Fantasy Q&A: Round 7

A couple of high-value strugglers are facing the axe this week, but punting them isn't a straightforward call despite their dismal scoring of late.

• NRL Late Mail: Round 7
• NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 7

Ahead of Round 7 we look over the prospects of both Kalyn Ponga and J'maine Hopgood, while discussing whether David Fifita is now a bargain grab at under $700k.

There's also set to be another rush on Dragons EDG Dylan Egan, with almost a third of all teams having already got on the in-form rookie.  

NRL Fantasy Q&A: Round 7

Should I sell Hopgood?

A move to being a part-time hooker in recent weeks has not been kind to J'maine Hopgood's Fantasy outlook, with consecutive scores under 40 setting off alarm bells for owners.

The new setup – which for the last couple of games has seen him named at lock but actually start the game at hooker – has resulted in a decrease in minutes for MID/EDG, with the major difference in his metrics coming via defensive output

Last week Hopgood made 36 tackles, while a week before it was just 26, marking a decent reduction from the 43.5 he averaged through the first four rounds. His offload game, which is a core part of his Fantasy scores usually, has also completely dried up in the past fortnight. 

It's unclear how long coach Jason Ryles will keep going with this rotation, but with Hopgood having lost $28k last week and now having a break even of 68 to try and reach, he's shaping as a sell either this week, or ahead of Round 8, if things don't change.

Time to get Fifita?

After starting the season on the bench for the Titans, David Fifita's minutes have been steadily building over the past four weeks, culminating in him earning a starting role in Round 5 and 6.

His Fantasy scores have been climbing at the same time and he's now looking like being an underpriced EDG keeper after hitting 92 in a 74-minute stint last week. 

Fifita is one of the Gold Coast's best players and a proven Fantasy gun, so if you think he can command upwards of an hour on the field going forward – which I do – then he's a great pickup this week at just $668k.

What to do with Ponga?

When you rank him by L3 (last three game) average, Kalyn Ponga sits 65th among WFBs following three-straight games with scores under 30.

Needless to say, that's not what you expected when you invested all that money in the Newcastle skipper, and if it was a lesser name then you'd be considering selling him even if he was worth a fraction of Ponga's current $656k price tag.

Much like Fletcher Sharpe and Greg Marzhew to a lesser extent, Ponga is suffering in Fantasy due to being part of a Knights side which is really, really struggling in attack right now.

As frustrating as it is right now, eventually it's likely to turn around, and when it's all said and done I expect Ponga to finish the season as a keeper WFB. We all saw what he did through the first couple of rounds when he averaged 72 points per game. 

He's a hold. 

Have I missed the boat on Dylan Egan?

Not at all.

If you picked up Dragons rookie Dylan Egan three weeks ago when he was available for the basement price of $230k then you've already pocketed an outstanding $172k in gains. 

But thanks to a monster score of 75 last week, Egan has a -21 break even which he should crush with ease, setting himself up for several more price rises in coming rounds. 

He has no obvious competition for a spot in this St George Illawarra team right now, and even if he did it could be argued that he's playing well enough to keep them at bay anyway. 

You can still get him now and realistically expect to make close to $100k over the next month, as well as gaining an EDG who can sit in your scoring 17 without too much worry.