I'm a sucker for free fantasy sports competitions that pay our real cash. Yahoo! has some of the best cost-free options for fantasy players, including season-long leagues in several different sports. I recently joined the PGA Yahoo! Cup. 

For the John Deere Classic, which starts on Thursday, here are my selections and a short description of why I selected each golfer for my team. 

Zach Johnson has won this tournament before, is at the top of his game, and is facing a fairly easy field. He was one of the best shots to end the tournament at the top of the leaderboard, and he's $3 cheaper than the most expensive player (Francesco Molinari, who is fresh off of a big victory and now overpriced). 

A fantastic underdog to bet on, Joaquin Niemann has finished in the top 8 of three of his last five tournaments. At only $30, he's a must this week. 

June was not a good month for Chesson Hadley, but his luck looks to be turning around as he finished T8 in the Quicken Loans National two weeks ago. He's a little overpriced, but I like his upside, as I believe he could finish in the top 8 again. 

Steve Stricker is one of my favorite golfers. When he comes out to play (he plays in the PGA part-time), he always has a chance at finishing in the top 10, and especially in the John Deere. Stricker has finished in the top 10 in this tournament an incredible eight times.

I expect Patrick Rodgers to be low-owned, which is one of the reasons I took him here. He has been struggling of late, and even though he finished 2nd in this tournament last year, $33 is a steep price. 

I overspent on the rest of my lineup, so I had to go bargain bin shopping for the final spot. The last golfer added to my roster is Cameron Percy, who consistently makes the cut in tournaments he enters and always has a good chance at finishing in the top 30. That's all you can hope for out of a $20 player. 

What do you think of these picks? Want to Join the PGA Yahoo! Cup? Join here and good luck!