As part of ESPN Fantasy's efforts to give daily gamers intel on whom to target in DFS, our fantasy golf experts are here to share the players they view as building blocks for this weekend's event. The panel for the year's first major event features ESPN.com's Jason Sobel, Bob Harig, Kevin Maguire, Jonathan Coachman and Matt Barrie and FantasyGolfInsider's Roger Casey, Jeff Bergerson and Zach Turcotte, as well as Dailyfantasybootcamp.com's Alvin Zeidenfeld.
Note: Golfer salaries listed are for DraftKings.
Jason Sobel -- Justin Rose ($9,900)
The other day, I asked my 8-year-old which golfer she likes to win the season's first major this week.
"Is Jordan playing?" she asked.
He sure is.
"Then I like him -- and Rory and Rickie and Bubba and Jason," she said.
I'd like to take full credit as a parent for teaching my daughter to hedge her bet at such a young age, but there's a greater point to be made here: Even a kid knows the chalk plays this week. I'm not going too far out on a limb, but I am getting away from the top five and taking Rose, who has finished inside the top 25 in eight of his past 10 starts at this tournament. He hasn't peaked yet this year, but like the azaleas in Augusta this Rose could, um, bloom this week.
Bob Harig -- Louis Oosthuizen ($8,800)
He's coming off a missed cut in Houston, but that might be a good thing for Oosthuizen, who has played a lot of good golf lately, going back to a win in February in Australia. The 2012 runner-up also was second in two majors in 2015, and yet comes in a bit under the radar.
Matt Barrie -- Adam Scott ($11,900)
It's easy to get caught up in the Jason Day hype. But just a month ago, Scott went on a run, finishing tied for second, then first and first (again). He put to rest any concern about the short putter and was striking the ball better than anyone in the world. Scott has a green jacket from 2013, and in 14 starts at Augusta he has made the cut 12 times. His average finish at this event is 25th. Early March was all I needed to see. Scott should once again finish atop the leaderboard on Sunday.
Jonathan Coachman -- Jason Day ($11,600)
This is always my favorite pick of the year because it is not nearly as open as people think. The pressure, coupled with this enormous golf course, takes a lot of guys out of contention before they even get started. I was going to go with the guy who has been the hottest the past few weeks, and that is my man Jason Day. He is not scared of the spotlight and I believe he truly wants the pressure and the expectations on his shoulders. He is ready for major No. 2 and I believe this week will be his second major and third straight tournament win.
Kevin Maguire -- Justin Rose ($9,900)
Major championships test every facet of a pro golfer's game and this year's event in Augusta will be no different. The Englishman owns five top-25s so far this season, but more important, he's second in the PGA Tour's all-around stat. Expect a boatload of greens hit in regulation -- always a key at this course. If his putter can get hot, watch out for a second major title from Rose.
Jeff Bergerson -- Rory McIlroy ($12,500)
I have said from the beginning of the season that I thought Rory would complete the career grand slam this year by winning in Augusta. He has come so very close the past two years at this event, finishing eighth in 2014 and fourth last year. Rory is coming in with good form, finishing third at the WGC-Cadillac and fourth at the WGC-Match Play. Being the highest-priced player is going to keep his ownership percentage below 20 percent and maybe even 15. The only thing holding him back this season has been his putter, but I think he finds it this week and ends up wearing the green jacket.
Zach Turcotte -- Rickie Fowler ($10,900)
A year ago, I did not have Fowler on a single big DFS tournament lineup at Augusta. He began 2015 with only one top-20 finish in his first six appearances. He played reasonably well at Augusta on his way to finishing tied for 12th, but it was a far cry from his year in 2014 when he finished in the top five in all four majors. Fast-forward to 2016 and Fowler is rolling. He already has six top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season and a victory on the European Tour at Abu Dhabi. He is playing about as well from tee to green as anyone on tour and when his putter gets hot, he is a scoring machine. While others will gravitate towards Day, Bubba Watson or Scott, do not forget about Fowler. His form is at its best and he tends to rise to the occasion when the events are the most competitive.
Roger Casey -- Dustin Johnson ($10,200)
Johnson should be on your speed dial this week for a number of reasons. For starters, he's in great form, coming off of a solo third at the Shell Houston Open with no Sunday collapse. Second, his putter is vastly improved from last year, which should serve him very well on Augusta's lightning-fast greens. Finally, if the conditions are soft -- storms are in the forecast for Thursday morning -- DJ will have a major advantage as he'll be able to out-drive the vast majority of the field and hold the greens with higher-trajectory clubs from shorter distances, maximizing his birdie and eagle opportunities and his DFS scoring potential. At a ridiculous bargain price of $10,200, it would be foolish to pass him up in any format.
Alvin Zeidenfeld -- Jason Day ($11,600)
There are two golfers right now who have tremendous form coming into the year's first major, and Day is one of them (Scott being the other). Day has had success in the past here at Augusta with a third and a second place in the past five years. If he can be consistent with his irons throughout the weekend I could very easily see Day putting on the green jacket late Sunday afternoon.
David Jayne -- Patrick Reed ($8,300)
Reed is the 10th-ranked golfer in the world and comes into the year's first major with ten worldwide top-10 finishes since the 2015 Tour Championship. The strengths of his game align well with what it takes to succeed at Augusta, and while he missed the cut in his first appearance (as many do), he rebounded with a top-25 finish last year. In the past two years, Reed has yet to record a top-10 finish at a major, but I think he contends this week and presents quite a value at his price.