PGA Tour experts reveal FedEx St. Jude Championship fantasy and betting picks, with Scheffler, McIlroy, Matsuyama and Burns leading the charge.
The 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship is here, and the PGA Tour’s fantasy and betting experts are leaning hard into some of the biggest names in golf as the FedEx Cup Playoffs begin at TPC Southwind.
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama and Sam Burns dominate the conversation, but there are a few riskier plays worth watching too.
This year’s PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf format puts even more pressure on roster construction.
Players can be used only three times in each segment, and with no cuts during the playoffs, every round matters.
Captains earn bonus points, while two bench players can be swapped in after each round. In other words, burning your best golfers too early can wreck your postseason strategy.
Rob Bolton is putting his captain tag on Matsuyama while surrounding him with Burns, Patrick Cantlay and McIlroy.
That’s a pretty serious collection of firepower, especially considering Matsuyama’s history in Memphis.
Will Gray is taking a different swing by captaining Rickie Fowler. Fowler has quietly played steady golf lately and has finished inside the top 10 four times at TPC Southwind during his career.
Mike Glasscott is going big with McIlroy. A victory in Memphis would give McIlroy seven career FedEx Cup Playoffs wins, which would stand alone as the most in history.
Scheffler is the obvious hammer for Chris Breece, who essentially says there’s no reason to get cute if fantasy players still have multiple Scheffler starts available.
Breece’s lineup also includes Matsuyama, Burns and Cantlay, with Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa waiting on the bench.
Paul Hodowanic is rolling with Burns as captain despite the former LSU star coming off nearly a month away from competition.
Burns has been one of the most popular plays across the expert lineups, showing up on all five featured rosters.
The betting side is just as aggressive.
Matsuyama is drawing serious action, including a Top 20 after Round 1 at +120 and a Top 10 including ties at +205.
He ranks 12th on Tour in first-round scoring average this season, making that opening-round prop particularly interesting.
Michael Brennan is another intriguing long-shot play at +620 to reach the TOUR Championship, while Viktor Hovland is being backed at +295 as the top Continental European.
The playoffs have arrived, the margins are shrinking, and there’s no hiding now. Fantasy managers and bettors alike are about to find out just how much they trust the stars — and how brave they’re willing to get with everyone else.
