Home to some of the best forwards in Fantasy, there's also money to be made on some Raiders youngsters in 2024.
After strong campaigns last year which saw them feature in a glut of sides by the end of the season, Corey Horsburgh and Joseph Tapine will be popular MID options, while EDG Hudson Young has a good chance of being in the top five for his position again.
But the real point of interest here is in their lesser-known prospects, with Ethan Strange or Kaeo Weekes, who can each be yours for under $253k to start the year, likely to take the vacant No.6 jersey. There's also a potential gap at fullback or centre, depending where Sebastian Kris plays.
Another two worth keeping an eye on are new recruits Zac Hosking and Morgan Smithies, who cost a bit more but are good chances of nabbing prominent roles in the pack.
Hosking: It's been an easy transition
Raiders 2024 NRL Fantasy guide
The big gun
While their aforementioned forwards are great options, the Raider who will dominate in 2024 is Jamal Fogarty. A 46.3 point per game HLF last year, he is likely to consistently score in the mid-50s this time, thanks mostly to the situation around him. Jack Wighton is gone and unless coach Ricky Stuart finds a specialist half between now and Round 1, Fogarty is going to be playing next to someone who has hardly played in the halves at NRL level. That means most of the kicking and playmaking will go through him, with lots of base stats available on top of his goal kicking and running game. He's a sleeping giant.
The bargain
There's no clear indication yet of who has the inside running for the vacant No.6 jersey, but for this category the answer is Ethan Strange thanks to the fact that he's a chance of featuring at centre, even if Weekes beats him to a spot in the halves. Designated as a CTR in Fantasy, Strange is a powerful ball runner with big potential for tackle busts and decent base stats off run metres. He would have averaged just over 30 points per game if Fantasy metrics applied to reserve grade last year, which gives you a decent idea of what he might be able to do at NRL level.
NRL Fantasy: Strange option for HLF?
Bye round outlook
Rounds 10, 14 and 19. All over and done with in the space of nine rounds, which is a positive if you are looking to bring Raiders in throughout the year. They'll sit out the last of the major bye rounds in Round 19 and won't play in Round 14 when there'll be plenty of other red dots due to players not backing up from Origin I and byes for other teams.
2024 full player price list
- Corey Horsburgh: MID, $762,000
- Joseph Tapine: MID, $737,000
- Hudson Young: EDG, $646,000
- Jamal Fogarty: HLF, $637,000
- Matthew Timoko: CTR, $602,000
- Zac Hosking: EDG, $584,000
- Josh Papali'i: MID, $579,000
- Elliott Whitehead: EDG, $569,000
- Morgan Smithies: EDG, $520,000
- Corey Harawira-Naera: EDG, $514,000
- Jordan Rapana: WFB, $487,000
- Emre Guler: MID, $480,000
- Tom Starling: HOK, $465,000
- Zac Woolford: HOK, $428,000
- Albert Hopoate: WFB, $404,000
- Sebastian Kris: CTR/WFB, $395,000
- Xavier Savage: WFB, $350,000
- Pasami Saulo: MID, $344,000
- Hohepa Puru: MID, $325,000
- Trey Mooney: MID, $300,000
- Danny Levi: HOK, $286,000
- Ata Mariota: MID, $282,000
- Nick Cotric: CTR/WFB, $261,000
- Kaeo Weekes: HLF/WFB, $252,000
- Peter Hola: MID, $250,000
- Ethan Strange: CTR, $250,000
- James Schiller: CTR/WFB, $250,000
- Chevy Stewart: WFB, $230,000