Fantasy Insider: Wyndham Championship

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For those of you that pour over course history, ignore everything pre-2008 at the Wyndham Championship. Forest Oaks Country Club hosted through 2007 before Sedgefield took over. Success at both is coincidental.

Now, as we enter the eve of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, as a treat to fantasy gamers, I'll have a special feature coming on Monday that breaks down the dynamics of the four tournaments and courses that make up the postseason. It will include critical information for Yahoo! gamers that look at the Playoffs as a set of four starts rather than the traditional week-to-week angle.

Also, in addition to my usual Power Rankings for next week's Barclays, I'll also have a special Power Rankings for the Playoffs as a whole.

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FEDEXCUP: Playoffs update | Latest standings | More coverage

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Jonathan Byrd and Ryan Moore.

Anthony Kim -- Since returning from surgery on his left thumb, he finished T76 at Firestone and missed the cut at Whistling Straits. More importantly, he fell to ninth in the final Ryder Cup standings and will need a wildcard pick to make the team. A solid week in Greensboro would obviously help. This is his first start in the Wyndham. Although Yahoo! gamers are likely jumping at the chance to burn him in this field, sit on your hands at least one more week.

Jason Dufner -- Nothing foretold his sparkling T5 at the PGA Championship, but given that he's 25th in fairways hit, he's a smart parlay off last week's performance.

Justin Leonard -- I tried everything to squeeze him into the Power Rankings, but here he is instead. Yes, he's 13th in fairways hit, but he hasn't had a top 10 all year and this is his first look at Sedgefield. It's hard to believe but, at 122nd in earnings, the 38-year-old is barely inside the bubble to retain his TOUR card. Ryuji Imada finished inside the top 125 in 2009 sans a top 10, but that's not a club Leonard wants to join.

Steve Marino -- If his back, which forced him out at The Greenbrier, is feeling better, it didn't show on his scorecard at Whistling Straits (74-82=MC). Continue to abstain despite his T10 at last year's Wyndham.

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Alex Cejka, Brian Gay and Michael Sim.

Fred Couples -- This is quite a bonus for long-term fantasy formats. He had originally committed to this week's JELD-WEN Tradition on the Champions Tour, a major no less, before changing his mind last week for a return to Sedgefield, where he finished T5 last year.

Lucas Glover -- With a pair of top 25s at Sedgefield, he would seem to be a safe pick, wouldn't he? Given that he's ranked T2 and T8 in greens hit in 2008 and 2009, respectively, at the Wyndham, birdie looks could be plentiful again, but he's hitting fewer fairways and taking more putts than a year ago. If you're still on the fence, remove his cachet as a U.S. Open champion from the beneficial draw of a weather-plagued event from your equation, then reassess.

Scott McCarron -- There are converging trends this week. First, he was the runner-up here in 2008, and placed T17 last year. Over those 144 holes at Sedgefield, he made just seven bogeys (and nothing worse). Also, he leads the TOUR with 12 consecutive rounds of par or better entering the Wyndham. That includes a T16 at Turning Stone. Get him into your Yahoo! lineup.

Henrik Stenson -- Mildly intriguing commitment. This will be his 12th start of the year on the PGA TOUR. He's 133rd in FedExCup Points, so he needs a good week to make the Playoffs, which likely explains his entry. However, if he doesn't qualify for the postseason and doesn't make the European Ryder Cup team (which can count as an official start if necessary), he would need three starts in the Fall Series to meet the minimum for membership. If that's not a goal, then his number of starts in 2011 is likely to drop from a projected 15 as a full-time member. This is relevant for keeper leagues that want to know what kind of status the Swede will have next year. Stay tuned.

Josh Teater -- Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Alex Prugh are the only rookies that have posted consecutive top 10s. Teater is coming off a T3 at Turning Stone, where he led the field in greens in regulation. He's outside the top 110 on the PGA TOUR in fairways hit and putting. Do not invest, but congrats if you had him two weeks ago.

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Woody Austin, J.J. Henry, Richard S. Johnson, Jerry Kelly and Carl Pettersson.

Brandt Snedeker -- Won the last Wyndham at Forest Oaks CC in 2007, but also finished T5 at Sedgefield last year for what was his fourth top five in seven starts at the time. He leads the PGA TOUR in putting, a position aided by the fact that he's 182nd in greens hit. (Again, that's the direction you want to see that ratio.) He ranked fifth in putting in last year's Wyndham and appears to be quite comfy just a few hours away down Interstate 40 from his native Nashville.

D.J. Trahan -- Possesses the opposite profile of what it takes to contend this week. He's 12th in distance off the tee and 11th in greens, but 122nd in accuracy and 103rd in putting. Placed T54 here last year in only start at Sedgefield.

Matt Bettencourt -- Like the end of a comet's stay in the sky, the glow of the super-streaky, second-year TOUR member is fading. After winning in Reno, he posted three consecutive top 25s. He then missed the cut at the PGA Championship, which is no biggie, but this is his 11th consecutive start going back to the St. Jude Classic in mid-June. Hope you enjoyed the show.

Rob Bolton is PGATOUR.COM's fantasy columnist. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the PGA TOUR. To contact Rob, please e-mail him at FantasyInsider@charter.net.