NRL Fantasy by the numbers: Round 18

If you didn't manage to hit a four-digit Fantasy score in Round 18 then there's a good chance you moved in the wrong direction on the overall leaderboard or lost your head-to-head match. 

Twelve players hit totals of 70 or above and of them seven had ownership above 15 percent, which made for a high-scoring round on the whole. 

Here are the key numbers which emerged from the week that was in Fantasy and what it all means for the third and final bye round coming up. 

NRL Fantasy by the numbers: Round 18

It’s WFB season

So often one of the toughest positions to get right in Fantasy, with even the top options being prone to inconsistent scores, WFBs are on fire right now.

Players in that position group occupy four of the top five spots in terms of last-three game averages right now, with James Tedesco (L3 avg. 78.7) leading the way, mid-season diamond Keano Kini (77.3), Latrell Mitchell (76) and Brian To’o (72) round out the list of Fantasy’s form players, with Warriors MID/EDG Mitchell Barnett at the top.

While Tedesco and Mitchell are highly owned, that’s not the case for the other two or Titans dynamo Jayden Campbell (who sits sixth in L3 average), meaning there’s a great opportunity for coaches to grab a high-performing point of difference at WFB right now.  

Keaon the captain?

Keaon Koloamatangi has been a revelation since moving into a middle forward role in Round 12 and has a 68.2 point per game average in the five games he’s played since then at lock. He’s run for 200 metres for more in all of those matches to ensure his base stats are nice and high, while at the dynamic end he’s tipped things over the edge with four tries through that period.

At $756k and with DPP status as both a EDG and MID, the South Sydney big man is not only a brilliant pick up this week, but also a strong contender to be the best captaincy pick in the last of the major bye rounds.

While David Fifita (61) and Rabbitohs teammate Damien Cook (57) are Round 19 green dots who have higher predicted scores than Koloamatangi’s 56, with a favourable match-up against an under-strength Dolphins middle this Thursday, and the fact that he’ll be a point of difference pick (he’s currently owned by less than 10 percent of teams), Keaon's a great option for the ‘c’.

Marzhew watch

Fantasy coaches should be seriously considering a move for Knights WFB Greg Marzhew this week, and here’s why.

After a brilliant 2023 Marzhew had a very quiet start to this season and failed to excite on the Fantasy front, with no score over 50 up until Round 15. That wasn’t all his fault though, with Kalyn Ponga – the chief playmaker for Marzhew’s side of the field – spending much of that time out injured, meaning play was at times more balanced or right-side focused than would normally be the case.

But Ponga’s back now and as of the last fortnight so too is Marzhew’s Fantasy form, with back-to-back scores of 65 and 55 and three tries across those two games.

The powerhouse winger looks set for a big finish to the year and could end up being a low 50s scorer by average from here. If that’s the case then he’s a steal at his current price of $515k. With a break even of 14 this week he’s set to shoot up in value, so if you want him, grab him now.  

Round 18 Fantasy Team of the Week

1. James Tedesco (WFB) – 97 points
2. Reece Walsh (WFB) – 76 points
3. Dane Gagai (CTR) – 80 points
4. Reuben Garrick (CTR, WFB) – 69 points
5. Latrell Mitchell (WFB) – 70 points
6. Tyran Wishart (HLF, WFB) – 70 points
7. Daly Cherry-Evans (HLF) – 69 points
8. Lindsay Collins (MID) – 75 points
9. Reed Mahoney (HOK) – 59 points
10. Reuben Cotter (MID) – 76 points
11. Mitch Barnett (MID/EDG) – 110 points
12. Josh Curran (MID/EDG) – 76 points
13. Max King (MID) – 74 points
14. Angus Crichton (EDG) – 73 points
15. Jeremiah Nanai (EDG) – 71 points
16. Briton Nikora (EDG) – 69 points
17. Keaon Koloamatangi (EDG, MID) / Terrell May (MID) – 69 points