Fantasy Golf Insider: 9 players to target at the AT&T Byron Nelson

Similarly to 2015, weather is shaping up to be a major nuisance at the AT&T Byron Nelson in Irving, Texas. It was the survival of the fittest luckiest in miserable conditions a year ago, and much the same is expected in 2016, with a chance of a thunderstorm hitting the area Thursday.

Thursday also carries an 80 percent chance of rain and 66 degree temperatures. Fifteen players made the cut in 2015 but registered an MDF (made the cut, did not finish), drastically harming their DFS performances. Consider placing some extra weight on last year's results when looking at course history this week.

Here's a look at the past three leaderboards (*denotes a playoff):

Per FantasyInsiders, the key stats for TPC Four Seasons Resort are Driving Distance (DD), Par 4 Scoring Average (P4S), Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SGAG), Birdie or Better Percentage (BOB). These stats have been strengths of previous winners and need to be used in combination with recent form and course history when building lineups.

Top Tier, Top Dollar, Top Results

Charley Hoffman

Hoffman missed the cut at The Players Championship, ending a run of three consecutive top 15s which included a victory at the Valero Texas Open. He missed the cut by just a single stroke. This week's field is much thinner and more comparable to the other fields in which Hoffman finished near the top of the leaderboard.

Without Jason Day present to drive the cut line down for everyone else, Hoffman should return to recent form. His course history includes last year's runner-up finish and an eighth in 2013.

Charl Schwartzel

Schwartzel has made the cut in seven of his eight events this season, with his lone miss coming at the Masters, which is also his most recent appearance. He has a victory at the Valspar Championship and one other top-10 finish this tour year. In terms of the key stats, his best is a 13th in P4S, though he ranks no lower than 62nd on tour in each of the four.

He wasn't able to finish last year's event due to the weather, but he came 11th in 2014 and third in 2013.

Marc Leishman

Leishman has made 10 of 13 cuts this season, including seven of his past eight. He has just one top-10 finish - at the Northern Trust Open - but his third-place finish at this event in 2014 followed up a 12th in 2013. He came third in 2012 as well, but has missed cuts in 2011 and 2015. He came eighth in his first appearance in 2010.

He checks out in each of the key stats, ranking 38th in DD, 22nd in P4S, 23 in SGAG, and 23rd in BOB. Even in a T64 last week, he carded two eagles, with more birdies than bogeys.

Best Value With a Chance

Graham DeLaet

DeLaet's missed cut last week was his first in seven events. He has made 11 of 15 cuts on the season, with two top 10s. The most recent was a fifth at the Valspar Championship in March. Even in poor weather, he came 22nd last year, after placing seventh in 2014. His first top 10 in the event came as a 10th-place finish in 2013.

He ranks 33rd in DD, 22nd in P4S, and 42 in BOB. His struggles on and around the greens are well known; he ranks 178th in SGAG. With plenty of rain to soften the fairways and putting surfaces, the emphasis should be placed on his long game.

Aaron Baddeley

A late addition to last week's field as an alternate, Baddeley narrowly missed the cut at even par. He hovered around the top of the morning leaderboard with a 3-under, 69. Some more preparation for this week's event could go a long way, especially as he seems much better suited to the course at TPC Four Seasons.

Baddeley ranks seventh in P4S, fourth in SGAG and 44th in BOB. He finished in a tie just outside the cut line at last year's event, one year removed from a 29th in 2014. Typically a GPP play, he can be used in both cash games and tournaments this week.

Bryce Molder

Molder has made seven consecutive cuts, dating back to the Valspar Championship. He has two top 10s in that stretch, and a total of four on the season. He showed an ability to handle poor conditions when he placed eighth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans just four weeks ago. Though not a long driver, he's able to make up strokes with his short game.

If Everything Goes Right

Andrew Loupe

Loupe's second-best finish of the season came three weeks ago at the Wells Fargo Championship. He finished fourth but shared the lead after shooting an opening-round 65. He had a week to rest during The Players and will look to put together consecutive top finishes for the first time this season. His No. 8-ranked DD of 305.2 yards has him well equipped for poor weather.

Martin Flores

Flores has appeared in just one PGA Tour event this season, placing 12th at the Sanderson Farms Championship last November. He's missed a single cut in eight Web.com starts this year, piling up four top-10 finishes and ranks eighth on the money list. He made 17 of 30 PGA cuts last year, including a 39th at the Byron Nelson. It was his third straight made cut at the event.

Tom Wilkinson

Wilkinson has made nine of 11 cuts, including each of his past four events. His best finish of the season was an 11th at the Wells Fargo his last time out. He's not a long driver off the tee, but Wilkinson ranks seventh in P4S and 22nd in SGAG. His success in making cuts qualifies him for cash-game lineups, and his recent top finish shows the tournament upside.

Top Fades

Bryson DeChambeau

DeChambeau has missed the cut in two of his three professional appearances on tour. He isn't priced like a rookie who has missed consecutive cuts. and he'll play in truly awful weather for the first time on tour. As a long driver he's well suited for this course, but his high salary only adds to the high risk in poor weather.

Steven Bowditch

Bowditch comes at a low salary for a defending champion, but it will only inflate ownership on a player with five missed cuts in a row. Three of his 10 rounds in that time have been in the 80s. His high ownership will negate the benefit of the salary savings, even if he does manage to make the weekend.

Jimmy Walker

Like Dechambeau, Walker is far too pricey for a player with consecutive missed cuts. Like Bowditch, one of his two rounds at The Players featured a score in the 80s. The Oklahoma native has had past success in Texas, and he did place second here last year, but he also had two earlier wins in 2015.