It's another big bye round this week, with Origin stars joining the Broncos, Cowboys, Raiders, Sea Eagles, Sharks and Warriors in kicking up their heels this weekend. Getting something close to a full Holden NRL Fantasy team on the field is no easy feat, so what trades should you make before Friday night's lockout?
As always, it's worth remembering your overall goal at a time like this – Fantasy coaches aiming at overall points should be trading wherever necessary at the moment while head-to-head coaches (especially those who don't have a league match-up this week) should be keeping trades up their sleeves if they can.
That being said, sometimes you've just gotta trade. So here are my answers to this week's top Fantasy questions.
From Harrison Elliott
Hey Scout should I replace Inglis with Tedesco? Or should I hold Greg as I have Will Zillman to cover him over this period?
From Hoods (@TeePee7_)
What's your thoughts on Trading Inglis for Tedesco? Wanting to trade this week in case Tedesco goes up in price and GI drops.
It depends. If you're playing a head-to-head league with no games on the major bye rounds (like this week) then hold Inglis as he's pretty much a must-have for the end of the season anyway.
If you're playing for overall points though (or are playing head-to-head every week and need good scores over the next month or so) then Inglis is a trade as he'll miss four of the next five rounds through Origin and two Rabbitohs byes. Tedesco on the other hand will play both major bye rounds (14 and 17) and is a great bye as long as he stays fit.
From Jordan McManus
Hey LS, have Robbie Farah and Cam Smith as my hookers, with Smith now DPP how do I trade in Andrew McCullough by only using 1 trade?
Click a half to trade out, click the S next to Smith's name to shift him to the halves, then select McCullough (or any hooker) to trade in.
From Damien Amanda Mason
James Segeyaro: Is he going to keep playing full 80 mins and hitting big scores?
Segeyaro's in great form for the Panthers but with Kevin Kingston coming back from injury through the NSW Cup this week there's every chance Kingston takes at least some minutes off Segeyaro in the weeks to come. On the other hand, the system the Panthers are running with at the moment has got them to the top of the table, so why change it?
So it is a bit of a gamble bringing in Segeyaro now, but after last week's 87-point effort his $362,410 price is certain to rise this week so he might be a risk worth taking if you're in the market for a new hooker. Even if Kingston comes back Segeyaro's still capable of pumping out some big scores without playing the full 80, so it could be worth it either way – although he's a less reliable option than the top No.9s Smith, Farah and McCullough.
From Tom Kitchet
Hi LS,
I was thinking that now Peats is out for the season, is Isaac De Gois a good option at hooker as he has a relatively good price tag and will defiantly play more minutes? Also I was thinking any of the Sharks hookers as well now De Gois isn't there.
The Sharks still have John Morris and Michael Lichaa who won't have much in the way of extra workload, but De Gois himself definitely looks like good value now he's presumably the first-choice hooker at Parramatta after being a back-up option at the Sharks. Youngster Kaysa Pritchard is out injured at the moment and could take his place, but my guess is De Gois will hold the No.9 jersey at the Eels for the rest of the season now. He's never been a big Fantasy scorer but should be a handy cash cow.
From Cameron Crawford
I am playing for H2H. I have enough money to upgrade either Auva'a or Littlejohn to someone like Lyon/Glenn. The issue I face is choosing who to trade. If I trade Littlejohn I will lose out on some big price rises with DCE on Origin duty but will have Auva'a being a back-up CTR/WFB (likely to feature in my 17 over Origin). If I trade Auva'a I would want to do it now as he will lose cash the next couple weeks. But that means I lose a player scoring points which could be handy in some bye rounds as cover for my CTR/WFB's. If I trade Auva'a now I will still be cashing out JLJ in the future however if I trade JLJ now it is likely that I will keep Auva'a for cover.
So, long story short: who do I trade?
Tricky one. My simple solution: you're playing for head-to-head, so getting your ultimate team together for the finals (when it really matters) is more important than losing a few points over the bye rounds. Even if your league is playing through those rounds my guess is your opponents will also have weakened teams, so you're still a chance to win league match-ups even without Auva'a. If keeping Littlejohn means more cash in the long run then that's probably your priority – as long as you still have a back-up CTR/WFB at the end of the season without Auva'a.
Start playing Holden NRL Fantasy now, get more hints and tips on my NRL.com page, or join in the Fantasy conversation on Twitter, Facebook or by sending me an email at iamthelonescout@gmail.com.
As always, double check the official team lists, NRL judiciary results and the casualty ward - plus the Friday late mail - before locking in your team. Best of luck for the weekend.
