There were shocks galore for Fantasy coaches on Tuesday as their NRL counterparts sprung a few surprises, with popular halfback Mitch Cornish among those axed and a few cheapies getting a start. Here are all of this week's big team changes.
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Bulldogs v Rabbitohs
Bulldogs: A triple boost for the Bulldogs with Brett Morris, Josh Reynolds and Tim Lafai all back, but that's bad news for those who snapped up Moses Mbye – who is now 18th man. Antonio Kaufusi is out and Corey Thompson has been named alongside Mbye on the extended bench. Michael Lichaa is playing big minutes and scoring like a keeper at the moment, with his price still rising fast, while workhorse props James Graham and Aiden Tolman both easily cleared the 50-point mark last weekend. Josh Jackson's price continues to slide and is probably a sell.
Rabbitohs: Business as usual this week for the unchanged Rabbitohs 17. Glenn Stewart still has a few prices rises in him with a break even of 4, Chris Grevsmuhl is finally making a bit of cash after scoring a try last week, and big guns Adam Reynolds, George Burgess and Greg Inglis are all averaging better than 50 points a game.
Titans v Broncos
Titans: Beau Falloon will miss a couple of games through suspension, with cheapie Kierran Moseley getting another shot in the starting side and Matt Srama on the bench. Matt White and Lachlan Burr are likely to drop off the extended bench. Kane Elgey needs just 5 points to get another price boost after a solid 30 on debut, although there is still a chance the injured Daniel Mortimer could be back in the No.7 in a few weeks. Luke Douglas continues to impress this season, making 57 at the weekend including 48 tackles, while Aidan Sezer looks good value after coming off back-to-back strong scores.
Broncos: Justin Hodges is set to miss a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury and Adam Blair is out with a cork, meaning Dale Copley and Sam Thaiday come into the starting side. Mitchell Dodds is back on the bench while Mitch Garbutt will make his Broncos debut. Young prop Jarrod Wallace scored 52 last week and is set to continue making good money, although he does already cost $200,000. Jordan Kahu is still on the rise as well, while Ben Hunt's price appears to have bottomed out for now after scores of 79 and 67 in the past fortnight.
Sea Eagles v Raiders
Sea Eagles: Jamie Lyon and Feleti Mateo will both miss a week through injury, with Steve Matai back in the centres and Tom Symonds starting in the back row. Josh Starling is also out with a knee injury, with Ligi Sao and Justin Horo on the bench. Daly Cherry-Evans is yet to score less than 50 this season and looks like the safest half option in Fantasy.
Raiders: Massive news for Fantasy coaches here with Sam Williams promoted to halfback and cash cow Mitch Cornish axed. Williams has impressed in the NSW Cup but the Raiders have a tricky draw coming up so it's hard to say how long he'll keep Cornish out of the side. With a break even of 2, Cornish could be worth holding until we see how the Raiders cope against Manly with Williams in the No.7. Shaun Fensom still isn't playing 80 minutes, getting more bench time than back-row partners Jarrad Kennedy and Iosia Soliola last week.
Knights v Dragons
Knights: Tariq Sims finally gets his Knights debut after a five-game suspension, replacing Joseph Tapine, while James McManus is back on the wing with Sione Mata'utia again the official 18th man. It'll be interesting to see how Sims' presence affects Kade Snowden's output, with the prop having an excellent start to the season with an average of 53. Kurt Gidley has hit two straight 50s when splitting his time between fullback and hooker, and has a break even of 27.
Dragons: No changes this week after a couple of wins for the Red V. Euan Aitken has made almost $80,000 in price rises already and is scoring strongly as well, Trent Merrin is averaging almost 63 points a game, while Tyson Frizell and Jack de Belin are still scoring like keepers despite their sub-$400,000 price tags.
Roosters v Sharks
Roosters: Blake Ferguson is a definite sell after being ruled out for four months with a foot injury, with Shaun Kenny-Dowall returning to his old centre role and Nene Macdonald coming into the side on the wing. Back-row stars Boyd Cordner and Aidan Guerra are both holds this week despite low scores in their team's demolition of the Raiders. One player who did have a lot to do against Canberra was fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who had a try, a line break, four tackle busts and more than 200 run metres (again) in a 52-point display.
Sharks: Michael Gordon looks like a sell this week after being named on the wing, with youngster Valentine Holmes taking the fullback role, while cash cow Jack Bird gets a starting spot at five-eighth. The versatile Bird looks the goods and will be a popular buy but beware Ben Barba is due back from suspension next week. Andrew Fifita's scoring potential has taken a hit with the hulking prop named on the bench, with Matt Prior and Chris Heighington starting up front. Paul Gallen's scores (53, 63, 68, 70) just keep improving.
Eels v Wests Tigers
Eels: Cheapie John Folau moves from the wing to centre to replace Brad Takairangi, who will miss a week with a knee injury, with Bureta Faraimo joining the side on the wing. Folau's try-scoring double at the weekend means he's guaranteed another price rise next week. Tepai Moeroa is back in the second row, relegating David Gower to the bench.
Wests Tigers: A few big names are back for Wests in the form of Aaron Woods, Pat Richards and Dene Halatau, but just as big news for Fantasy coaches is Jason Taylor's decision to start cheapie Kyle Lovett in the second row ahead of mid-priced cash cow Sauaso Sue. Lovett scored a try, made 46 tackles and didn't miss a tackle in a superb 68-point effort last week and has a break even of -25 despite already growing $67,000 in price. Lovett's rise is also bad news for Brenden Santi, who has been named 18th man. Robbie Farah hasn't missed a minute of action for his team in the past fortnight.
Storm v Warriors
Storm: No changes named for Melbourne after their Monday night defeat. Tohu Harris has matched Cameron Smith's scoring this season, and the Kiwi forward remains $135,000 cheaper than the Kangaroos captain. After a slow start to the Fantasy season Cooper Cronk hit a half century for the first time this season on Monday, primarily through base stats (tackles, kick metres), and has just about bottomed out in price at $366,000.
Warriors: Ben Henry is out for the season with a ruptured ACL, with Sebastine Ikahihifo replacing him on the bench. Ngani Laumape returns in the centres for his first appearance of 2015, with rookie Solomone Kata keeping his spot and Matt Allwood dropping out. Simon Mannering is a genuine keeper right now, leading all scorers in Fantasy, although with Henry out there is the possibility Mannering could now fill in at centre if needed (in saying that, with Allwood available and Konrad Hurrell on the comeback trail the Warriors aren't short of options). Tui Lolohea is about to bring up $100,000 in price rises while Solomone Kata still has a negative break even.
Panthers v Cowboys
Panthers: James Segeyaro is back in the side along with Isaac John and Nigel Plum, while Brent Kite and Lewis Brown are out with injuries. Api Koroisau did well in Segeyaro's absence at hooker and has been included as 18th man, and could still cover Segeyaro this week. Elijah Taylor has played the full 80 in the past two weeks, making 55 tackles in Round 3 and scoring 74 Fantasy points in Round 4. Jamal Idris is proving a reliable tackle-busting weapon in the centres.
Cowboys: Kelepi Tanginoa replaces John Asiata in the 17 in this week's only change, with Asiata and Justin O'Neill both named on the extended bench. As expected, a win for the Cowboys brought some improved scores for their big names, with Johnathan Thurston hitting 68 and Matt Scott and Jason Taumalolo both scoring 59. Hard-working forward Ethan Lowe remains the club's most valuable Fantasy option.
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