Fantasy Q&A: Round 12

As the first of the major bye rounds hits this week, coaches are looking for a good second-tier captaincy pick and, in some cases, needing to replace Origin talent. 

• NRL Late Mail: Round 12
• NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 12

With the 'big three' all out, who are you captaining?

There are a few high-ceiling options still about this week, but for the sake of making this advice relevant to as many people as possible, I'll restrict this list to players who are in at least 10 percent of teams.

A really good option is Herbie Farnworth. He's on fire right now, boasting a 63.2 point average over his past five games, and he's looking at a favourable matchup against a patched-together Bulldogs side in Round 13. The Dolphins CTR has 70-plus potential if he's able to get over for a try. 

He's a bit more of a dark horse, but I also like Fletcher Sharpe this week. He's playing at fullback, which I think can only help his Fantasy scoring, and he's a good bet to rack up some big attacking numbers as Newcastle's main man on the ball against a depleted Panthers outfit.

If you're backing the rest of your team to get the job done and just looking for an ultra-safe pick, then look no further than Raiders MID Corey Horsburgh. He's failed to score over 50 just twice all year and should be nice and fired up after being overlooked for Origin I. 

Who is the best MID available for under $500k?

I'm not sure there's a MID in this price range that I'd be confident having in my 17 on a week-to-week basis, but there's a couple who are worth taking a punt on.

With a couple of Penrith forwards involved in the Origin series and likely to be rested at times over the next couple of months, there's a path to Liam Henry (MID/EDG, $477k) playing bigger minutes.

If that happens he could jump up from a low 30s scorer, which he's at currently, to be a low 40s scorer.

An injury to Tom Gilbert, which is set to sideline him for around three months, also means Ray Stone could play a bit more of a prominent role as the Dolphins look for an experienced set of hands to take on a few more minutes.

He's played at least 45 minutes in each of his past five games and scored 40 or more in three of those games. 

Just be aware that the Dolphins have a bye next week, so if you're relying on an option for Round 13 then Stone isn't your man.

I need to sell an Origin HLF, who should I replace them with?

Isaiya Katoa is really well placed to fill the void here.

The Dolphins have a pretty good bye schedule for Fantasy purposes, with Round 18 the only one of the major bye rounds they miss (although they do sit out Round 13 as well, which is post Origin I).

The $746k HLF is in great form, boasting a last three game average of 71 and a last five game average of 63.8.

Fletcher Sharpe also warrants a look. Newcastle have just one bye (Round 18) between now and Round 22, while a few games filling in for Kalyn Ponga at fullback over Origin could be a positive for his Fantasy form as well.

The fact that Sharpe offers WFB cover as well as HLF adds to his appeal as an Origin period cover option too.