Mitch Moses returns from injury, Karl Oloapu's stock is on the rise and the new man in charge at the Dragons presents us with a possible bargain at HOK.
With the first of the big bye rounds coming up in Round 13, and Origin just around the corner, a bunch of potential trades have popped up at just the right time in this week's team lists.
Broncos v Panthers, Thursday at Suncorp Stadium
Broncos: Jock Madden gets another run at halfback, with Adam Reynolds (head knock) out again this week. But at $418k Madden is awkwardly priced and should be avoided. Payne Haas powered to a season-high 86 last week and shapes as being a near must-have MID after Origin.
Panthers: Scott Sorensen retains his spot in the back row following a stunning 94-point showing last week, with Liam Martin again on the bench. Jarome Luai's 81 against the Roosters was almost double his previous best score in 2023. HOK Soni Luke, who is owned by over 13 percent of teams, looked a bit better on his way to 27 last week, but making money off him so far has been a frustrating process.
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Dragons v Roosters, Friday at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Dragons: Plenty of changes as St George Illawarra begin life post Anthony Griffin, with the return of $501k CTR Zac Lomax heading up the list after two weeks out of the NRL side. Ben Hunt will start at halfback after being named at hooker last week, with Jacob Liddle the new No.9 and Moses Mbye listed in the reserves. At $455k and with a break even of 51, Liddle could be a cut-price HOK option in coming weeks if he starts getting increased minutes under the interim coaching setup. Jayden Sullivan is listed on the bench after a whirlwind game for his Fantasy owners last week, which saw him start at halfback, get binned and then spend the rest of the game sitting on the bench, resulting in a score of 3.
Roosters: An ankle injury has stalled what was becoming a very nice run of Fantasy form for Joey Manu at five-eighth, and this week his spot in the halves is taken by Drew Hutchison ($236k). Billy Smith keeps his spot at centre following scores of 62 and 60 in his two games this year, and at $431k will be a bargain if he can stay healthy. $461k MID Matt Lodge is scoring well off the bench and last week had 61 in a heavy defeat to the Panthers. Egan Butcher, who averages 43.3 this year, returns from a week out with concussion.
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Rabbitohs v Eels, Friday at Allianz Stadium
Rabbitohs: Tevita Tatola's 49 minutes last week was his second biggest shift of the year, and after scoring 44 his price is on the way back up, currently sitting at just $445k. EDG cheapies Michael Chee-Kam and Jacob Host both scored in the 40s last week, while Latrell Mitchell bounced back from an off performance in Magic Round to score 64 and remain the top WFB in the game by total points.
Eels: Mitch Moses is back after a week out with concussion, providing a huge boost to the 6 percent of teams who have him. With Shaun Lane (hamstring) facing a decent stint on the sideline, Bryce Cartwright – who was shaping as a sell this week for those who still have him – is now a hold after regaining his starting spot in the back row. $470k EDG Andrew Davey keeps his place in the run-on side and is good value if you think he can keep that role long term.
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Sharks v Knights, Saturday at C.ex Coffs International Stadium
Sharks: Siosifa Talakai is out again as he continues to battle the neck injury which saw him withdraw from the squad prior to kick-off last week, with Connor Tracey (CTR/WFB, $472k) named at centre. MID Oregon Kaufusi returns from illness to start at prop, in what is a straight swap for Cameron McInnes, who is out for up to four weeks with a broken hand.
Knights: A try and three try assists helped Kalyn Ponga to a 56 last week and his price tag of $407k is probably on the up now. The Queenslander remains a very up-and-down prospect in Fantasy, but there is some upside given the price. After initially shaping as one of the best cash cows of 2023, WFB Lachlan Miller is really struggling on the Fantasy front now and averages 33 across his last four games. Unless you have a clear upgrade in mind, he's probably a hold for the time being though. $738k EDG Tyson Frizell is tracking nicely with a last three game average of 50.7.
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Wests Tigers v Cowboys, Saturday at Leichhardt Oval
Wests Tigers: $392k WFB Jahream Bula continues to make some nice cash in the No.1 jersey and enters Round 12 with a break even of 5. Luke Brooks ($556k) is showing signs of life in Fantasy with a four-game stretch of scores in the 40s.
Cowboys: EDG Heilum Luki ($516k) has averaged 53 in his past three games and comes off a monster 84 last week, and his price is set to climb substantially over the next couple of rounds. Jack Gosiewski is in line to make some more cash after hitting 42 last week and has so far risen $125k in value this year. Mid-week signing Sam McIntyre has been included in the reserves and could yet come in for his club debut.
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Dolphins v Storm, Saturday at Suncorp Stadium
Dolphins: The sight of Valynce Te Whare in the reserves is a big blow for the 16 percent of teams who own the CTR, WFB, with coach Wayne Bennett opting to start Brenko Lee in his return from a hamstring injury. After scoring 59 Fantasy points in his Round 10 debut, Te Whare has a -11 break even and is a definite hold if you own him, with more NRL opportunities likely in coming weeks. Anthony Milford ($409k) got 40 minutes off the bench in the Dolphins' last game and scored 26 points. Ray Stone, who is still owned by over 11 percent of teams, returns from injury on the interchange.
Storm: Starting EDG players Eliesa Katoa and Trent Loiero continued to perform well last week with a 55 and 47 respectively, while Will Warbrick rewarded the 18 percent of teams who have held onto him with a 44, which is his best score since Round 4. Harry Grant is still playing well but might be a sell for some after this week given his upcoming Origin commitments and Melbourne's reasonably unfavourable bye schedule for those who are playing for overall points.
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Bulldogs v Titans, Sunday at Accor Stadium
Bulldogs: There is potentially great news for owners of popular cash cow Karl Oloapu ($269k), with the teenager promoted from the bench to start at five-eighth. It remains to be seen if that results in more minutes though, with the possibility that Josh Reynolds still comes off the bench and switches with him. The return of Josh Addo-Carr from injury could be good news for owners of Paul Alamoti, with the CTR having already earned a couple more price rises with a 50 last week. After being a late inclusion in the run-on side in Round 11 and scoring 70, MID Harrison Edwards ($378k) is named to start and has a break even of -12.
Titans: David Fifita ($908k) is Fantasy's form EDG and has scored over 60 points in each of his last seven games. Erin Clark returns from a finger injury on the bench, while both Aaron Schoupp and Ken Maumalo have been named in the reserves. Highly-owned HLF, HOK Tanah Boyd ($697k) continued his strong run of form with a 42 last week and hasn't scored under 40 since Round 2.
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Raiders v Sea Eagles, Sunday at GIO Stadium
Raiders: Back-rower Hudson Young finished with 70 last week and is in fine form, with a last three game average of 63. After a run of scores under 50, Joseph Tapine (MID, $695k) has returned to form in the last fortnight and comes off a 60 in Round 11. $651k CTR Matthew Timoko is now among the elite options in his position, averaging 55 points across his last four games.
Sea Eagles: Josh Schuster is back in the halves and while he isn't exactly Fantasy relevant anymore, it'll be worth seeing what impact, if any, he has on Daly Cherry-Evans' scores. Injuries to a couple of key forwards last week sees basement-priced Ben Trbojevic, who can play EDG or CTR in Fantasy, get a start in the second row. Following last week's 25, Tom Trbojevic has now dropped $153k in value since the start of the season.
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