The Lone Scout previews this week's semi-finals and takes a closer look at the line-ups as the NRL Fantasy Finals Match Day competition heads into week two.
Broncos: Darius Boyd could be a late inclusion after being named among the reserves this week, with the Broncos naming the same 17 as last week with Kodi Nikorima again in the No.1 jersey. Josh McGuire (56 Fantasy points last week) and Alex Glenn (53) are both in solid form in the forwards, while Corey Oates scored a couple of tries last week and could keep that going with Brisbane favoured to notch a win at Suncorp Stadium in this one. Matt Gillett was unusually quiet with 32 last week. Ben Hunt is playing 80 minutes at dummy-half these days, while the always dangerous James Roberts will be a popular buy at centre.
Panthers: Unchanged. Nathan Cleary has some competition in the halves spot with three potential scorers at the Broncos (Hunt, Anthony Milford and Kodi Nikorima) but for base stats alone it's hard to go past the Panthers No.7, who has averaged 65 in his last five games. Josh Mansour scored 56 last week and is always a good option at the back, while Reagan Campbell-Gillard (66) and Trent Merrin (77) both excelled against the Broncos back in Round 9 and should lift here.
Eels: Unchanged, with Bevan French still on the sidelines. Semi Radradra scored just 16 in last week's loss to Melbourne but was on fire before that to finish the regular season with scores of 42, 104 and 60, and if you're backing a big Parramatta win here he looks a good bet for the WFB position. Will Smith is another contender for that spot after an excellent last few weeks at the back in the absence of French. Nathan Brown was quiet by his standards last week with 43 but that was his lowest score since getting injured back in Round 11, while Mitch Moses or Corey Norman are worth considering in the halves if you're backing an Eels victory.
Cowboys: No changes, with Shaun Fensom named on the bench and John Asiata in the front row after the pair swapped positions before kick-off on the weekend. Jason Taumalolo is in incredible form, having hit 72, 76 and 100 in the last three weeks, and is just about a must-buy and must-captain. In saying that, he was well contained by Parramatta in both their clashes this season - scoring 37 and 37 - so there could be some reward for those who take a gamble on the likes of Ethan Lowe (59 last week). Michael Morgan is in great touch as well, averaging 61 in the past month.
