One year after the Masters was moved to November as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 85th edition of golf's biggest event is back in its normal home in April, with competitors ready to tee off at Augusta National Golf Club this Thursday. It's the first time in history the same major will be played consecutively, after the Masters was the last of three majors to take place in 2020. Who should be high up in your 2021 Masters Fantasy golf rankings, and which Fantasy golf sleepers exist at Augusta?

Dustin Johnson enters the Masters 2021 as the betting favorite to repeat at 9-1 at William Hill Sportsbook. Not only did Johnson dominate last year, ending with a five-stroke lead, but he also set the course record of 268, 20 strokes under par. 2019 champion Tiger Woods, who is just one shy of Jack Nicklaus' record six Masters championships, will not play in this year's event after being involved in a serious car crash in February. Before you make any 2021 Masters fantasy golf picks, you need to check out the latest fantasy golf rankings from data scientist Rick Gehman.

With his expansive database of golf statistics, course data and betting odds, Gehman creates advanced models and back-tests them constantly. These models have produced 12 outright winners in the past year, including 30-1 Webb Simpson at the 2020 RBC Heritage.

In the PGA's last full-field event, the Honda Classic, the field was limited by its placement between The Players and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, but Gehman still picked five golfers in his top 10 who tied for 13th or better. That included Sungjae Im and Russell Henley, who tied for third at six-under par as Matt Jones ran away with the event.

At The Players, three of Gehman's top seven picks made the top 10, including winner Justin Thomas, who came in at 22-1 odds. "He feels close to breaking through again, and TPC Sawgrass just might be the place," Gehman said before the event.

Gehman has been on fire all season. At Pebble Beach, three of his top four picks finished in the top five. The Farmers leaderboard looked like a who's who of Gehman's fantasy golf rankings, with five of his top nine picks finishing tied for seventh or better. Anyone who has followed his advice has cashed in huge.

Now, Gehman, co-host of "The First Cut" podcast on CBS Sports, has revealed his top 30 players for the 2021 Masters over at SportsLine so you can crush your fantasy golf picks.

Gehman knows DeChambeau has cracked the top 30 at Augusta just once in three tries as a professional, but he is near the top of the golf expert's top 30 for next week. The 27-year-old has said the course should play as a par-68 for him, and he has the confidence and power to back it up. DeChambeau leads the tour in scoring average (69.4) and driving distance (320.8), and also ranks first in total strokes gained. He is 14th in strokes gained approaching the green and 39th in strokes gained putting, so he isn't only about power.

Gehman isn't high on McIlroy's chances this week. He missed the cut at two of his last five events and fired an opening-round 79 at the Players Championship. McIlroy also missed the cut at the Genesis Invitational and has yet to finish better than fifth this season.

McIlroy is third in driving distance, but a dismal 146th in driving accuracy percentage at 57.20. He's barely in the top 200 on the PGA Tour in holes per eagle (648) and is barely in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings. With such a talented field descending on Augusta National Golf Club this week, there are other stars to target in your Masters Fantasy golf rankings 2021.

Instead, Gehman is expecting a big week from a monster long-shot. This talented veteran had a strong finish here last year even though the November atmosphere wasn't a strong fit for his game. Gehman is only sharing who it is, and his top 30 golfers in order, right here.

Who wins the 2021 Masters? What are the optimal Fantasy golf rankings? And which overlooked player can help you win your league? Visit SportsLine now to get Rick Gehman's Fantasy golf rankings for the 2021 Masters, all from the data scientist who's called 12 outright winners in the past year.