NRL Fantasy by the numbers: Round 20

The post-Origin carnage turned out to be fairly minimal in Round 20, as Nathan Cleary made a triumphant return to the field and a handful of traditional guns hit big scores.

It was a nice week for EDG players, led by Hudson Young's round-high 92 to open the action on Friday night, and all up five players with designation in that position feature in our Fantasy Team of the Week. 

NRL Fantasy by the numbers: Round 20

Can't miss Cleary

After two and a half months out injured Nathan Cleary returned on Sunday and didn't miss a beat, orchestrating a come-from-behind win over the Dolphins and hitting 76 in Fantasy.

It didn't come as a surprise to at the 14 percent of coaches who opted to captain the Penrith No.7 in his return and were duly rewarded with double points on the week's fifth-biggest score. 

It also meant he came closer than expected to hitting his break even of 96 and he's now a priority trade in target for this week if you do want him, with his current price tag of $835k likely to be the lowest he'll get for the rest of 2024. 

Something's ticking with Tom

Tom Starling has emerged as a cut-price keeper at HOK, with his minutes shooting through the roof in recent weeks and his Fantasy scores going the same way.

After averaging 27.6 minutes through his first 13 games and being a <25-point player, he's played no fewer than 68 minutes in his past three and averaged 55.3. 

No player in the game has a more dramatic increase between their season average and L3 average than Starling right now, and at $438k he is an absolute steal who is smashing out keeper scores. 

There's value in Jack

Storm big man Jack Howarth is becoming somewhat of a late-season revelation in Fantasy after nailing down a spot in the centres for coach Craig Bellamy and hitting some good scores, with a L3 average of 42.

While he's listed only as an EDG right now, he's started the last three games at centre and will be a chance of gaining DPP status as a CTR when the third and final window for those changes happens post the teams being named for Round 21.

If that happens then I really like him as a CTR option for the run home, with Howarth playing on the end of one of the NRL's best teams and boasting plenty of tackle break potential. He enters this week with a break even of 0. 

Round 20 Fantasy Team of the Week

1. Tom Trbojevic (WFB) – 91 points
2. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (WFB) – 77 points
3. Deine Mariner (CTR/WFB) – 69 points
4. Phillip Sami (CTR/WFB) – 58 points
5. Sunia Turuva (WFB) – 69 points
6. Isaiya Katoa (HLF) – 72 points
7. Nathan Cleary (HLF) – 76 points
8. Addin Fonua-Blake (MID) – 75 points
9. Damien Cook (HOK) – 79 points
10. Mitchell Barnett (MID/EDG) – 66 points
11. Hudson Young (EDG) – 92 points
12. Heilum Luki (EDG) – 71 points
13. James Fisher-Harris (MID) – 68 points
14. Beau Fermor (EDG) – 70 points
15. Shawn Blore (EDG) – 72 points
16. Lachlan Galvin (HLF) – 70 points
17. Matt Burton (HLF) – 68 points