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It will be a mix of veterans and young guns vying for the title and critical FedEx Cup points when the 2021 Houston Open tees off Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course. There are 13 major champions in the field, including four-time winner Brooks Koepka and 2018 Masters champ Patrick Reed. FedEx Cup leader Sam Burns leads a youthful contingent that also includes rising stars Sungjae Im and Matthew Wolff. Carlos Ortiz will try to defend his first and only PGA Tour title, and he comes off a runner-up finish in Mexico last week. 

Burns is the 16-1 favorite in Caesars Sportsbook's latest 2021 Houston Open odds. Scottie Scheffler (20-1), Im (25-1) and Cameron Smith (25-1) also are among the favorites, while Wolff is at 30-1 and Ortiz is 33-1. Can Koepka (30-1) rebound from a missed cut last week and put you in position to win with your 2021 Houston Open Fantasy golf picks? Or could an overlooked player like Tyrrell Hatton (28-1) be the key to your team? Before locking in any 2021 Houston Open Fantasy golf lineups, be sure to see the projections and analysis from proven Fantasy expert Riley Gates.

Gates is a writer for 247Sports and has covered a range of sports for nearly five years. He has followed golf closely for much longer and has a profound knowledge of the sport. He also knows what it takes to win, on the course and in fantasy sports.

At last week's World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico, five of Gates' top six golfers finished in the top 15, including winner Viktor Hovland.

"The defending champion not only has to be on the list," Gates said before the event, "but he has to be considered to be one of the favorites in the field."The result? The 24-year-old Norwegian went out and set the 72-hole scoring record at El Camaleon, going 23 under to win by four strokes.

Gates has been on a roll. At the Bermuda Championship, six of his golfers finished in the top 20 as the unknown players took center stage. At the previous week's Zozo Championship, five of his top 13 finished in the top 10.

Now, Gates has locked in his top 20 golfers for the Houston Open 2021. You can only see his Fantasy golf picks and rankings at SportsLine. 

2021 Houston Open Fantasy golf picks

This week, Gates is fully behind Wolff to keep up his momentum. The 22-year-old has one tour victory, and that was at the 2019 3M Open, but he has been on fire to open the new season. He finished T-17 in his first event, then was the runner-up at the Shriners. He followed that by posting a 61 in the first round in Mexico last week. He lost the lead after a 74 on Saturday but closed with 65 to finish T-14. He is second in scoring average (69.079) and 11th in greens in regulation (76.39 percent). Wolff appears to be putting it together, and Gates is all-in this week. 

On the other hand, Gates is steering clear of Smith, who could need to shake off some rust. The Australian had a strong showing in his only event of the new season, going 20-under par to tie for ninth. He hit 80 percent of his greens at the CJ Cup, but that was more than a month ago, and he was 103rd in that stat last season. He also missed a lot of fairways (122nd in driving accuracy). He could end up playing a lot of shots out of the difficult rough at Memorial Park, and he was 185th in rough proximity last season. Smith barely cracks Gates' top 15 picks this week.  

How to set 2021 Houston Open Fantasy golf rankings

Instead, the Fantasy expert is touting an overlooked player who comes in at well over 40-1 in the golf odds. This veteran has been lurking near the top of the leader board regularly so far this season. He also has been keeping it in the fairway and hitting the greens consistently, which will play well on the difficult course in Houston. Head to SportsLine to see his Fantasy golf picks. 

Who wins the Houston Open 2021? Who are the top players to target? And which overlooked players can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Riley Gates' Fantasy golf rankings, all from the Fantasy expert with his finger on the pulse of the game, and find out.