Fantasy Insider: THE PLAYERS Championship

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Now and then, I'll receive an e-mail asking where some of the statistics I cite, either here or in the Power Rankings, can be found. Some resources are for media only, but most are right here on PGATOUR.com. In fact, the stats page received a nip and a tuck recently. Fantasy gamers will enjoy exploring the new format, which features an updated menu at the top and a host of new data via ShotLink.

Got a fantasy question for Rob? Click here to e-mail him. You can also follow Rob on his Twitter account.

Definitions of each stat are provided at the bottom of each page. For example, for "Scrambling from other locations" (from the "Around the Green" page), it states, "The percent of time that a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better when the birdie stroke is taken from a location other than the greenside bunker, rough, or fringe." Anthony Kim tops that list with a 78.13 clip (25-for-32), which helps explain why he leads the TOUR in scoring average despite sitting 162nd in fairways hit.

Unfortunately, AK withdrew from THE PLAYERS on Tuesday due to the torn ligament in his left thumb, saying "I'm extremely disappointed to have to miss THE PLAYERS Championship, but will consult with my doctors this week and follow their recommendations for treatment." Last week at Quail Hollow, he said that he does not want to miss the Ryder Cup (he's currently second in points), so if he's advised to have surgery, expect it to occur sooner than later. Based on preliminary reports of recovery time, he'd be out 2-3 months, which means he'd miss at least one major.

One relevant note about this week's course set-up: Due to a cool spring, the rough around the greens hasn't had its usual time to get as gnarly. It will still stand 2-3/4 inches, but won't be as penal. It's just as well considering this is the first edition in the era of the channel grooves. Greens are expected to roll at 12 on the Stimpmeter.

MORE: Rookie Watch | Medical Extensions | Reshuffle | Major qualifiers

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Stephen Ames, Luke Donald, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.

Tiger Woods -- For every emailer that rightfully questions my opinion on the world's No. 1, there are just as many that agree. For example, this on Monday from Jon in Georgia: "Great picks last week. Jumped me into 2nd for spring season because everyone had Tiger. It is weird not taking him. Our league used to be called 'Just take Tiger.'" I omitted Woods from my Power Rankings this week, but the funny thing now, in our world at least, is that because Anthony Kim withdrew, Yahoo! gamers are encouraged to consider Woods for their bench; that is, if none of my other options above tickle your fancy. Still, recall that in March I rated the THE PLAYERS 10th of Woods' 13 projected starts. Because he struggled at Quail Hollow and his record at TPC Sawgrass is what it is, I'll be hands off again this week.

Vijay Singh -- If you're a horse-for-course guy and you started him at Quail Hollow where's he's second in all-time earnings, shame on you. The only positive here is that he hit 15 greens in his second round last week. It's the most since he found 15 in the second round of the Honda Classic, which preceded his back ailment. However, this isn't quite like when Phil Mickelson ripped off six consecutive birdies in his final nine at Redstone in advance of the Masters. Singh still signed for a 72 (included 33 putts) last Friday before being shown the exit.

Zach Johnson -- You really don't need me to hammer home the same message, do you? Until his numbers around the green improve, continue to ignore.

Bubba Watson -- He's 148th in scrambling and 127th in sand saves, which doesn't bode well this week. He's 1-for-3 at THE PLAYERS, finishing T37 last year, with 15 bogeys and a double. He's played relatively steady this season, cashing eight of 10 times for a nice change of pace, but he's overshadowed in Group A.

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TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Jim Furyk, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson.

Sergio Garcia -- His fourth-place payday at the WGC-Accenture Match Play accounts for nearly 77 percent of his earnings this year, with zero top 35s in seven stroke play starts since making his 2010 U.S. debut at Pebble Beach. However, he's the all-time money leader at THE PLAYERS and hasn't finished outside the top 25 since 2005. Let your competition invest in the past.

Lee Westwood -- Best known for power, precision and putting, the Brit lacks a little around the greens. After going T5-T6 in 1998-99, he has one top-35 payday here, and that was a forgettable T22 in 2005. Keep him holstered.

Alvaro Quiros -- His win at the Spanish Open awarded him with the same number of world ranking points (24.00) as Derek Lamely earned in Puerto Rico, so beware getting burned on the bandwagon. Still, Quiros has cemented his worth inside the top 50 in the world (he's 31st). Qualified for last year's edition here but opted to play in Italy instead. He's a first-timer this week.

Bo Van Pelt -- Absolutely puring it lately, finishing T3 in greens hit at the Heritage, where he finished T3 on the leaderboard, and T4 in GIR at Quail Hollow en route to a solo-fifth finish. He's 1-for-5 at TPC but has missed his last three cuts here. That drought ends this week. I'm bully for Bo.

Padraig Harrington -- When he made this his first stroke-play start in the U.S. from 2001-2004, he posted two runners-up and didn't finish lower than T33. Since 2005, when he joined the TOUR full-time, he's 3-for-5 with last year's T49 as a personal best here. Abstain.

Nick Watney -- If there's one area of his game that needs work, it's his bunker play. And that just about explains his MC-T63-MC career slate here. Also, in eight rounds, he's hit just 54 percent of his greens. Overall since 2007, he's averaged between 66.09 and 70.61 percent in GIR.

Hunter Mahan -- I think you know by now that when greenside skills are required, Mahan's value plummets. He needs to hit greens to contend, but he's averaged just 10.4 over his last five rounds at TPC Sawgrass. That's about 2.29 fewer per round than his overall average this season.

Kevin Na -- Ranks second on TOUR in scrambling and finished T3 here last year. A smart Yahoo! inclusion this week.

Y.E. Yang -- The week after a T8 at the Masters, he recorded a two-stroke victory at the Volvo China Open. Fatigue might have set in when he missed the cut at the Ballatine's, which was his fourth straight event worldwide. He's qualified just once for THE PLAYERS (MC, 2009) but enters rested and remains a sleeper simply because his cachet is still on the rise. Only his inexperience at TPC Sawgrass bumped him from my Power Rankings this week.

Dustin Johnson -- He's employed the eye of Butch Harmon but hasn't consummated a full-time relationship. Keep your own eye on DJ as he attempts to regain form, but leave him alone this week. He's 159th in scrambling and 182nd in sandies.

Robert Allenby -- His early-season appeal has worn off, but he remains his usual reliable above-the-fold roster filler. Just one top 30 here in his last six tries, but it occurred last year (T14). Even so, there are better venues to burn a start on the Aussie.

Lucas Glover -- Hasn't broken par in eight rounds at TPC Sawgrass (and has carded just one sub-75), missing four cuts in as many starts.

Jeff Klauk -- Given his well-covered connection to the host track, he has to be on all short lists, but the second-year PGA TOUR member has struggled this season, missing six of his last nine cuts. That includes his 78-79 disaster at Quail Hollow. Of course, if there's going to be a place where he'll snap out if it, it's TPC Sawgrass. He ranks fifth in sand saves, which isn't irrelevant considering he's 169th in greens in regulation.

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TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Paul Casey, Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter.

Angel Cabrera -- As I passed along to one emailer on Tuesday, if you're in a one-and-done and feel obligated to burn Cabrera, there are worse places to do it. He's coming off a solo third at Quail Hollow, where he finished third-to-last in fairways hit. His moxie transcends his numbers, but I'd advise you to close your eyes and hold your nose all week if you're jumping in.

Ricky Barnes -- First-timer. Sits seventh in sand saves and 45th in scrambling. Enters on the heels of a nice T10-T5-T22 stretch from Augusta National to Quail Hollow. If the TOUR awarded a Most Improved Golfer of the Year, Barnes would probably top the list. And it's why I'm endorsing him again this week despite his inexperience.

Ben Crane -- Clearly has an eye for the layout, with finishes of T6 and T5 the last two years. Considering he's played well this year -- five top 25s in 10 starts, including the win at Torrey Pines -- it stands to reason that Crane will contend again this week. My only concern is that his sand save percentage is down nearly 10 points over a year ago.

Martin Kaymer -- First start since missing the cut at the Masters. Was scheduled to have the plates and screws removed from his foot shortly thereafter. Finished T55 last year in his first appearance here, closing with a 78.

J.J. Henry -- Three top 25s in his last four starts, including a T7 at Quail Hollow, but his record here is atrocious (2-for-8, zero top 40s). Hope you were on board last week.

Rob Bolton is PGATOUR.COM's new fantasy columnist. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the PGA TOUR. To contact Rob, please e-mail him at FantasyInsider@charter.net.