bryson-dechambeau.jpg
USATSI

Many top PGA Tour players are taking a break this week, but 13 major champions will tee it up at Detroit Golf Club when the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic begins on Thursday. The 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic field is headlined by 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and also includes six-time major champion Phil Mickelson and two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson. This is the third edition of the tournament, and the course has yielded low scores, with DeChambeau going 23-under last year and Nate Lashley 25-under to win the inaugural event. William Hill Sportsbook lists DeChambeau as the 15-2 favorite in its latest 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic odds.         

Can Mickelson (66-1) pull off the impossible and make you look like a genius with your 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic Fantasy golf picks? Or can a forgotten veteran like Jason Day (28-1) or Rickie Fowler (33-1) make a run and give you a better chance to win? Before making any 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic Fantasy golf picks, you really need to see the latest Fantasy golf rankings from data scientist Rick Gehman

With his expansive database of golf statistics, course data and betting odds, Gehman creates advanced models and back-tests them constantly. These models have produced 13 outright winners in the past 18 months and four this season, including Viktor Hovland at 25-1 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and Daniel Berger at 20-1 at Pebble Beach.

At last week's Travelers Championship, six of Gehman's top 15 selections finished in the top 20. That included three in the top five, and he had high praise for winner Harris English.

"We are starting to see English return to his 2020 form as one of the top players on tour," Gehman told SportsLine before the event. The 31-year-old then went out and shot 13-under par before outlasting Kramer Hickok and posting birdie on the eighth playoff hole for his fourth PGA Tour win.

Now, Gehman, co-host of "The First Cut" podcast on CBS Sports, has revealed his top 30 players for the Rocket Mortgage Classic 2021. Be sure to head over to SportsLine so you can cash in big with your Fantasy golf picks

2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic Fantasy golf picks

This week, Gehman expects DeChambeau to duplicate his success from last year. The big hitter struggles with accuracy, but that shouldn't hinder him too much. He averages a tour-best 322.4 yards off the tee and also leads in strokes gained total, and he shot no worse than 67 on this course in 2020. He was T-19 at the Travelers and T-18 at the Memorial but has finished outside the top 25 in three of his past five events. Still, he has won twice since last year's tournament, including his first major, and Gehman knows he is the best player in the field.     

On the other hand, Matthew Wolff is a player you'll want to fade this week. The former NCAA champion was overwhelmed by the pressure he was putting on himself and took almost two months off before the U.S. Open. He finished T-15 in that event when he returned, but then he missed the cut last week. The 22-year-old shot 69 in his second round in Hartford, and this course could set up well for him, but Gehman is offering several other quality options and barely ranks Wolff in his top 20. 

How to set your Rocket Mortgage Classic Fantasy golf lineups

This week, the golf analyst is backing a pair of long shots who come in at well over 30-1. Both of these players are in the golf expert's top eight picks and come to a course that fits their talents perfectly. You should see who it is, and what else Gehman is saying, before you make any 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic bets or finalizing your 2021 Rocket Mortgage Fantasy golf strategy.

Who wins the Rocket Mortgage Classic 2021? Who are the top players to target in your Fantasy golf rankings? And which overlooked players can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Rick Gehman's Fantasy golf rankings for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic, all from the data scientist who's called 13 outright winners in the past 18 months.