The Fantasy Insider: THE TOUR Championship

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It's a private party all the way as we settle in for the last fantasy dance of the season -- just 30 invites are out, and the FedExCup title is still up for grabs.

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The smaller field doesn't make our fantasy choices any easier -- the hits and misses this week will be felt more than usual given that it's the last week of the fantasy year. Crack open a Coke, meet me in Atlanta and let's finish this thing the right way.

Last Week: We had a win from Tiger and a tie for sixth from Harrington, not that those were unique selections given who they are and how they're playing. The 159 points on the week basically held our place in line, no better or worse.

Fantasy Game Basics: We're picking eight players every week from three separate pools: two players from the A-List, four players from the B-List, and two players from the C-List. From round to round, you'll "start" four of those players (one of your A players, two from B, one from C), making daily changes as you see fit.

If your guys play well that day or for the week, you score well. The eight players you pick at the beginning of the week are the only ones you can use and switch up during a particular tournament; the next week, you'll re-evaluate and refresh your group of eight.

You're allowed to use any player up to 10 starts for the year, and anything from 1-4 rounds in a given event counts as a single "start." As always, choose carefully, and have a long-term plan in addition to your short-term goals.

A-List Selections

TIGER WOODS (Round 1 starter): No need to be coy anymore with counting starts and saving Tiger -- if you've got one start left in the game, you obviously use it here. Tiger is the ultimate closer in sports, and you know he wants to wrap a bow around this title. PADRAIG HARRINGTON: With five top-10 finishes in a row, it's not the shocker of the century that Harrington once again shows up in this spot; whatever tweaks he applied to his swing this year, they've obviously worked. He has tied for 11th, seventh and 14th in his three stops at THE TOUR Championship. OTHER A-LIST OPTIONS: Kevin Na quietly has cashed in eight consecutive events, and he has improved in each of the playoff weeks (T24, T11, T8). Get him on your sleeper list for 2010, and don't be afraid to dial him up here if you're out of Tiger or Paddy options. Jim Furyk is getting closer, rolling second and eighth the last two weeks and keeping a possible FedExCup title within his grasp. He has six top-10 finishes at THE TOUR Championship, and he has always considered East Lake one of his favorite courses (he hasn't missed this event since it relocated). ... Phil Mickelson's history at this event doesn't jump out at you, though he did win here in 2000, and he ran third last season. We haven't seen his best form during the Playoffs, that's for sure (T30, T27, T52). ... I haven't had the best success projecting Stewart Cink this year (he was on my auction-league bench the week he won the British Open, for one example) so feel free to ignore my Cink advice if you like. That said, I see that he has never finished in the top 10 at THE TOUR Championship over seven visits, and I'm content to leave him off the sheet for the final event.

B-List Selections

ZACH JOHNSON (Round 1 starter): You always get a good run out of him; he has finished fifth and tied for 19th and 28th in the three Playoff events, and his last visit to East Lake back in 2007 was good for a second-place finish. Ninth in driving accuracy, fourth in scoring, third in all-around rank; you pick Johnson, you sleep well at night. SEAN O'HAIR: He was mired in a shocking midsummer slump, but that's ancient history now after a solo fourth at the BMW Championship and a tie for eighth at the Deutsche Bank Championship. O'Hair is spotting the field some local knowledge, however, he has only been to this event once, tying for 12th back in 2005. At the end of the day, I'm going to ride with the recent results and trust that O'Hair can quickly reacquaint himself with the challenges of the track. HUNTER MAHAN: I suppose I'm making a name grab here because he doesn't have anything special going for him thus far in the Playoffs (T20, T36, T38). He did make an East Lake run back in 2007 (T5) and there's a lot to like on the stat sheet (sixth in scoring, eighth in total driving, 14th in GIR, second in all-around ranking). DUSTIN JOHNSON: He has made five tidy checks in a row with an average finish of tied for 16th, so you're getting a player in fine form here. Everyone sees the power in Dustin's game (third in driving distance, second in birdie average) but don't look past what he does on the greens (12th in putting average). OTHER B-LIST OPTIONS: Steve Stricker is the name you should dial up here. He's unafraid of the Tiger element, and he has such a sterling record in the Playoffs. Unfortunately I can't join you, I've maxed out of my 10 Stricker starts, which is what happens when someone has the year that he had. ... Consistency comes with any David Toms selection, and it's great that he has made six cuts in a row and advanced this far, but we also have to consider that his last top-20 check came back in June at the Travelers Championship. ... Lucas Glover has been one of the great stories of the year, but perhaps he's a little exhausted from the run; we haven't seen his best game during the Playoffs (MC, T36, 66). His last visit to East Lake was a memorable one, a tie for eighth back in 2006. ... I'll watch and root for Angel Cabrera anytime, but predicting him is a risky business; consider that he ran fourth two weeks ago at the BMW Championship, but he didn't do much of anything in his other two starts (MC, T45). It will be interesting to see how quickly he figures out the nuances of East Lake -- he has never played there. ... Nick Watney somehow coaxed a tie for 30th last week without a round in the 70s, but we really haven't seen his best form since the weekend at The Barclays. Watney occasionally has some issues with tee accuracy, but everything else on his stat page makes him a player to watch: Sixth in driving distance, 13th in birdie average, 16th in scoring, 15th in all-around rank.

C-List Selections

RETIEF GOOSEN (Round 1 starter): The South African has always loved this event, winning in 2004 and never finishing worse than tied for ninth over five stops. Goosen's game wasn't particularly sharp when the Playoffs began, but he has been back in form over the last two weeks, tying for eighth at the Deutsche Bank Championship and 23rd at the BMW Championship. Power off the tee and a delicate and gutsy touch on the green -- you can go a long way with that. LUKE DONALD: He needed a clutch showing at the BMW Championship merely to get this far, but that wasn't a problem -- Donald's nifty tie for 10th pushed him inside the top 30 and got him to the final dance. He has been over the East Lake track on two occasions, tying for fifth and 14th. It hasn't been Donald's best ballstriking year, but he's first in putting, 23rd in scrambling and 11th in scoring. We can roll with that. OTHER C-LIST OPTIONS: Perhaps Y.E. Yang is finally getting a little tired after his magical late-summer run; he has been outside the top 60 in the last two events. He's also making his East Lake debut, which is enough for me to pass on him for the final dance. ... Heath Slocum got our attention with a stunning win at The Barclays, but he has been struggling since then, missing a cut and then settling for a tie for 38th at the BMW Championship. Slocum's one run over the East Lake course was a tie for 17th back in 2007. ... Scott Verplank generally gives you plenty of bang for the buck, though he never found his best foot at Cog Hill last week (four rounds in the 70s en route to a tie for 38th). Verplank knows how to close out a season, grabbing seven top-10s in his eight starts at THE TOUR Championship. ... Jason Dufner wasn't really on anyone's radar when the Playoffs started, but his tie for second at the BMW Championship changed all that. The Cleveland native will need to be a quick study this week, making his debut at THE TOUR Championship.