Fantasy Q&A: Round 8

Injury for a popular DPP gun is forcing a large chunk of the Fantasy community into a trade this week, while there a couple of interesting positional switches to consider as well. 

• NRL Late Mail: Round 8
• NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 8

From who to grab for Jayden Campbell to the Selwyn Cobbo question and the Toby Couchman v David Fifita equation, we're here to answer your big questions ahead of Round 8 of the NRL Telstra Premiership season. 

NRL Fantasy Q&A: Round 8

Who are the best trades for Jayden Campbell?

Depending on whether you are playing Campbell as a WFB or HLF, these are the best trade options in my opinion. 

Nathan Cleary (HLF, $754k) – Still very much underpriced right now and looking like he's going to be an elite scorer on a week-to-week basis after an average start to the season. Having Cleary in your team is always a good idea, with the only downside being that he's almost certain to miss a bit of club footy over the Origin period.

Nathan Cleary makes history

Jamal Fogarty (HLF, $715k) – Part of a red-hot Raiders team who are having no trouble scoring points; as long as that continues then he's probably going to be a mid to high 50s scorer. While he doesn't have the ceiling of someone like Cleary or Fletcher Sharpe, he's got a high floor and has failed to hit 50 just once in seven games this season. It doesn't hurt that he's feeding the ball to arguably the NRL's form back-rower in Hudson Young either. 

Fletcher Sharpe (WFB/HLF, $669k) – Just like Campbell, he comes with the massive bonus of having dual status as both a WFB and HLF. Sharpe is playing in a struggling Newcastle side right now but provided he can continue to have success with his running game, which typically brings with it 6-8 tackle busts, he's going to keep scoring well. The sky is the limit when this guy has a big day out. 

Fletcher Sharpe Try

Jacob Kiraz (CTR/WFB, $644k) – A point of difference option who currently sits in under five percent of teams, there's a lot of upside to Kiraz. Since getting on the field following an injury which saw him miss the first month, he's averaged 51.5 without scoring a try or making a line break in either of his two games. He's playing in a team that are likely to win more than they lose from here, so big performances are on the horizon, plus he solves a major problem for you by having status as a CTR as well as WFB. 

Is Toby Couchman or David Fifita a better buy this week? Neither is guaranteed to play 55+ minutes.

Provided you have the money to grab either without needing to make an additional trade, it's definitely Couchman who is the better buy.

While the return of Emre Guler to the Dragons' bench does present some level of threat to Couchman's minutes, I don't think it'll matter nearly enough for potential owners to be put off.

The $750k EDG/MID leads all regular first-graders in points per minute scoring over the last five games, averaging 1.1 points for every minute he's on the field. That means that even if his time on the field is slashed to be as low as 55 minutes, there's still a clear path to him hitting scores in the 60s.

First look: Roosters v Dragons

The fact that he has DPP status as both a MID and EDG, at a time when there are only a handful of reliable elite scorers in the latter position, is the cherry on top.

None of this is to say Fifita isn't a good trade in isolation, and in fact he was a player I'd intended to grab last week before his injury (I already have Couchman). But he doesn't match up to Couchman right now in a direct comparison. 

It's also far from certain that Fifita actually ends up being declared fit for Round 8 after suffering what was thought to be a multi-week injury recently. 

Is Cobbo worth trading in?

Despite Reece Walsh's injury meaning Cobbo is set to have at least a four-game run at fullback coming up, I don't see enough potential value here.

Can't stop Cobbo

He's been a very average Fantasy player on the wing this season, averaging 30.4 per game and managing just two scores over 40 (a pair of 44s, one of which he required three tries to reach).

A move to fullback will present him with more potential for run metres and possibly try and line break involvements, but it won't help his high demerit rate, which right now is seeing him lose 7.1 points per game on average through missed tackles and errors.

It's hard to see Cobbo suddenly becoming a mid to high 40s prospect, so I'd be avoiding him.