Cronulla bounced back into the finals last season and are a team with several strong Fantasy options – even if 2015 Rookie of the Year isn't the bargain buy he once was.
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Fantasy guns
Paul Gallen: One of two Sharks forwards priced well over $500,000 this season, Gallen is a huge Fantasy scorer on his day but the Blues skipper tends to miss a chunk of game time around the Origin period these days. Still, when fit he's got one of the strongest work ethics in the game, making a mountain of run metres each week while also capable of producing tackle breaks, offloads and tries.
Andrew Fifita: A devastating ball-runner at NRL level, Fifita is capable of notching 100 points in a game when everything clicks and makes enough tackles and metres to post decent scores even on one of his quiet days. That scoring capacity means he will start the season costing a massive $543,000, and will need to score 60 points a game to keep that price tag.
Wild cards
James Maloney: The Sharks' star signing from the Roosters can expect to do more kicking in general player at his new club, which is a good sign for his Fantasy prospects. Last season at the Roosters he was rarely the dominant kicker in general play when paired with Mitchell Pearce, making more kick metres of the two just four times all season. But he's likely to become the chief playmaker at the Sharks alongside either Chad Townsend – who played second fiddle to Shaun Johnson at the Warriors last season – or Jack Bird, who averaged just 40 kick metres a game. Maloney is already a decent Fantasy scorer, finishing with nine tries and 19 try assists last year – albeit while playing for the NRL's best attacking team.
Fa'amanu Brown: While former Dally M winner Ben Barba's low price tag is sure to entice some Fantasy coaches, there's a slightly cheaper option at the Sharks who could also make an impact from the bench this year. Nu Brown missed last season after suffering an ACL injury at the Auckland Nines but can cover a variety of positions and with a $170,000 price will have a break even of less than 20 after averaging 28 back in 2014. He's unlikely to be a first-choice starter, but could be one to keep in mind as the season gets closer.
2016 NRL Fantasy prices
Andrew Fifita ($543,000)
Paul Gallen ($536,000)
Wade Graham ($463,000)
Michael Ennis ($406,000)
Jack Bird ($400,000)
James Maloney ($393,000)
Luke Lewis ($393,000)
Chad Townsend ($347,000)
Chris Heighington ($331,000)
Ricky Leutele ($288,000)
Jayson Bukuya ($281,000)
Valentine Holmes ($264,000)
Joseph Paulo ($254,000)
Jesse Sene-Lefao ($244,000)
Gerard Beale ($241,000)
Matt Prior ($234,000)
Sosaia Feki ($218,000)
Sam Tagataese ($217,000)
David Fifita ($212,000)
Matt McIlwrick ($185,000)
Ben Barba ($178,000)
Fa'amanu Brown ($170,000)
Jacob Gagan ($161,000)
Tinirau Arona ($151,000)
Mitch Brown ($134,000)
Tim Robinson ($134,000)
Josh Cleeland ($130,000)
Junior Roqica ($130,000)