One of two teams to play in all three major bye rounds in 2017, the Rabbitohs will once again be a popular club with NRL Fantasy coaches – particularly with two former Fantasy stars starting the season with cheap price tags.
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Fantasy guns
Sam Burgess (2RF, $523,000): He wasn't quite the immediate saviour South Sydney fans dreamed of but 2014 grand final hero Burgess was impressive again in NRL Fantasy after returning to the code following a stint in English rugby union. It was no surprise that he improved as the season went on in his first year back in rugby league. Burgess averaged a solid 52 Fantasy points per game before Round 20 but increased that to an excellent 62 in the final seven rounds. If he can maintain those scores in the 60s he'll be good value again at the start of 2017.
Adam Reynolds (HLF, $458,000): Reynolds had a mixed season in 2016, earning the NSW halfback spot but also being limited by injury to just 16 NRL matches. He only played the full 80 minutes in 12 of those, with injuries restricting his minutes in four other games. His $458,000 price is based on his last-season average of 48 points a game, but he actually averaged almost 54 when he stayed on the field for the full 80.
Wildcards
Robbie Farah (HOK, $435,000): After a tumultuous end to his Wests Tigers career – finishing the season as the incumbent NSW Origin hooker but unable to hold even a bench spot at club level – Farah gets a new chance at South Sydney. Once the most valuable player in Fantasy (he averaged 66 points a game in 2013), Farah's a quality all-round scorer at hooker who thrives when playing the full 80 minutes. Last season he scored a solid 47 points per game from nine matches, weighed down by a score of 11 in 22 minutes against the Bulldogs in Round 10. He played the full 80 four times, scoring 72, 62, 45 and 57, for an average of 59 in those matches. If he's named at No.9 with no hooker on the Rabbitohs bench he'll be hard to ignore at the start of the new campaign.
George Burges (FRF, $302,000): Hampered by a groin injury in 2016, George Burgess's price dropped by a whopping $205,000 over the course of the season after averaging less than 32 points a game. He was a genuine gun the year before, scoring 50.6 per game, so if he gets anywhere near those scores a gain he should be a both moneymaker and decent contributor of points. It's still a gamble though whether he will improve enough to lift his average out of the 30s.
2017 NRL Fantasy prices
Sam Burgess (2RF, $523,000)
Cody Walker (HLF, WFB, $475,000)
Adam Reynolds (HLF, $458,000)
Robbie Farah (HOK, $435,000)
Greg Inglis (WFB, $421,000)
John Sutton (2RF, $405,000)
Robbie Rochow (2RF, $392,000)
Kyle Turner (2RF, $350,000)
Bryson Goodwin (CTR, $346,000)
Jason Clark (2RF, $325,000)
Damien Cook (HOK, $322,000)
Thomas Burgess (FRF, $320,000)
Hymel Hunt (CTR, $305,000)
George Burgess (FRF, $302,000)
Aaron Gray (WFB, CTR, $295,000)
Alex Johnston (WFB, $258,000)
Luke Kelly (HLF, $242,000)
Zane Musgrove (FRF, $237,000)
Angus Crichton (2RF, $229,000)
David Tyrrell (FRF, $212,000)
Dane Nielsen (CTR, $204,000)
Siosifa Talakai (CTR, $177,000)
Jack Gosiewski (2RF, $143,000)
Anthony Cherrington (FRF, $138,000)
Robert Jennings (CTR, WFB, $138,000)
More NRL Fantasy guides for 2017
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