Power Rankings: Deutsche Bank Championship

• By Will Gray
• Aug 28, 2012 12:00 PM ET

The FedEx Cup playoffs continue this week, as TPC Boston hosts the second leg of the four-tournament series that will crown a season-long champion. The top 98 golfers in the standings continue their playoff run, though only the top 70 will advance to next week's BMW Championship.

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Webb Simpson returns to Boston as defending champion, still in search of his first top-10 finish since returning to action following the birth of his second child. Here are 10 players to watch this week:

1. Luke Donald: The former world No. 1 boasts a 67.25 stroke average at TPC Boston over the last two years, finishing in the top 3 each time. Donald averaged only 26.5 putts per round last year, T-3 among last year's field in the category. Three top-10 finishes in his last four starts this season also help the cause considerably.

2. Jason Dufner: Should be fresh after sitting out The Barclays last week. Dufner is in the midst of a career year, with five top-10 finishes in his last seven starts dating back to a win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in May. TPC Boston was the site of his first career top-5 finish in 2009, when he finished T-2.

3. Brandt Snedeker: Perhaps the player with the most to gain in this week's field. On the heels of his runner-up finish at Bethpage, Snedeker likely needs another top finish to remain in contention for a Ryder Cup captain's pick on Tuesday. With top-5 finishes each of the last two years in Boston, that's certainly possible this week for the man currently leading the Tour in strokes gained putting.

4. Bubba Watson: The Masters champ seems to have regained his form recently, following up his T-11 finish at Kiawah with a T-10 showing at Bethpage. Watson currently leads the Tour in both driving distance and GIR percentage, and he led this event after 54 holes last year before fading with a Sunday 74.

5. Bud Cauley: Currently one of the hottest golfers around and making a strong push for Rookie of the Year honors. Cauley's T-10 at The Barclays was his fourth top-10 finish in his last five starts, and he is one of only 14 players that can boast a sub-70 final round stroke average on Tour this season. Currently 26th in points, another solid week will give him a great chance to make the field at East Lake.

6. Adam Scott: Winner of the inaugural edition of this event in 2003, Scott has four top-8 finishes in seven starts at TPC Boston. Friendly confines should help the Aussie this week as he continues to try to rebound from the near-miss at Lytham last month.

7. Jim Furyk: Furyk is a lock to receive one of four Ryder Cup captain's picks next week...right? His nine top-15 finishes this year make it likely, but adding a tenth this week would go a long way in cementing his ticket to Medinah. He has top-8 finishes in three of the last four years here, and has been second for the week in fairways hit each of the last three years.

8. Steve Stricker: A winner here in 2009, Stricker has four top-10 finishes at TPC Boston since 2006. Currently 19th on Tour in both scrambling and the all-around ranking, his tee-to-green consistency will be an asset this week.

9. Tiger Woods: Weekend struggles continued to plague him in New York, but his record on this course can't be ignored - a win in 2006, T-2 in 2007 and a pair of T-11 finishes in 2009 and 2010. Still leading the Tour in scoring average and fifth in total driving, Woods is not far from capturing his fourth win of 2012.

10. Dustin Johnson: Despite missing nearly three months this spring, Johnson has played himself into contention for a Ryder Cup captain's pick. He led the Deutsche Bank field in both driving distance and putts per round in 2009 en route to a T-4 finish, and was in contention last year until a 75 on Sunday sent him back to the middle of the pack.