NRL Fantasy Scout, Wicky & Kyle will be bringing you the most important news every week to help you with your NRL Fantasy teams!

This week, we cover our key players to buy, hold & sell + recapping how our teams went in Round 1 & key notes from all 16 teams playing this weekend.

Buy/Watch/Hold/Sell

Buys

No one. Our general advice is to not trade after Round 1, as it is not enough data/too hard to get reads on players after only 1 game.

The only real instance in which you should trade is if one of your players is injured/suspended/dropped for the foreseeable future, or if you are 100% confident that a player has not got the role that you were projecting for them to get.

*Unless you don’t have Ben Trbojevic. Get him in ASAP.

One’s to Watch

Terrell May (MID, $523K)

• May scored a great 62 Pts in 54 Mins in Round 1. However with injuries to both Wong and Tupouniua, he likely saw inflated minutes
• May has always had a great PPM so if we see him get 50+ mins again this week (without injuries), he looks like he’d be able to average 50+ Pts and would be great buy in RD3
• I wouldn’t pull the trigger this week with the risk of him dropping down toward to 40 Min mark

Taylan May (WFB/CTR, $627K)

• May scored 66 Pts in RD1 without a Try or Assist. If he continues to show signs of a 50+ average, he’d easily be a keeper at the CTR position
• Up against another tough matchup in Parra this week, he’s definitely one to keep a close eye on
• If he puts up 45+ Pts without tries or assists, it just May be Taylan time

Api Koroisau (HOK, $608K)

• It looks like Api will get the goal kicking for the Tigers this year which should boost his scoring. Priced at just 46 Pts, it looks like there may be a lot of value in Api
• He averaged 50 Pts without goal kicking in 80min games last season. Add in the potential 4-5 Pts a game in goal kicking, as well as the possibility of Tigers improving, it’s very possible he averages around 55 Pts
• Tigers have gone with Sezer on the bench, so I’m happy to keep an eye on Api this week to see if he plays 80, as well as look for any signs that the Tigers might be competitive in 2024

Alex Seyfarth (MID, $359K)

• Starting at Lock for the Tigers, Seyfarth is one to watch for this week. Priced at just 27, there’s every chance Seyfarth could average 40 Pts in 55mins
• It’s worth waiting a week here, as I expect Bateman to move into the Lock role when Fainu comes on, so Seyfarth isn’t necessarily a shoo-in for 50+ Mins here

Lachlan Galvin (HLF, $230K)

• Galvin seems to have won his spot in the halves over Sezer. At a price of $230K, I don’t mind the idea of buying him this week if you have someone that needs selling. But you won’t miss out on much price rises waiting a week

Tallis Duncan (MID, $413K)

• Duncan gets the starting spot on the edge in place of Jai Arrow. Arrow is out for a minimum 4-6 weeks. Duncan looks like a future gun, but has never played on the edge. At an awkward price of $413K, it’s worth waiting a week to get some assurance of his role
• It’s possible he could play just 50-60mins on the edge with Murray to cover him which might not be enough
• For Duncan to be a buy, you’d want a 40 Point average from him, so it’s worth waiting a week to be sure. If he plays the full 80, wheels up!

Sam McIntyre (EDG, $329K)

• He saw 44 Pts from 47 Mins in RD1. However, he may have seen inflated minutes due to the blowout win, which allowed the Cowboys to rest the likes of Taumalolo and Cotter
• 44 Pts in 47 Mins are positive signs, but give it another week before you can be sure of his role

Euan Aitken (EDG/CTR $549K)

• Aitken is named on the Edge this week with Lemuelu ruled out for 4 weeks due to a knee injury. Although Aitken is a potential gun CTR, this is one to avoid/monitor until Lemuelu returns
• With the bye next week, he would likely only get 3 games before Lemuelu returns. If Aitken wins the spot on merit, then he’s one to look at bringing in as a keeper. But not right now

Holds

Brendan Piakura (EDG, $366K)

• After his early HIA which resulted in a 0, you may want to get him out of the team, but he still presents a lot of value and should make back the lost cash + plenty more in the coming weeks

Sitili Tupouniua (MID/EDG, $412K)

• He was subbed off injured in the 43rd minute in RD1 for just 22 Pts. It’s worth holding another week to see what his exact role is in the side
• If he gets the full 80 Mins, he has a lot of value, but if he doesn’t he may be one to move on in RD3

Shaun Lane (EDG, $548K)

• Lane scored just 31 Pts in the win over the Dogs, however he did get the 80-minute role
• If he continues to get 80 mins, it’s tough to not see Lane being great value, so definitely worth holding for now

Kalyn Ponga (WFB, $736k) / Ryan Papenhuyzen (WFB, $438k)

• Low scores for these two but I wouldn’t panic. Ponga will score much better in games they win, (or at least are competitive in) and they have a nice schedule
• Papenhuyzen had probably the toughest matchup for a fullback vs Penrith and the game saw just 8 Points. Give him at least another week or two

Nathan Cleary (HLF, $977k) / Nicho Hynes (HLF, $976k)

• The big guns were kept to scores of just 51 and 50 in RD1. No need to panic, both these games were grindy, low scoring games
• Neither saw any good attacking points and still managed to put up 50’s. This looks like their floor

Reuben Cotter (MID, $586k) / Cameron McInnes (MID, $695k)

• Both got lower scores/mins than expected, but wouldn’t panic just yet

Every other cashie/mid ranger that had an average score

• Drew Hutchison, Sam Hughes, Jaemon Salmon, Joe Chan etc. Can’t make judgements after 1 week

Sells

Tevita Tatola (MID, $482K)

• Tatola scored just 32 Pts last week, but it’s the minutes that’re the worry (43 Mins). In order for Tatola to be value, you’d need him around the 50 minute mark
• Arrow is out injured, but this has seen the Bunnies go to a 4 x middle Fwd bench, which can’t be good
• Along with this, it looked as though Tatola was physically exhausted at the 20-Min mark in RD1, so it’s hard to see him getting an uptick in mins

Spencer Leniu (MID $393K)

• 8 week suspension. Sell

Ezra Mam (HLF $420K)

• Scored just 6 Pts in RD1. Scored a ton of tries last season and still averaged just 32 Pts. Hard to see him improving

Jason Taumalolo (MID $453K)

• Scored just 20 minutes and never returned for 2nd stint in RD1 (with no injury concerns). I’d assume this was due to the blowout win
• Regardless, this won’t be the last time we see this and it doesn’t look like we’re getting the old ‘Lolo

Tesi Niu (WFB/CTR, $429K)

• Although having a decent game fantasy-wise in RD1, he was quite poor for the Dolphins which has seen dropped in favour of Averillo. Look elsewhere

Broncos v Rabbitohs

Thu 14/3, 8pm

Broncos

Piakura named after scoring 0 in Round 1 due to a HIA, hopefully he get a good score this week to get his price moving in the right direction. A lot of the Broncos forwards had inflated minutes due to Piakura’s HIA – expect the likes of Haas and Carrigan to play closer to 60 mins as opposed to the 69 and 80 they played respectively.

Rabbitohs

Big news here with Tallis Duncan getting a start on the edge as a result of Jai Arrow’s injury. With an awkward price tag of $413k for Duncan, we think it’s probably best to wait and see how he goes first before rushing to buy him. Tatola disappointing score in Round 1, probably looking like a sell.

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Sharks v Bulldogs

Fri 15/3, 6pm

Sharks

McInnes played only 40 minutes in Round 1, well below what everyone was expecting. Wouldn’t panic just yet though if you own him, as he still scored 42. If he even got another 5 mins, he could’ve pushed towards a 50 avg due to his impressive PPM.

Hynes had a fairly low score, with Trindall taking kick metres off him as predicted. Should bounce back though against the Dogs.

Bulldogs

Addo-Carr’s injury affected the entire Bulldogs forward pack’s rotations pretty much, with Salmon playing “80 mins at lock” – but in reality it was 27 mins middle, 13 edge and 40 at centre.

Kiraz was also forced onto the wing, so wouldn’t be concerned about his 35. Mann and Curran scored well but they had inflated minutes due to Addo-Carr going off, would expect their minutes to decrease.

Hutchison and Hughes fairly uninspiring with scores of 34 and 25 respectively, but they’re holds for now.

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Panthers v Eels

Fri 15/3, 8pm

Panthers

Yeo and May were very impressive in Round 1, with scores of 70 and 66. May especially was impressive, and is looking like a potential top shelf keeper at either CTR or WFB.

Cleary had a fairly low score by his standards with 51, but nothing to worry about.

Eels

I’m sure a lot of people will be looking at Bryce Cartwright this week after hitting a career high 89, but he is almost certainly a trap – 6 offloads and 2 tries are not sustainable.

Hopgood’s mins were a little bit down, but wouldn’t be concerned just yet. Moses had a poor score due to a groin injury, though him being named this week is promising.

Penisini was very solid with a score of 40 almost all through base stats.

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Raiders v West Tigers

Sat 16/3, 3pm

Raiders

Cotric is the one that makes way for Sebastian Kris, which is unfortunate for those that bought Cotric thinking that he’d hold the spot. Kris returns at centre, pushing Hopoate to the wing, and Rapana keeping the fullback role.

Hosking and Smithies were great in Round 1, but if you don’t own I’d probably recommend holding off due to the returns of Whitehead and Horsburgh in the coming weeks.

Fogarty was very solid, kicking for 799 metres. Rapana and Levi also put up serviceable scores.

West Tigers

Lachlan Galvin has won a halves spot over Aidan Sezer which is a big surprise, with Sullivan being named at halfback as well. Both could turn out to be good options depending on how they split the playmaking duties.

Solomona Faataape is named at centre, but with Olam not far away his job security isn’t great. Sezer being on the bench bodes well for Koroisau, who should hopefully see 70 or so minutes.

Seyfarth is another interesting one, getting the starting lock role – probably best to wait and see on minutes first though.

Cowboys v Knights

Sat 16/3, 5:30 pm

Cowboys

Most of the fantasy relevant guys put up solid scores (Robson 52, Luki 48). Cotter was a little bit underwhelming, with 41 in 51 mins. Given that it was a game where Cowboys dominated possession, Cotter didn’t have too much work to do. His minutes probably would’ve been higher if the game was closer, plus he had -8 in demerits (TL;DR hold Cotter).

McIntyre could be one to watch, after scoring 44 in 47 mins off the bench. Taumalolo only played 21 mins, with no reports of injury – sell if you own him. 

Knights

Jenkins replaces Tuala on the wing, and KPP starts with Jed Cartwright on the bench given Lucas’ absence.

Ponga should improve on his 35, after being held fairly quiet. Not much else to note fantasy wise.

Storm v Warriors

Sat 16/3, 7.35 pm

Storm

Pezet starts again in Munster’s absence, but with the uncertainty of how long he’s out for, Pezet is probably one to avoid.

Papenhuyzen, Grant and Chan all had fairly low scores – all will improve. 

Warriors

Warriors big guns in AFB, Tohu and SJ all scored very well and look like being top tier keepers once again.

Tuaupiki scored 45 despite having a HIA – owners will be praying CNK is in no rush to return.

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Sea Eagles v Roosters

Sun 17/3, 4.05pm

Sea Eagles

The man, the myth, the legend – Tommy Talau starts on the wing following Jason Saab’s hamstring injury. Don’t do it to yourself, that’s all we’ll say.

Ben Trbojevic scored a very impressive 53 which kick starts his money making, and with Schuster returning back via reserve grade hopefully Burbo can hold the spot for at least a few more weeks.

Roosters

Spencer Leniu has copped a 8 week suspension, with JWH coming in as a like for like replacement. Terrell May could be one to benefit, with potential for more minutes.

The Roosters pack’s minutes is still very up in the air, so we think its best to probably wait and see on May for now – especially given his not so cheap price tag of $523k. Tupouniua and Wong are both holds.

Dolphins v Dragons

Sun 17/3, 6.15 pm

Dolphins

Sean O’Sullivan and Tesi Niu have been dropped with Katoa and Averillo their replacements. Aitken is also now starting in the back row as a result of Lemuelu’s injury, who is expected to miss 4 weeks. Given Dolphins have a Bye in Round 3, it is not enough time to make Aitken worthwhile.

Plath is starting at lock but probably not enough minutes to go around, in addition to the fact Ray Stone could get the spot back when he’s back from his HIA. Fleger scored 56 in Round 1, albeit with a try.

Dragons

The Dragons are another team where most of their options are wait and see’s. Eisenhuth and RFM both scored well in Round 1, but with Lawrie and Luciano Leilua now added to the side there will be less minutes to go around.

Liddle was very impressive, but we’d also recommend to wait and see on him for now. Viliami Fifita short spell as a potential cash cow appears to be over for now. 

Team Recaps

Kyle – Baby Face Leota

RD1 Score – 734

Overall Rank – 21202

General Thoughts

Fairly happy with the score and rank considering the injury plagued scores of 0 and 22 to Piakura and Tupouniua. Decided to go aggressive with the likes of Hosking and Tuaupiki who should both see 3-4 weeks of solid scores and price rises before likely losing their spots.

Not overly concerned about the low scores from Ponga, Papenhuyzen and Kiraz given they each played either big losses / low scoring games.

Also not concerned about the low score from Cleary. 50+ in a game Penrith score 0 points is somewhat of a good sign.

Trade Thoughts

Initial thoughts are to make 0 trades this round, with no urgent trade outs. It looks like Piakura and Tupouniua will be fit to play so should probably hold fire there. I’ll probably give Ponga, Papi and Kiraz all at least another week or two as well.

Cotric hasn’t been named so I may look to move him onto another cheapie like Galvin, however I’m happy to wait a week and use Cotric as a looper.

Alessandro – NRL Fantasy Scout

RD 1 Score – 697

Overall Rank – 51560

General Thoughts

Not too concerned, no real major issues except for Niu. Disappointed in Cleary captain – I actually captained Haas but forgot to press save on the website and it didn’t carry over to the app 🙁 

Maybe regret not starting with Hosking and Penisini (given Niu is now dropped), but other than that wouldn’t have changed anything. 

Trade Thoughts

I always try to make 0 trades after Round 1, as I feel as if you can’t make proper judgment on players with only 1 week of data.

Niu seems like a sell, but am in no particular rush as there’s no real stand out buys. McIntyre and Galvin are the 2 main guys on my radar currently, but will wait and see how they go for at least this week, if not more.

Can use Niu as a loop in the meantime – he plays last game of the round which is perfect. Always post my team and trades to my story before the Round starts, so if you want to see what I do every week check out my page – @NRL Fantasy Scout on Instagram.

 

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