be in the air from the opening strike at TPC River Highlands, and a solid post-major field is ready to go at it in the Nutmeg State. The antiques can wait; let's head to the course and get those red numbers in play.

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Last week: All eight of our selections made the cut, and six of them landed in the top 25, paced by Tiger Woods (sixth), Henrik Stenson (ninth) and Retief Goosen (16th). The 148-point haul might not sound like much, but our score pushed us into the 95th percentile for the year. Let's keep the momentum rolling this week as we start the summer third of the fantasy schedule.

Fantasy game basics: We're picking eight players every week from three separate pools: two players from the A-List, four players from the B-List, and two players from the C-List.

From round to round, you'll "start" four of those players (one of your A players, two from B, one from C), making daily changes as you see fit. If your guys play well that day or for the week, you score well.

The eight players you pick at the beginning of the week are the only ones you can use and switch up during a particular tournament; the next week, you'll re-evaluate and refresh your group of eight.

You're allowed to use any player up to 10 starts for the year, and anything from 1-4 rounds in a given event counts as a single "start." As always, choose carefully, and have a long-term plan in addition to your short-term goals.

A-List Selections

KENNY PERRY (Round 1 starter): He's collected 12 top-20 checks over the years at this event, including a tie for sixth last season and a tie for 15th two years ago. Perry knows how to work the ball around this track, and you're always going to get plenty of backup from his stat sheet (ninth in greens in regulation eighth in scoring average, eighth in total driving, 21st in par breakers). STEWART CINK: He's the defending champ at the Travelers Championship, and he's got plenty of success to draw on over this track (a win in 1997, second in 1998, fifth in 2006). Cink isn't in the middle of his most dynamic year on TOUR, but he has made four cuts in a row, including a tie for eighth at the Memorial Tournament and a respectable tie for 27th at the U.S. Open last week. His best game isn't far away. OTHER A-LIST OPTIONS: • Anthony Kim is making his debut at the Travelers Championship, but the play of the course should suit him just fine -- he's capable of going on a birdie run at any time. Kim stands sixth in par breakers and third in birdie average, and he enters Connecticut with some confidence after a steady week at Bethpage Black (71-71-71-70, en route to a tie for 16th). • Vijay Singh has an outstanding track record at the Travelers Championship (he ran fifth and fourth the last two years), and he closed with a 69 at the U.S. Open on Monday, so maybe it's time to dial up the Big Fijian again. As always, the key is going to come with the flat stick -- Singh ranks just 163rd in putting. • It's Sergio Garcia's first stop in the Greater Hartford area since 2002, so he'll be spotting some course knowledge to the regulars here. Putting has been a problem for Garcia most of the year, and it's keeping the circles off his card, even with his sublime iron play. It's surprising to see him just 136th in birdie average and 131st in par breakers. • Justin Leonard has only made this stop once in the last eight years, but he's got a portable game that can work for any challenge (18th in driving accuracy, 57th in greens in regulation, fifth in putting). Leonard also stands 14th in birdie average -- one of the key stats you consider with TPC River Highlands in front of us. • Kevin Na has four consecutive cashes at the Travelers Championship including a tie for ninth two years back, so he's someone to consider. There's an emotional element to Na's game, but watch out if he gets some early confidence rolling. His play around the green has been outstanding all season (fourth in putting, third in sand save percentage, 12th in scrambling).

B-List Selections

HUNTER MAHAN (Round 1 starter): He won this event two years ago and was second in 2008 and 2006, so don't be surprised when everyone in your pool looks to Mahan this week. You can't ignore that kind of history. You need to put up plenty of birdies to win the Travelers Championship, and that's not an issue here; Mahan has the game to go low at any time. And his play at Bethpage Black was inspired most of the way, too; albeit he had some terrible luck during the final round. Keep the confidence, Hunter, and forget the bad breaks -- you're the favorite this week. DUSTIN JOHNSON (Round 1 starter): His driving accuracy is an issue now and then, but he's sitting first in both par breakers and birdie average, and I'm not going to let that pass me by on this track. DJ had a respectable tie for 34th in his Travelers Championship debut last year; look for him in the top 20, at minimum, this weekend. STEVE MARINO: He's one of the best players on TOUR without a victory, but that's going to end soon; it's just a matter of time. Can Marino break through in Connecticut? He tied for 13th in his Travelers Championship debut two years ago, and he's got that consistent stat profile to die for -- no glaring weaknesses. Sitting 29th in driving distance, sixth in greens in regulation, 13th in scoring average, 34th in par breakers, Ill roll with that anytime. BUBBA WATSON: We all know he can hit the ball out of sight, and with that comes a lot of red figures. He tied for sixth at the Travelers Championship last year, and he finished strongly at the U.S. Open, and that's enough for me -- get him in there. OTHER B-LIST OPTIONS: • Woody Austin is very comfortable at TPC River Highlands, collecting three consecutive top-10 checks here in the middle of the decade, including a win in 2004. Posting red numbers is generally not a problem for him; he's sitting 32nd in birdie average and 31st in par breakers. The New England crowd will get behind Austin from the opening shot. • J.J. Henry didnt have his best game at the Open last week (missed cut), but he cashed four checks prior to that misstep, and he's always liked playing in his native Connecticut (he won this event in 2005). If the B-pool weren't so deep this week, I'd be dialing up Henry as a hometown play. • Zach Johnson grabbed a third-place check in his Greater Hartford debut back in 2004, but recent stops haven't been as fruitful (42, 21, cut). Nonetheless, he's one of the biggest names in the field, and he's in the middle of an outstanding year (the U.S. Open cut to the side), so I don't blame you if you play Johnson on the buzz factor alone. I'm putting him on the bench because I've already burned through a lot of Johnson plays this season, and I want to save some for the stretch drive. • Kudos to Lucas Glover for his sterling win at the U.S. Open, but that doesn't mean we automatically stamp his name into play here. Glover has missed the cut three times in four starts in Connecticut -- maybe his beloved Yankees are distracting him -- and you can't blame the guy if he's a little off his game this week after the emotional rush of Monday's win at Bethpage Black. Let's wait for Glovers feet to come back to the ground first. • I haven't used Brian Gay a lot this season, and he's laughed at that all the while, winning twice in a breakthrough year. But his track record at this event is spotty to say the least (including three missed cuts in his last four stops), and he's situated in the deepest pool of our game, so that means, once again, I'll wait for a better spot • David Toms always looks like a great pick when you examine his stat profile, and he's comfortable at the Travelers Championship, running sixth here in 2007. But I have to pass because of the rules of the game -- I'm running through DT starts rather quickly -- and I'm going to give him a week off to think about how things slipped away from him at the U.S. Open after a strong start • Jerry Kelly hit a rough patch in May, but it looks like his game is back; he tied for 14th at the Memorial Tournament, and he made the cut the following week as well. The University of Hartford Hall of Famer has a hit-and-miss record back in his old stomping grounds (a handful of missed cuts), but the checks have been lucrative ones (15th, fourth, 13th, seventh). Sometimes you can't help but want to play the Homeboy card, and I had Kelly in my starting lineup until the final draft of this column • Ricky Barnes is one of the wild cards of this week; he's never been to this event, and who's to say how he'll react to his brilliant run and disappointing finish at the U.S. Open? Talent has never been the problem with Barnes, and he does have a modest three-check streak going; with that, I'm expecting another four-round hitch from the University of Arizona product. But a second consecutive rush into contention seems like a stretch, especially with just two days to rest and reflect. I'll root for the story, sure, just not with my roster.

C-List Selections

HEATH SLOCUM (Round 1 starter): He's cashed five consecutive times at the Travelers Championship, with his best run yet coming last season (fourth). The only problem with Slocum this year has been the closing kick -- he's 164th in final-round scoring average -- but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. He's well-spotted for a strong week. SCOTT VERPLANK: This hasnt been a yearly stop for the estimable veteran, but maybe it should be; Verplank's last three starts at this event went swimmingly (21st, fourth, 17th). He got off to a slow start at the beginning of 2009, but he's quietly cashed 11 times in 12 starts since then. He's back in form, and he's a safe play here. OTHER C-LIST OPTIONS: • Ben Crane has been a solid play for us most of the year, but it's his first trip to this event, and he's just so-so in the red-number stats (93rd in birdie average, 80th in par breakers), so let's wait for a better spot to dial him up.• Ted Purdy's birdie numbers are in line for the task at hand, but he's missed two of three cuts in Connecticut, and his last start was a missed cut in Memphis. Purdy's putting will come back to him soon enough, and I'll be happy to jump back on the bandwagon then.• Charlie Wi is another player who gets regular recommendations in this spot, but it's pretty easy to look past him at the Travelers Championship. He tied for 66th here last season, on the heels of two missed cuts in the Nutmeg State.• Nick O'Hern feels comfortable over the TPC River Highlands track, grabbing three strong checks since he debuted at the event in 2006 (31st, third, 19th). O'Hern got off to a slow start in 2009 after having thumb surgery, but his game doesn't look too far away right now; he's cashed in four of his last five starts, including a tie for 22nd at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. I'll buy some stock here while the price is still low.