A great bye schedule and the raw talent of the enigmatic Dave Taylor make the Gold Coast Titans an intriguing Holden NRL Fantasy prospect this season.
Fantasy Guns
Boom halves pairing Aiden Sezer ($398,200) and Albert Kelly ($319,100) were both terrific fantasy buys last season but don't come cheap this time around. Sezer's consistency and goal-kicking ability means he's likely to remain a strong 50-point player, although there are other halves in Fantasy with similar scoring potential and lower price tags.
The Gold Coast's bye draw means their Origin representatives will miss at least five games in seven weeks in the middle part of the season, making the likes of Nate Myles and Greg Bird players to avoid. That leaves big Dave Taylor ($306,300) as possibly the Titans' best sleeper this year. He's never really found the consistency to compliment his obvious talent but with Jamal Idris no longer at the club the Gold Coast genuinely need their other enigmatic giant to be at his best in 2014. Could this finally be Taylor's year?
Value Buys
Former Panther Brad Tighe ($166,900) has replaced Idris at the club and could benefit from playing outside a very strong pack and the Titans' talented halves. He'll start the season much cheaper than his new centre partner Maurice Blair ($246,700). Speedster David Mead ($229,500) is a natural attacking talent and could benefit from the new fantasy scoring system if he achieves his goal of toppling William Zillman as the Titans' first-choice fullback this year.
Cash Cows
The Gold Coast have some quality youngsters coming through the ranks. Back-row recruit Paul Carter ($107,000) is a former under-20s star with the Bulldogs and has been compared to Greg Bird, while Christian Hazard ($107,000) arrives from Souths and is a chance of getting a halves spot should Sezer or Kelly succumb to injury. The pair are unlikely to start in Round 1 but will be names to keep an eye out for down the track.
Titans player prices
Aidan Sezer (HLF) $398,200
Albert Kelly (HLF) $319,100
Nate Myles (2RF, FRF) $315,400
David Taylor (2RF) $306,300
Greg Bird (2RF, HLF) $300,800
Luke Douglas (FRF) $299,800
Luke Bailey (FRF) $287,100
Ashley Harrison (2RF) $272,600
Mark Minichiello (2RF) $270,900
Ryan James (FRF, 2RF) $267,300
William Zillman (WFB) $257,400
Maurice Blair (CTR) $246,700
Beau Falloon (HOK) $243,100
Beau Henry (HLF) $237,000
Matt Srama (HOK) $233,800
David Mead (WFB) $229,500
Kevin Gordon (WFB) $198,900
Ben Ridge (2RF) $182,300
Brad Tighe (CTR, WFB) $166,900
Kalifa Faifai Loa (WFB) $158,300
Brad Takairangi (2RF (CTR) $156,200
Mark Ioane (FRF) $155,400
Anthony Don (WFB) $144,500
Sam Irwin (HOK) $121,000
Matthew White (FRF) $108,500
Jordan Atkins (WFB) $107,000
Siuatonga Likiliki (CTR, WFB) $107,000
Luke Page (FRF, 2RF) $107,000
Steve Michaels (CTR) $107,000
Jamie Dowling (WFB (2RF) $107,000
Shane Gray (2RF) $107,000
Jahrome Hughes (WFB) $107,000
Paul Carter (2RF) $107,000
Christian Hazard (HLF) $107,000
Tom Kingston (2RF) $107,000
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