Justin Thomas

Thomas put together one of the greatest final round comebacks to win the PGA Championship in a playoff over Will Zalatoris. The 29-year-old is now in that elite class of having won multiple major champinships. While that is incredible, that ended up being the 15-time PGA Tour winner's only victory of the 2021-22 season. Thomas' finish to the season was not anywhere close to how he played at the start, but his 10 total top-10 finishes did tie the second-highest mark of his career. The putter is the real determining factor for Thomas because his ball-striking and short game are both elite. Given all the purse increases for 2022-23, it would be shocking if Thomas did not better the nearly $7 million he earned in 2021-22.

At times, Thomas has looked like the best golfer on the planet the last five years, but for some reason, he hasn't taken control of the throne. Instead, he's one of a very few select golfers that could be considered the best in the world at any given time. It's sounds odd, but with only one win and little more than $6.5 million in 2020-21, Thomas underperformed. It sounds crazy, but Thomas had won three or more events in three of the previous four seasons heading into last season. He also posted consecutive seasons above $8 million. The potential for a $10 million is there, but Thomas just needs to dominate for longer stretches. Even though it's a $6.5 million hit to a salary cap squad, Thomas should be given consideration in that format this year.

Expectations were sky high for Thomas entering 2019-20 and he did not disappoint. Thomas won three times before the playoffs and scored nine top-10s in just 17 starts prior to the Tour Championship, where he tied for second. At just 27, Thomas is right in the middle of his prime, and while he set the bar pretty high this past year, he has more than enough game to play even better. Thomas' next conquest will be multiple majors, and he's more than capable of racking them up.

Thomas is still an enigma as he looks like the best player in the world at times and others, he looks unrecognizable. Last season he had to deal with a wrist injury that cost him two months in the middle of the season, yet he still managed to bank over $5 million. Considering his previous two seasons he earned $8 million and $9 million respectively, Thomas is almost a "must-have" in salary cap formats this season. His $5 million price tag is the only thing keeping him from a definite "must-have" as that's a large investment, but there's every reason to believe that with a full season, he'll again be around $8 million this year.

Although he finished seventh on the FedEx points list, Thomas was the leading money earner in 2017-18. Prior to the FedEx Cup, that held a lot more prestige, but considering the FedEx bonus is more than anyone earned on the course last season, it obviously has lost some luster. It is an important number for salary cap leagues, however, as Thomas enters this season with the highest price tag. Thomas won three times last season and five times the season prior. He's in the conversation of best golfer alive, and there's no reason to think he falls out of that conversation this season. As mentioned, though, the price tag is too high for salary cap purposes this season. In draft leagues he could go as high as No. 1, but shouldn't fall below third or fourth overall.

There are several words that come to mind when thinking about Thomas' 2016-17 season. Awesome, incredible, impressive and don't forget surprising. Thomas has had the "potential" label for a few years now, but unlike most of his buddies, Thomas had yet to reach his potential. That began to change early in the 2016-17 season as he posted three wins before the month of February. As expected after that third win, the golf world went nuts and Thomas was inserted as the Masters favorite, the FedExCup favorite and a lock for the Hall of Fame. A funny thing happened after that third win though, Thomas' game left him for several months. He obviously found his game before the end of the season and that's why it was so impressive. It would have been easy to get complacent after three wins to start the season, but he battled through a slump that saw him miss three consecutive cuts at one point, to end the season on top of the golf world. With all of that said, there is simply too much talent on the PGA Tour for any one golfer to do what Thomas did last season, in two consecutive seasons.

Thomas' ascension to the top of the PGA Tour ranks has come fast and furious. As a rookie in 2015, Thomas was unable to find a victory or even a top-3 for that matter, but he was able to parlay seven top-10s in to over $2.2 million in earnings. Last season, Thomas won his second start and never looked back. When it was all done, Thomas added three more top-3s on his way to over $4 million in earnings. Thomas appears to be getting better and even though he set the bar pretty high last season, he should be able to improve upon his number this year. In draft leagues, Thomas should go in the 2nd-round.

Thomas has an opportunity to be an absolute stud on the PGA Tour. A part of an Alabama team that won a National Championship, Thomas won the third Web.com Tour Finals event, the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, in a playoff for his first win of the year. Coupled with a second, third, fourth, and a fifth, it was an extremely solid year for Thomas, who finished fifth in total season money, will start the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season second on the Reshuffle List, and is in prime position to make a fall charge. Averaging 311.5 yards off the tee and ending the year third in scoring average, fantasy players will want to draft and start this guy early and often: he’s got the making of an absolute young gun.