Michael Thompson

Thompson is another player who won't feel the effects from missing out on playoffs, having status this season thanks to winning last year's 3M Open. His ball-striking leaves much to be desired, having lost strokes off-the-tee and on approach, making it hard for him to compete on longer courses while putting a lot of pressure on his short-game. From a fantasy perspective, you could do worse if you need someone that will have full status but his upside is limited.

Thompson broke through with an emotional win at the 3M Open for his second win on Tour and his first since 2013. He led the field in putting that week which is the strength of his game, but lost over .25 strokes to the field from tee-to-green for the season. He may be overrated a bit as a result, although he will be qualified to play in more prestigious events in 2020-21 that he's missed out on over recent years.

Thompson was fairly productive in his first four years on the PGA Tour, securing his card at the end of each of those four seasons. His next four seasons weren't nearly as productive as he failed to crack the top-125 during any of those seasons. This past season was by far his best in the past five years, but he probably set the bar too high for salary cap purposes. Thompson has rarely flashed much upside over the past decade and as such, high price is too high for this season.

In the 2016-17 season, Thompson paced the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting, and in 2017-18 he was 14th. But little else can be said for the journeyman who failed to earn a single top-10 in 2017-18. He's earned between $500,000 and $600,000 each of the last four seasons, so expect more of the same from the Alabama alum.

Thompson has fallen off the map since his defining win at the Honda Classic in 2013, earning just one top-10 finish in each of the last four seasons. Last year he hit a new low by missing the cut in more than half of his 21 starts, but somehow he still led the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting. While you try to process that, keep Thompson on the backburner, as he will continue to provide declining value for fantasy squads.

Thompson has steadily regressed since notching his lone PGA Tour win in 2013, barely making half his cuts the past two seasons. He averaged 25 starts those two seasons, so it's not like he didn't have opportunities to get inside the top-125. There's scant evidence that will change this season.

Four years on the PGA Tour for Thompson and four times inside the top-125. His success has varied though from "just good enough" to "pretty darn good". Last year Thompson clocked-in at "just good enough". His rookie season was much the same as he played well enough to secure his card, but did little to garner much attention. The two years in-between however, Thompson made a bit of noise earning $1.4 and $1.7 million respectively. It is because of those two years in the middle that Thompson is an intriguing pick in salary cap leagues this year. The risk is low because of his price, yet the upside appears to be somewhat limited. In draft leagues he should go around the 10th round.

Thompson is a tough guy to figure out. Is he the guy who won the Honda Classic in 2013 and contended at the 2012 U.S. Open, or is he the guy who's done little outside those two events? Many young players show a pattern like this early in their careers and unfortunately, these players either find the consistency or they don't, there's no way to tell at this stage. With that said, without the consistency, Thompson's number is just too high this year.

Thompson made an improbable run at the 2012 U.S. Open where he ended up just outside the winner's circle. That week he earned nearly $700K, almost half his season total. That gives you an idea of how he played outside that one glorious week in June. Obviously, with a track record like that, you don't want any piece of Thompson this season in salary cap formats. The upside to Thompson is that he'll get to play the U.S. Open again this year, and you never know. In draft leagues, he's a ninth-round pick at best.

Nothing flashy about Thompson's rookie year on the PGA Tour - 15 cuts made in 25 events, six Top-25s and two Top-5s. His best finish came at the McGladrey Classic in October when he finished third. There's not a lot to go on with Thompson as his resume is pretty thin, both on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.

Thompson spent his entire 2010 season on the Hooters Tour, which is a notch below the Nationwide Tour. He dominated there, however, and winning has a way of carrying over. Sure, it's a huge step up for Thompson this year, but he's still playing the same game, so expect some success this season.