And welcome back to an abridged version of Quick Tap, where we look at how TLT impacts your NRL Fantasy Teams. Round 17 is the final bye round for 2022, so let’s have a look at what TLT has delivered us.
Sharks v Storm, Thursday 7.50pm at PointsBet Stadium
Sharks:
Nicho Hynes is named at jersey 19 for the Blues, meaning Hynes will play for the Sharks and should be an automatic option as Captain.
Cameron McInnes is again on the bench, meaning coaches will have a tough decision to make come round 18. You’d have to be very happy with your round 17 numbers to sell him this week
Storm:
Ryan Papenhuyzen rescued his BE in garbage time last week and you still need to pay full whack for him, meaning coaches may opt to swerve him.
As JWarrior alluded to on last week’s Q&A, Chris Lewis could be a handy cash-out that boosts your round 17 numbers. At this stage it’s unknown when Felise Kaufusi returns from the US to handle personal matters.
Brandon Smith aka Mouse trap is named at Hooker and should play big minutes with Wishart on the bench. Smith will be a popular trade as a ‘handbrake’ (second choice in a position on the depth chart) for Harry Grant.
Knights v Rabbitohs, Friday 7.55pm at McDonald Jones Stadium
Knights:
Club Captain Jayden Brailey returns via the bench, which should see Chris Randall disappear from the remaining 104 teams that own him in the top 5k.
David Klemmer’s price continues to trend down and at $738k he’s priced close to what he should average with the minute reduction since Mann returned.
Mitchell Barnett and Tyson Frizell are both quality options for their asking prices.
Rabbitohs:
The forward pack gets absolutely massacred due to injury and origin commitments. Jed Cartwright could be a handy cash-out that converts into a red to, albeit I’d prefer one in a different position.
Isaiah Tass is the beneficiary of a facial injury to Campbell Graham and rewards anyone that has held onto him. At $346k, it’s hard to justify bringing him in unless you have no bench CTR cover.
Wests Tigers v Eels, Saturday 7.35pm at Leichhardt Oval
Tigers
Adam Doueihi returns to the starting line-up….in the centres. With a high BE, he’s a fantasy landmine that you’d want to avoid.
Justin Matamua is named to debut off the bench and could be a cash-out for some coaches.
Junior Pauga is nowhere to be seen which makes him useful, as I will explain in this week’s edition of The Mercato.
Eels:
Isaiah Papali’i continues to tumble down and will want to put in a huge score against his future employers. With Hynes playing, the attractiveness for Papali’i is lower for coaches that don’t yet have him.
Will Penisini will probably play his last game for a lot of coaches before becoming a stepladder to a gun player for your final 17 next week.
Kye Rodwell had a decent PPM but you’d probably want to see more minutes before taking him on.
Broncos v Dragons, Sunday 4.05pm at Suncorp Stadium
Broncos:
Changes galore for the Broncos! Zac Hosking will be a decent red dot loop for anyone that buys him this week, as the Broncos required an exemption to play him this week.
Ezra Mam continues to jump over BEs but will need to exceed 30 to really keep his price trending up, with a lot of coaches likely moving him on in round 18 unless he goes large against the Dragons. You wouldn’t think Tyson Gamble’s presence on the bench will impact Mam this week.
Keenan Palasia is also another cash-out has gained some momentum, playing a massive 52 minutes last week and scoring….21. That game was a real anomaly with the amount of points scored, so I wouldn’t steer anyone away from a DPP cash-out that could become a red dot looper in the coming weeks.
Dragons
There’s not a lot to say about the Dragons, who only lose Ben Hunt to origin. His replacement Jayden Sullivan is far too expensive at $389k to be a cash-out.
Like his opponent Mam, Cody Ramsey has continued to exceed his BE on a weekly basis. Needing to skip over 25 this week, his score could determine whether you cash him out next week or not.
Some larger than normal tackle counts of late has seen Jack Bird make himself a legitimate option at CTR. Whether you look at him would depend upon your team make-up; personally I’d rather keep Koula who is almost the same price.
And that’s all for Quick Tap for this week. Be sure to check out the next instalment of The Mercato where I look at your captaincy choices for the run home and how they can impact your loop potential. But until then, be sure to trade hard and trade smart as we exit the byes for another year!