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Who will be in your team?
One of the NRL's most star-studded teams features a few proven Fantasy buys, plus opportunities for youngsters in the forward pack after the exits of Glenn Stewart, Anthony Watmough and Jason King.
Fantasy Guns
Daly Cherry-Evans ($456,000) – A few nagging injuries in the first half of last season dampened DCE's Fantasy scoring a little, but the Manly halfback and Kangaroos regular remains one of the safest Fantasy halves in the game. A dominant kicker with a superb running game and a knack for notching solid tackle counts, Cherry-Evans is generally a 45-point scorer at worst and is capable of smashing 100+ efforts at best.
Jamie Lyon ($354,000) – The skipper is probably the most reliable genuine centre in Fantasy, a strong defender and playmaker who will get you a solid 40 points a week. He doesn't get a ton of tackle breaks so won't get you many 80s, but he will rarely disappoint you either.
Wild Cards
Feleti Mateo ($242,000) – A mercurial talent and one of the NRL's most gifted ball-playing big men, Mateo came off the bench for all but one of his 19 matches for the Warriors last season, averaging just under half a game of football each week. It's yet to be seen whether Mateo will get a larger role at Manly, but with star back-rowers Glenn Stewart and Anthony Watmough having left the club the recruit could well be asked to pick up some of the workload. The folks at NRL.com have given Mateo a starting spot in their expected Sea Eagles side for Round 1, meaning he would be more likely than not to get at least 40 or 50 minutes each week.
Justin Horo ($240,000) – A first-choice, 80-minute back-rower who will presumably only get more work to do after the departure of Anthony Watmough, Horo's 27-point average was a little disappointing last year and can certainly rise this season. He came off the bench four times last season, playing less than 40 minutes in three of those games, so a solid full year in the starting side should see his Fantasy value rise.
Potential Cash Cows
Jesse Sene-Lefao ($216,000) – Coming off his first full season in the NRL, Sene-Lefao could be set to take on a new level of responsibility as part of a young forward pack after the exits of Watmough, King and Stewart. He came off the bench for all 25 of his games last year and averaged just over 30 minutes a week during the regular season, so any increase to his workload would make him good value.
Any young forwards ($128,000-$137,000) – It's vague I know, but whichever young guns earn a place in the Manly 17 come Round 1 could be great value after the exits of a few exprienced campaigners. The Sea Eagles still seem to have a fairly experienced top 17 to pick from, but an injury or two could present an opportunity for someone like Michael Chee-Kam or Jake Trbojevic. So keep those young guns in mind when searching for a cash cow early in the season.
Sea Eagles 2015 NRL Fantasy prices
Daly Cherry-Evans, $456,000
Matt Ballin, $384,000
Brenton Lawrence, $365,000
Jamie Buhrer, $361,000
Jamie Lyon, $354,000
Jack Littlejohn, $343,000
Brett Stewart, $330,000
Clinton Gutherson, $296,000
Kieran Foran, $292,000
Willie Mason, $276,000
Peta Hiku, $270,000
Jorge Taufua, $268,000
Steve Matai, $267,000
Tom Symonds, $260,000
Josh Starling, $250,000
Feleti Mateo, $242,000
Justin Horo, $240,000
Siosaia Vave, $225,000
Jesse Sene-Lefao, $216,000
Cheyse Blair, $211,000
Dunamis Lui, $204,000
Jayden Hodges, $202,000
David Williams, $147,000
Tony Satini, $137,000
James Hasson, $137,000
Brayden Wiliame, $136,000
Delroy Berryman, $136,000
Michael Chee-Kam, $136,000
Manaia Rudolph, $136,000
Jake Trbojevic, $136,000
Tyson Andrews, $136,000
Blake Leary, $136,000
Ben Musolino, $128,000
Ligi Sao, $128,000
