2026 RBC Canadian Open: Top DraftKings Showdown Plays & Live Bets Ahead of Round 3

We’ve reached the halfway point at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open, where surprise surprise leader, Ben James, holds a one-stroke lead at 10-under-par. With big names like Sam Burns, Tommy Fleetwood, Brooks Koepka, and defending champion Ryan Fox all within two strokes of the lead, this setting up to be yet another exciting weekend of PGA Tour action.

Looking ahead, we have new data at our disposal to adjust our approach in DFS formats before Round 3 gets underway on Friday. Conditions were calm and sunny on Friday, and the sun appears to be out for the duration of the tournament. Ahead, we’ll look to identify the players who have shown they are most due for a Round 3 breakout.

Take a look at some of the best pillar players for the RBC Canadian Open DFS contests and live betting opportunities.

DraftKings Showdown Golf Strategy

DraftKings Golf Showdown Golf is a one-round Daily Fantasy format in which players aim to construct the best-scoring one-round lineup while staying within the allotted salary cap. To identify value in Golf Showdown, it’s typically best to focus on buy-low opportunities on players who’ve shown uncharacteristically poor putting in the prior round. There is also an opportunity to find leverage by identifying favorable weather splits and players who are more likely to card birdies-or-better.

Round 3 RBC Canadian Open Showdown Pillar Plays

Birdies have been much easier to come by at TPC Toronto than we saw at Muirfield Village in the week prior. TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley is not overbearingly long, and its dramatic elevation changes help the course play even shorter than its actual scorecard yardage. The inaugural tournament at this venue last year showed a clear formula of wedges and long irons as the key to scoring. Longer hitters have begun to emerge atop the leaderboard in 2026, however, as nine of the top-11 players currently rank above field average in Driving Distance.

Identifying value players who check each of these boxes can provide valuable bonus points in the DraftKings Showdown format. The three players below will be foundational plays in my Round 3 Showdown lineups for these reasons.

Sam Burns ($10,500)

Course History. Course Fit. Recent Form. Everything is aligning for Sam Burns this week, and while I may not have initially loved his value as a top-3 favorite entering this week, he’s certainly lived up to the billing after the first two rounds. Burns picked up right where he left off at Muirfield Village, parlaying last week’s T4 finish into a share of second place through the first two rounds.

TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley looks to be a comfort course for Burns, and he has his eyes set out on revenge after falling to Ryan Fox in a playoff here last year. Burns has looked excellent all-around, ranking top-40 in SG: OTT, SG: APP, SG: ARG, and SG: P through the first two rounds. He left some opportunities out there in round two, ranking 93rd in SG: Putting, so he has room to improve his standing this moving day.

Keith Mitchell ($8,200)

Keith Mitchell was my One And Done selection and pick to win at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open. When his game is right, he is an ideal fit for TPC Toronto, profiling as a top-tier total driver and standout player with his wedges and long irons. He showed some glimpses that the form was on its way back when finishing 5th at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson two starts ago, and is channeling a similar game plan this week.

Mitchell leads the tournament in SG: APP through the first two rounds, propelling him to T2 on the leaderboard, just one stroke off of the lead. Given the unique distribution of shots surrendered at TPC Toronto, I believe that elite approach performance will be sustainable over the weekend, as this is a layout perfectly suited for his game. Mitchell has been poor on the greens this season, but his ball-striking is good enough to carry him into contention if he can maintain his field-average ranks on the greens to date.

Bud Cauley ($7,800)

Bud Cauley continues to do what Bud Cauley does best, steadily gaining across all four strokes gained categories to put himself in position to contend over the weekend. Cauley shot the low round of the day on Friday, carding a 7-under-par round, moving him up to T7 for the tournament at -8 overall. He joins Sam Burns and Ben James as the only three players currently inside the top-20 who rank above field average in all four strokes gained categories.

That consistent all-around play is nothing new for Cauley, who entered this week on a stretch of eight top-40 finishes over his last nine starts, including a season-best T7 at the RBC Heritage over that stretch. With Cauley’s steady floor, I expect him to maintain his position inside the top-10 after the third round.

Live Bets To Consider Entering Round 3

Tournament Matchup: Viktor Hovland over Jacob Bridgeman

Best Available odds: -125

Looking ahead over the next two rounds, we have an interesting matchup between two players who narrowly played themselves into the weekend. Both Hovland and Bridgeman sit at 3-under-par at the halfway point, but it’s Hovland who appears to be heading on the right trajectory.

Bridgeman’s early success this season has hinged almost entirely on his putting skill, which has gradually left him over the last month. While the putter has remained cold, he has failed to crack the top-30 in each of his last six starts. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gotten any better for him in Toronto, as he ranks 82nd in SG: Putting through the first two rounds. Hovland, by contrast, is starting to find it with his ball-striking. He ranks 15th in SG: APP for the tournament, a key part of his game he’s sustained throughout this season, despite the mediocre results thus far. Hovland is the superior pedigree of player, and his form gives me more reason for optimism over the next two rounds.

Top 10 Finish: Jackson Suber

Best Available odds: +110

The industry at large was behind longshot, Jackson Suber going into this week, and he’s made us sound like we know what we’re talking about, at least through the first two rounds. Suber has been excellent to start, ranking 2nd in SG: T2G and 7th in SG: APP, propelling him to a share of 2nd place. That success has all come despite a below-average putting showing, so there’s reason to believe he can fare even better over the weekend.

Suber was a T18 finisher in his RBC Canadian Open debut here last season, and entered this week in improved form, having finished 4th and T19 over his last three starts. While it remains to be seen how well his game holds up against the pressure of a championship Sunday, I’m encouraged enough to believe he can hold his position inside the top-10 the rest of the way.

Best of luck with your RBC Canadian Open  DFS lineups and bets!

Photo Credit: AP/Gerald Herbert