This week we're breaking down which Fantasy stars will back up from Origin I and making the call to punt one of this year's success stories.
While selection uncertainty swirls, here is our take on the key issues facing coaches ahead of Round 14 kicking off on Friday night.
Get the latest on all of the ins and outs here.
Crucial Fantasy calls for Round 14
Which Origin players can we rely on?
Fantasy coaches have some big decisions to make when it comes to selecting players who featured in Wednesday night's Origin clash, especially in the case of guys whose teams play on Sunday, meaning your options to do a late trade will be limited.
Of the lesser-owned players, we can safely say Selwyn Cobbo is unlikely after picking up a hip injury, while Api Koroisau and Hudson Young will probably have reduced minutes if they do take the field, with the Wests Tigers v Raiders game in Sydney falling 48 hours on from Origin I in Adelaide.
On the other side of it, Tom Flegler should be good to go after he played only 21 minutes on Wednesday. Both David Fifita and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui look set to back up for the Titans too, but could have reduced roles.
Here's how things look for Fantasy's most popular Origin players:
- Nathan Cleary – Doesn't play until the last game of the round on Sunday, so is well positioned to back up. The only worry here is that they are playing the bottom-ranked Dragons and this could be seen as a chance to get a couple of stars a rest. Make sure you have a HLF who can be an auto emergency and a good vice captain if you're making him skipper.
- Nicho Hynes – Almost certain to play for the Sharks after getting just 12 minutes off the bench for the Blues and I'd be captaining him too. Will be looking for a big game to bounce back after a disappointing Origin debut and it's easy to see him scoring really well.
- Reece Walsh – Probably one Kevin Walters might look to rest later in the series, but should play this week against the Sharks.
From the field: Walsh
- Payne Haas – Only played 50 minutes for the Blues, so from that point of view would be a good chance of backing up. But, he appeared to be favouring his ankle, and if there is even the slightest concern there it wouldn't be a surprise to see him rested. It's a 50/50 call on big Payne.
- Patrick Carrigan – Should play, but might end up reverting to the bench and playing reduced minutes, with Kobe Hetherington capable of picking up the slack.
- Harry Grant – Should be OK in terms of workload, with the real concern being the travel involved to get to Townsville for the game against the Cowboys. Given the Storm don't have a great deal of quality depth in his position, a drastic loss of minutes is unlikely.
- James Tedesco – Should line up for the Roosters given they play on Sunday and he seems a relatively safe selection in Fantasy. With Joey Manu needed in the halves there isn't a great deal of cover, so this might be a week where he pushes through.
Bye bye, Birdy
For the second time in three weeks Jack Bird has been rested due to knee soreness, and there is now a good chance he doesn't return to the field until Round 17 (the Dragons have a bye in Round 16, so it makes sense to rest him next week too and extend his recovery time).
NRL Fantasy in focus: Bird flown?
That makes Bird – who is in almost 14 percent of teams – a sell this week, with his $688k price tag too much to carry, especially during a time when many Origin players will have red dots and a stack of other players will be unavailable due to byes.
As a Fantasy eligible CTR who actually plays in the forward pack and scores consistently, Bird has been everything he promised at the start of the year, but it's time to move on
Fantasy draft free agent of the week
Okunbooooor!
Jayden Okunbor isn't in many Draft teams due to his usual position on the bench for the Bulldogs, but this week he's an excellent option if you need a WFB. He's named to start in the second row and is coming off scores of 57 and 46. He doesn't have job security, but in Draft that's not so important, and in Round 14 when plenty of good WFBs won't play, Okunbor is a solid trade in.