The Fantasy Insider: Deutsche Bank Champ.

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Playoff fever grips The Hub as we head to TPC Boston for the second round of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Forget the "one if by land, two if by sea" edict -- this track favors the longer hitters and we'll be thinking about distance as we set up our selections.

Last Week: Seven of eight players made the cut, paced by Steve Stricker (second) and Ian Poulter (ninth). The end result was 156 points; for the year we're in the 95th percentile.

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): I've got one more Tiger play in the bag and I'm not going to save it for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola - a lot of my opponents will be doing that and while I'll hate to lose the ground if he wins there, I need the chance to have a unique sheet for the final dance. Woods has quickly gotten comfortable at TPC Boston, winning here in 2006 and bagging two second-place finishes. PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Forget the mind-boggling slump of earlier in the year, it's ancient history; Paddy's got a pair of seconds and a T10 in his last three PGA TOUR events. He's always able to keep himself in the moment on the course and he's certainly one player that's not overwhelmed by the presence of Tiger. Harrington missed the cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship the last two years but we can't ignore his current form. OTHER A-LIST OPTIONS: It's great to see Ernie Els back in form, isn't it? He was so close to winning The Barclays last week and he quickly got comfortable in Boston last year, finishing tied for third. If you want to flip-flop Els with Harrington on your starter list, I won't try to talk you out of it. Robert Allenby's sublime ball striking gives him a shot at contending anywhere, and he's been inside the top 20 four times at the Deutsche Bank Championship. As always, it comes down to how many putts he's able to drop. A player this talented has to win sometime, right? Phil Mickelson has turned into one of the trickiest players to handicap and his track record at TPC Boston underscores that fact. In 2007, Lefty outdueled Tiger and hoisted the trophy. Last year? A tie for 73rd. You never want to say never with a player as talented as Mickelson, but it's hard to say just how sharp he feels into this event; he hasn't cracked the Top 50 in his last three starts. New England seems to agree with Sergio Garcia; he ran fifth here last season and T17 back in 2007, and we saw some of his joie de vivre return at Wyndham two weeks back (sole fourth). Jim Furyk's got the guts and the Playoffs resume to be a main contender every week, but why hasn't he won since 2007? Is it time to stop chasing a victory given that he's in this deep pool every week? Furyk finished seventh at the Deutsche Bank Championship last year and T13 back in 2003. Vijay Singh seemed to be rounding into form before last week's MC at The Barclays, and obviously he was the dominant player in the post-season last year. The layout and length of TPC Boston fits his game; he got two wins, a second and a fourth here. A bounce-back should be in order here.

B-List Selections

STEVE STRICKER (Round 1 starter): If it ain't broke, there's no reason to fix it. Stricker has quickly turned into one of the early stars in Playoffs history (five top-10s) and TPC Boston is a course that suits his eye (last three years: 13th, ninth, seventh). Stricker's confidence has to be sky high right now and he might be the best clutch putter outside of Tiger Woods these days. STEVE MARINO: He's so darn close, everyone can see it. Fantastic game tee-to-green. Wonderful lag putter. Needs to make a few more in the 10-20 foot range but we can say that about so many people. Marino was in many ways unlucky at The Barclays on Sunday, but I know a win is coming soon from this guy. He's too good at too many things. Marino also grabbed a T10 finish in Boston last year, for what it's worth. HUNTER MAHAN: He's got a runaway victory percolating in him, it's just a matter of when we see it. Mahan has made 7-of-8 cuts and every cash has been a strong one, top 20 or better. He's been a little hit-and-miss at TPC Boston but the checks have been solid ones (15, 22, 25). He's got plenty of distance, a sharp iron game, and birdies are never a problem here (seventh in par breakers). BRANDT SNEDEKER: He's had a few hiccups in recent weeks (three missed cuts since July), but when he has it, low numbers go up; Snedeker has four top-5 checks and last week's T12 to show for his summer. He's got two ordinary showings in Boston (47, 27) but current form always means more to me; keep rolling with the Vanderbilt product. OTHER B-LIST OPTIONS: Zach Johnson has a good-not-great record at TPC Boston (13, MC, 30), though the distance of the track doesn't ideally fit his game. There are so many other things to like from the Johnson profile, however; he's tenth in driving accuracy, 24th in GIR, 26th in putting. I don't think Lucas Glover will struggle to get his confidence back even after last week's surprise struggle at The Barclays (75-81), but nonetheless I'm going to wait a week before I get him back on the club. He's made four straight cuts here, with two checks inside the Top 15. I'm out of David Toms starts for the year but I know he'll get a lot of play nationwide; with seven top-10 finishes and 16 cuts made, he's always a safe play. He's not one of the bombers in the field but Toms does just about everything else well (first in tee accuracy, 11th in GIR, 38th in putting). I don't know what happened to Sean O'Hair's game but we have to wait it out while he fixes things. He hasn't been inside the top 60 in his last five starts. Tim Clark wasn't healthy the week of the Wyndham Championship but he bounced back nicely with a T24 last week at The Barclays. Clark's game is remarkably similar to Davis Toms' -- you won't get a lot of monster drives but he's basically outstanding in every other facet of the game. Clark can be a factor on any course, in any field. I wanted to pick Nick Watney in this spot but he's still trying to figure out the nuances of TPC Boston -- he's missed five straight cuts here.

C-List Selections

Y.E. YANG (Round 1 starter): He's played brilliantly for five straight events, including the spine-tingling win at Hazeltine. We always knew he had the iron play to contend, but his recent putting strides are what truly make Yang a threat every week. Keep running with the story. HEATH SLOCUM: Always fear the hot and confident player, especially at this time of year. He's a much better ball striker than people realize and he's made three straight cuts at this event (15, 23, 44). OTHER C-LIST OPTIONS: Ian Poulter has three straight top-20s, a T9 last week, a confident swagger, an overdue win that I'm chasing. The pro-Poulter logic never really changes in this space. He's missed the cut twice in a row in Boston which is why Yang gets the start, but Poulter has earned the right to be trusted at any event, he's that resourceful. Luke Donald always has to be respected for his calm demeanor and putting instincts, but the length of the track has to be factored in, too. He's got a missed cut and a T60 in two starts at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Matt Kuchar was one of our sleeper picks last week and he was pretty darn close to justifying the love before a 75 on Sunday. He's had five goes at TPC Boston, missing the cut twice against three other checks (17, 27, 41). Kuchar's scoring average is better than what his individual stats suggest, and that sort of thing always gets my attention. Retief Goosen has fallen back some after his second-place run at the RBC Canadian Open and he never got comfortable last week (70-74-74-74). The demands at the Deutsche Bank Championship should fit his skill set nicely but I'm a little gun shy at the moment. It will be interesting to see how quickly Webb Simpson gets comfortable at TPC Boston. He wasn't intimidated in his first Playoffs start last week (T8) and you have to love his game around the green (23rd in putting, sixth in sand saves, 17th in scrambling).