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NRL Fantasy Q&A: Round 1
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There are possible cash cows galore taking the field in the second part of Round 1 this week, but which ones can actually be the real deal?
We're here to answer some of your burning questions as we get into the remainder of the opening slate of games.
Don't forget to join the conversation and follow along on the NRL Fantasy Facebook page and Instagram.
NRL Fantasy Q&A: Round 1
Out of all the cheapies named to start this week, which ones should we prioritise?
In the end so many potential cash cows emerged from Team List Tuesday that it was actually a bit overwhelming, especially given most coaches will have at least a few players who are locked out from the Vegas games.
I'd be focusing on making sure you get Roosters HLF Sandon Smith, Parra WFB Isaiah Iongi and Rabbitohs HOK Peter Mamouzelos at this stage.
Smith has a nailed down spot in the Tricolours' halves until Sam Walker returns from an ACL injury, which won't be for a while yet, and although I'm not expecting a heap out of them in attack through the opening rounds, there's too much talent around Smith in that starting side for him to go wanting when it comes to try assists, line break assists etc.
Iongi meanwhile looks safe in his role as a long-term project at the Eels. They've invested in him and allowed Clinton Gutherson to walk out the door to open up a spot at the back, so it's hard to see them dropping him if he has a couple of bad games. Iongi had a decidedly mixed Witzer Pre-Season Challenge campaign on the Fantasy front, with scores of 13 and 55, but there's enough there to suggest he's got the talent and job security to make some cash and possibly be a serviceable WFB for the time being.
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Isaiah Iongi Try
As for Mamouzelos? There's very little in the way of competition for minutes at hooker at South Sydney right now. Jayden Sullivan is on the bench this week but isn't really a dummy-half, while it will be a big disruption to move Jamie Humphreys there mid-game from the halves. Outside of that his only long-term rival for reps is Siliva Havili who is more of a power middle forward these days.
Some will question why Lachlan Hubner isn't one of my three – and fair enough given he's named to start and Wayne Bennett obviously thought enough of him to bring him down from the Dolphins. But Tallis Duncan could easily take the role, or majority of minutes there, in coming weeks, as could Keaon Koloamatangi and a couple of others. That worries me more than it does with the others I've mentioned, but he's still worth a punt if you have room.
Who do you reckon the trap cash cows are?
This one's a little easier to answer.
Before investing in a potential money maker, you need to really look at their club's depth in that position and decide if there's going to enough appearances or minutes for you to make decent cash off them.
An obvious one that concerns me with that in mind is Cory Paix. He starts at hooker this week, but once Blake Mozer returns from injury – which the latest reports suggest could be as early as Round 2 or 3 – there's a very real chance Paix doesn't even have an NRL spot. Similarly, his teammate Jack Gosiewski gets a start this week, but with Brendan Piakura lurking on the bench I'm not sure how long he will stay there.
It goes without saying that nobody should be touching players like Heath Mason, Ronald Volkman and Tristan Hope. Barring something miraculous, these gentlemen are placeholders for now and should be swiftly replaced when the incumbents in their spots are available again.
Who is the possible big gun that nobody is talking about?
John Bateman.
The Englishman was owned by only 12,500 teams at the time of writing this, but I can see him becoming one of the more sought after EDG players in coming months.
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Bateman: It's probably the best pre-season I've had in a few years
There's a track record of Fantasy success for Bateman – with an average score of 53.2 across his four prior NRL campaigns – and with Heilum Luki gone for the season, Bateman is going to be one of North Queensland's main men in the pack.
At $595k he's pretty cheap right now and it's hard to understand why a few more coaches aren't jumping on him ahead of Round 1.
Should you spend all of your salary cap on your initial squad?
If you're not using most of it then something has gone horribly wrong in your initial selections. But it is wise to keep a hundred thousand or so up your sleeve for those inevitable early moves you'll want to make.
Sorry to tell you, but it's likely at least one of your planned cash cows will be a disaster, and even more likely that one you overlooked initially will turn out to be brilliant. You'll want some cash to allow you to make that move even if your target player will have increased in value and the player you want to put on the trade block will have probably stayed at the same value (or lost value if you really messed up).
The other reason is to allow yourself to make an early trade because of an injury or suspension, with that extra cash you stashed sometimes being the difference between having to make one or two trades, which is huge at this time of the season.
