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The top 125 golfers of the PGA Tour season will compete for the FedEx Cup title starting Thursday with the 2021 Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club. The course in Jersey City, N.J., hosted this event in 2019, with Patrick Reed winning at 16-under par. Dustin Johnson is the reigning champion after going 30-under par at TPC Boston to win by an astonishing 11 strokes over Harris English. Johnson has won the event three times but will have to contend with U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm and a host of other top players. Rahm is the 10-1 favorite in the latest 2021 Northern Trust golf odds from Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Jordan Spieth at 16-1. 

Johnson and Collin Morikawa come in at 18-1, and others from the Northern Trust 2021 field expected to contend are Xander Schauffele (20-1), Brooks Koepka (20-1) and Rory McIlroy (22-1). Will Rahm or Johnson rise to the occasion and make a big difference for your 2021 Northern Trust Fantasy golf picks? Or will you be better off going with a less-obvious player like Webb Simpson (35-1) or English (40-1)? Before setting any Fantasy golf lineups, or betting the 2021 Northern Trust, be sure to see the Fantasy golf rankings from PGA 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.    

Now, Gates has revealed his top 20 players for the Northern Trust 2021. Be sure to head over to SportsLine so you can cash in big with your Fantasy golf picks. 

2021 Northern Trust Fantasy golf picks

Rahm is back in action this week, and Gates expects him to come back with a vengeance. His last two events were his U.S. Open victory and a T-3 at the Open Championship. He was fired up to go after a gold medal for Spain at the Olympics but was forced to withdraw after a second positive COVID test. Now he will be focused on the FedEx Cup title, and he has been on a roll all season. He has 12 top-10 finishes in 19 events, with a win and two others in the top three finishes, and he had a huge lead after three rounds at The Memorial before having to withdraw. He leads the tour in scoring average (69.429) and also in No. 1 in strokes gained total (2.028).

Xander Schauffele appears to be going in the opposite direction, so the golf expert is fading him. He missed the cut the last time the event was played at Liberty National (2019) and comes in off a T-46 at the St. Jude Invitational. The world's fourth-ranked golfer has put up impressive stats but has not been in contention as much as those would indicate. He has finished outside the top 10 in six of his past eight tournaments and looks to have eased up since his emotional (and draining) Olympic victory. Gates is recommending you go in another direction this week. 

How to set your 2021 Northern Trust Fantasy golf lineups

For this week's FedEx Cup Playoffs opener, Gates has found a huge long shot who comes in at well over 100-1. This veteran has been on an impressive run, and his length off the tee will serve him well in Jersey City. Be sure to see who it is and check out the picks before you enter any Fantasy golf picks.

Who wins the Northern Trust 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 golf expert with his finger on the pulse of the game, and find out.