It's Thursday and that means another chance at beating your mates and winning $500 by playing NRL Fantasy Match Day Thursday.
Every Thursday brings a whole new game and in Round 3 we have the Cowboys taking on the Roosters. All you need to do is pick six players from both teams, select a captain (who will score triple points) and a vice-captain (double points) and see your NRL Fantasy points roll in while watching Thursday Night Footy.
So which six players should you select for tonight's game? Let's take a look at some of the form Fantasy players.
Hooker (HOK)
Roosters rake Jake Friend is the second best NRL Fantasy hooker after two rounds in 2016, behind only Fantasy legend Cameron Smith. Friend racked up Fantasy scores of 66 and 61 in rounds one and two and is the obvious HOK choice and captain option for your Match Day Thursday team. Cowboys hooker Jake Granville (averaging 35 points) actually started on the bench in Round 2 with back-up hooker Rory Kostjasyn (average 22.5) starting. Roosters five-eighth Jayden Nikorima (34) is a dual-position player in NRL Fantasy and can be selected at HOK if you are looking for a point of difference.
Front-row forward (FRF)
The FRF position is hotly contested tonight with Dylan Napa (average 41 points), James Tamou (38), Kane Evans (34) and Matt Scott (32.5) all solid options. The two Cowboys starting props are both averaging 48 minutes per game, while Napa is averaging 55 minutes of game time and Evans 42 minutes. It's expected to be wet and humid in Townsville tonight, so which big man is going to handle the conditions the best?
Second-row forward (2RF)
Cowboys second-rower Ethan Lowe is going great guns on his side's right edge and is blitzing the NRL Fantasy scores so far this season. An 80-minute player, Lowe has recorded Fantasy scores of 85 and 56 in the first two rounds. He is averaging 123 run metres and 35 tackles per game and is another captain or vice-captain option this Match Day Thursday. Other options at 2RF are Roosters Aidan Guerra (45.5), Sio Siua Taukeiaho (44) and Dylan Napa (41), or Cowboys left-side second-rower Gavin Cooper (40.5).
Half (HLF)
Young Roosters halfback Jackson Hastings goes up against the maestro Johnathan Thurston tonight with both having the same Fantasy average of 41.5 points so far this season. At five-eighth, Cowboys pivot Michael Morgan has had a slow start to the Fantasy season averaging 19.5 points, while Roosters rookie Jayden Nikorima has impressed with an average of 34 points. Will Thurston cut loose in Townsville tonight? Will you make him captain or vice-captain in your Match Day Thursday team?
Centre (CTR)
The centre position in Match Day Thursday could be the difference in beating your mates, with some evenly-matched candidates available for selection. Cowboys centre Kane Linnett has the best average so far with 37 points, while Justin O'Neill (29) could benefit if Ethan Lowe has a big game on the right side for the home team. For the Roosters, utility Mitchell Aubusson (33.5) could be an astute pick at CTR as he is a dual-position player in Fantasy. Aubusson is playing second-row for the Roosters in the absence of Boyd Cordner and is averaging 80 minutes, 70 run metres and 26 tackles per game. Roosters attacking weapons Blake Ferguson (29) and Shaun Kenny-Dowall (23.5) are also available at CTR.
Wing-Fullback (WFB)
Dual-position players Justin O'Neill (29), Blake Ferguson (29), Shaun Kenny-Dowall (23.5) and Dale Copley (19) are all available at WFB. Try-scoring usual suspects Kyle Feldt (16) and Daniel Tupou (15) have had quiet starts to the Fantasy season, while opposing fullbacks Lachlan Coote (27.5) and Latrell Mitchell (25.5) will be looking to chime into their respective backlines. It's a bit of a lottery here and your WFB selection should hinge on who you think will make the most attacking stats - such as tries, line breaks, tackle breaks and run metres tonight.
There is no salary cap in Match Day Fantasy so you can pick any six players in their respective positions. Once you've selected your team set up a League with your friends or work colleagues and play Match Day Thursday every week. Pick your team on Thursday and win bragging rights by Friday.
More NRL Fantasy news and hints
What will your Match Day Thursday team look like?
