DT Market Watch: Round 17

Let’s take a look at those players you should be investing in, holding or letting go, as well as some of the better captaincy options for Round 17.

The experienced centre stepped up on Monday night following the late omission of Kieran Foran, scoring a try and finishing with a respectable 48 points. With the Sea Eagles having had both their byes, he’ll play out the remainder of the season. Handles goal kicking, is likely to increase his involvement in Round 18, with the probable exclusion of Cherry-Evans (Origin), and is also a straight swap for the injured Jamal Idris. Will rarely score 60+, but as far as premium centres go, Lyon is among the most consistent. 

The Knights form may have been up and down in the past month, however Mullen has still pushed out scores of 64, 65 and most recently 76. This is based mostly on his kick metres, which are delivering around 30 points a game. With Kurt Gidley missing, this won’t be changing anytime soon. A bye in Round 18 may warn off overall players, but as a point of difference in your halves, Mullen could be vital, particularly if he’s running the ball and the Knights can make a run into the finals.

 

The Dragons and NSW fullback has been immense in his return to the NRL, averaging 63 in his last three fixtures, and just under 49 for the season. A one match suspension and the Dragons’ Round 18 bye/his probable involvement in Origin III means he won’t play for St George Illawarra again until Round 19. While it’s never easy to carry star players as non-playing reserves, particularly on the road to the head-to-head finals, you’re only missing an extra week than what you already bargained for. Tuck Dugan away on the bench for now.

After he was a late withdrawal again on Sunday, and with a break-even of 74, many would be tempted to sell Gordon, but stick solid. If you haven’t sold Gordon yet, it’s probably not worth a trade now, unless you’ve got extra trades and plenty of money to upgrade to a premium back. Even so, Gordon’s ability to move between WFB and CTR can be very handy when making trades through your backline and assuming he’s back on the park this week, should be delivering around 35-40 points a week at full fitness.

Lui has been a handy cash cow for those that bought him in at his starting price of $132,300. But faced with a BE of 64, now is the time to sell, particularly if you’re dreaming of head-to-head glory. For overall players, the decision isn’t quite as clear-cut. The Cowboys do play in Round 18, and without Johnathan Thurston, Lui will be called on to lead the charge for his side. If your league is your focus, look to upgrade or downgrade this week. If your overall rank is what’s driving you, consider holding, particularly if you think he’ll have a big game against the Raiders and back it up in Round 18.

He’s been one of the premium front rowers in Dream Team this season, but the bubble may have burst for Andrew Fifita. Since making his Origin debut in Game One, Fifita has struggled somewhat to produce the same numbers he was in the lead up, with 32 and 47 in the past two rounds, and a drop in average from 65.4 in the past 5 rounds to 50.7 in the past 3. With a break-even of 120 and Origin duties expected for Round 18, it might be time to cash in on the big man before his price drops too far, particularly with the return of Bryce Gibbs also.

Round 17 Captains - players to consider 

Corey Parker | 2RF | $506,500

Daly Cherry-Evans | HLF | $420,100

Cameron Smith | HOK | $559,500

Robbie Farah | HOK | $508,700

Sonny Bill Williams | 2RF | $380,500

Wildcard: Jorge Taufua | WFB | $234,600