Welcome to Fast 5, an article where I give a quick summary on 5 interesting trade options for the round. This will include the top 4 most popular trade ins as of Wednesday, plus my POD of the week for those looking to stray away from the pack.
Ryan Papenhuyzen $755k (BE 58) Average: 54.8 Ownership: 17.5% (+2.08%)
Lil Papy continued his great run of form this season with a 53 in his first game back from injury in round 16, with his score being saved by two tries at the end of the game. Most people were expecting him to have a quiet game on return, which I think this technically counts as. Coming into round 17 he's had one game under his belt, so I think he'll be back to normal Pap scoring from here on out. Papy has a track record of being a gun when playing fullback having career average of 56.4 when playing the full 80 minutes. Being one of the only 3 WFB's to average over 50 this season, there is never a bad time to pick him up.
Final Decision: YES
Latrell Mitchell $557k (BE 59) Average: 35.8 Ownership: 4.2% (+1.45%) Similarly to Pap, Latrell came back from injury this round with a 43 point score against the Eels. I covered Latrell last week, however the same applies this week as his score somewhat reflects his career average at fullback of 45. The one thing to note with Latrell is he has always been a 'rocks and diamonds' type of player. I think he definitely has some value in him at his current price, so he could be a better option for your overall squad if you can't afford Pap. Just remember he will have some bad scores along the way, so hold on for the ride and take his season long average. Just note with Latrell that his BE is 59 and he potentially could be playing on a wet track in Newcastle, so he may be worth another week to wait and see.
Final Decision: Still NO - however I am starting to come around to it.
Brandon Smith $414k (BE 16) Average: 30.8 Ownership: 11.9% (+1.24%)
The Cheese 'wound back the clock' a year with a great score of 57 in 61 minutes at lock in round 16, which was by far his best score this season. If you are picking him up, he is definitely more of a 'vibe' pickup than one based on this years stats. His overall average this season when not getting injured is 33 in 51.1 minutes and when sorting by games at hooker it becomes 35.8 in 59.3 minutes. Now these stats look pretty awful, but if you think Bellamy has had a change of heart and his new role (outside of buy rounds) is now a 60 minute lock, I think he has some value in him. This could potentially be the case considering last week Josh King was still in the side. If you also own Harry Grant, he is a nice 'handcuff' option as if Grant gets rested in round 18, you have the perfect hooker cover.
Final Decision: YES - But don't rely on him to be in your 17 every week.
Fonua Pole $249k (BE 0) Average: 43 Ownership: 1.3% (+1.19%)
Fonua had a promising debut for the Tigers with a 43 in 42 minutes off the bench. His score consisted mostly of base stats with 37 tackles and 61 run metres which is a great sign. Another interesting thing to note is that he was the first interchange used in the game (Before Stefano Utoikamanu) which speaks highly of his current job security. Also note that Tamou's return may not have an effect on his minutes since Alex Seyfarth was the player to drop out of the 17 after he had started at prop in round 16. If you are looking at a cash down option I think Pole is at the perfect price, and could even potentially be used in your 17 due to his PPM, if you need to cover an injury in the forwards for 1 week.
Final Decision: YES
Jake's POD of the week
Isaiah Tass $346k (BE 5) Average: 35 Ownership: 7.8% (Top 100 - 0%, Top 1000 - 3.1%, Top 5000 - 5.4%)
Now this is a player that I may be 'willing into existence' since I have had him rotting in my EMG for weeks on end. However the signs do look good for his job security with Campbell Graham requiring at minimum 3-4 weeks on the sideline with a facial fracture. Tass also passes the eye test with an average of 38 in his three starts at centre this season playing on the left edge with Cody Walker. If you are picking him up, I probably wouldn't want to rely on him to be in your 17 each week, however I think he makes for a great 18th or 19th man to cover for any injuries in the CTR position.
Finally, my one piece of advice for this round is to focus on the quality and not quantity of players you trade in this week. Focus on trading in guns (50+ averages) and make sure the cash outs you are trading in are likely to score at minimum 30+ this round.
As always, big shout out to footystatistics.com, which is where I do all my statistical research. Good luck to everyone for the week ahead! If you haven’t yet check out the round 17 TLT podcast with TK, Andy, Corby and Pat. Also be sure to send your questions in on our live Facebook Q&A at 6pm Thursday with TK, JWarrior and myself.