With a host of Fantasy big guns rested on the back of Origin II it was a tough week to field a full 17 of green dots, let alone achieve a high score.
But that’s not to say there weren’t some big-time success stories, headlined by Bradman Best joining the triple digit club with a huge day at the office, along with some lesser owned players impressing as well.
NRL Fantasy by the numbers: Round 17
Here comes Mitch
He’s been overshadowed up until now by his teammates Addin Fonua-Blake and Tohu Harris in a Fantasy sense, but there can be no denying Mitchell Barnett’s run of form right now, and what’s more, he’s seriously underpriced still.
The $674k MID/EDG boasts a last five game average of 63.6 and a whopping 70.3 average when you look at his past three games.
While he still trails Payne Haas (L5 average of 65.2) in terms of form MIDs at the moment, Barnett can be yours for $158k less and is a steal if he can maintain something close to that run of form from here on.
Heavy on the loop
Eagle-eyed Fantasy coaches gave the looping tactic a workout over the weekend after Xavier Willison, who was listed as an emergency player by almost nine percent of all teams, had a huge day out for the Broncos in Auckland and hit 59.
Xavier Willison Try
A try in the second half pushed the Brisbane DPP up into top territory, with the haul his second 50+ effort of the year.
He wasn’t the only player who ended up being drafted into the scoring 17 from the bench either, with HLFs Kaeo Weekes (45 points) and Lachlan Galvin (42 points) seeing some movement too after scoring well.
If you aren’t already making the most of the loop tactic, the video below explains how to do it and why it can be so important.
Theory Thursday: How to loop
Round 17 Fantasy Team of the Week
1. James Tedesco (WFB) – 75 points
2. Greg Marzhew (WFB) – 65 points
3. Bradman Best (CTR) – 109 points
4. Euan Aitken (EDG, CTR) – 57 points
5. Dominic Young (WFB) – 62 points
6. Matt Burton (HLF) – 70 points
7. Mitchell Moses (HLF) – 79 points
8. Mitchell Barnett (MID, EDG) – 75 points
9. Reed Mahoney (HOK) – 78 points
10. Max King (MID) – 66 points
11. Jaydn Su’A (EDG) – 70 points
12. Raymond Faitala-Mariner (MID, EDG) – 67 points
13. Cameron McInnes (MID) – 90 points
14. Max Plath (HLF, MID) – 65 points
15. Jack de Belin (MID) – 64 points
16. Blayke Brailey (HOK) – 64 points
17. Victor Radley (MID) – 64 points