Representative Round has come and gone and the State of Origin period is just around the corner, with two more regular rounds to be played before the bye period begins. That's either a very difficult or very simple time of the season for Fantasy coaches depending on their goal this season – bye rounds are a headache for those chasing overall points but are a time to relax for most head-to-head Fantasy coaches.
We still have a couple of full eight-game weekends of footy before then though, with more injury dramas having arrived – as well as another popular cash cow. Read on for this week's big NRL Fantasy news for each club.
Dragons v Raiders
Dragons: Jack de Belin is out until Round 16 with a shoulder injury in a major blow for NRL Fantasy coaches, with the lock having developed into a genuine Fantasy gun this season. He's a sell. Will Matthews starts at lock in his place and should improve on his usual low 20s scores, while Tim Lafai and Joel Thompson return to the side.
Raiders: No changes for Canberra this week. Jordan Rapana has been averaging a stunning 69 points across his past three games, although he has scored seven tries in that period after scoring just once in his previous six games. Centres Joey Leilua and Jarrod Croker are also in great touch and look like keepers, while Elliott Whitehead and Shaun Fensom are both back-row keepers (Fensom's averaging better than 52 when you take out his injury-affected -1 in Round 2).
Eels v Rabbitohs
Eels: Nathan Peats has been named as usual at hooker despite the man himself confirming the Eels have asked him to find a new club in order to address their salary cap issues. Brad Takairangi will start at five-eighth again with Clint Gutherson to remain on the wing despite wearing the No.6 on his back because of an issue with the sizes of the Indigenous Round jerseys they'll be wearing this week. Tepai Moeroa returns at lock, with Danny Wicks starting for the injured Tim Mannah (shoulder) and Kenny Edwards on the bench. Expect Corey Norman to score well again in the absence of usual halves partner Kieran Foran.
Rabbitohs: The Rabbitohs have gambled on shifting Greg Inglis to five-eighth, with Luke Keary dropped and Alex Johnston moving to fullback, while Paul Carter returns in the starting side, Chris Grevsmuhl shifts to the bench and Damien Cook drops out of the 17. Sam Burgess is a keeper again with recent scores of 56, 54 and 62, while Inglis has put together three good scores himself, including his performance for the Kangaroos last Friday.
Panthers v Warriors
Panthers: Isaah Yeo moves back to the second row with Waqa Blake returning to the centres, as James Fisher-Harris reverts back to the bench. Trent Merrin and Bryce Cartwright are Penrith's best Fantasy scorers and both could be in line for a NSW call-up this season if some Blues greats get their way.
Warriors: The cavalry – bar Simon Mannering – returns this week in the form of Tui Lolohea, Bodene Thompson, Thomas Leuluai and Ben Matulino. Keep an eye on the late mail on Mannering, but he should be back next week at the latest and is a hold. Bodene Thompson has scored more than 50 points in every one of his five of his games so far this season.
Storm v Cowboys
Storm: No changes for Melbourne. Tohu Harris has been named at centre once again and will become a dual position player in Fantasy next week if he remains in the backline in the final team lists before kick-off. Cameron Smith is worth holding through the Origin period – both Melbourne's byes fall on pre-Origin rounds so Smith only misses one more match than any other NRL player.
Cowboys: Unchanged again. In Fantasy terms, superstar Johnathan Thurston is being outscored by his halves partner Michael Morgan in recent weeks. The Cowboys' Origin stars will be missing rounds 12, 15, 18 and 19 this season.
Sea Eagles v Broncos
Sea Eagles: Brett Stewart is back, Dylan Walker returns to the halves and Lewis Brown starts in the second row as Blake Leary joins the bench. Matt Parcell and Jake Trbojevic have been a couple of the season's real Fantasy success stories, with Parcell making $226,000 and counting in price rises and Trbojevic a keeper scoring 57 points a game. Trbojevic is a handy like-for-like replacement for de Belin this week.
Broncos: With Adam Blair suspended and Alex Glenn ruled out, Jarrod Wallace starts at prop and "the next Corey Parker" Jai Arrow gets his NRL debut from the bench. Parker himself is getting back to his old ways after a quiet start to the year while Ben Hunt has gone past headline-grabbing halves partner Anthony Milford in terms of Fantasy points this season.
Knights v Sharks
Knights: Rookie half Brock Lamb looms as a great cash cow if he can hold his spot until Jarrod Mullen (hamstring, 10-12 weeks) returns, having scored an impressive 46 on debut. The Knights have reshuffled their forward pack once again with Daniel Saifiti and Sam Mataora the new front-row pairing, Jacob Saifiti starting in the second row alongside Tariq Sims and Jeremy Smith, while Korbin Sims, Mickey Paea and Jack Stockwell drop to the bench with David Bhana out.
Sharks: Joseph Paulo replaced the suspended Jayson Bukuya on the bench, with David Fifita named 18th man. Paul Gallen has been in superb Fantasy form but is a bit of a risky buy this close to Origin, considering he has missed game time after Origin matches in the past. Ben Barba is not an urgent sell despite a couple of lean recent scores, especially considering the quality of Cronulla's opposition this week.
Wests Tigers v Bulldogs
Wests Tigers: Props Aaron Woods and Tim Grant return up front while new signing Elijah Taylor has been named 18th man and could join the side come game day. He's an 80-minute tackle machine on his day but I'd be waiting at least a week to see what his role is at the Tigers. James Tedesco is out with a shoulder injury until Round 12-14.
Bulldogs: Kerrod Holland holds his spot for another week in the centres in great news for his Fantasy owners, while Sam Perrett replaces Will Hopoate at fullback for Sunday's game. The excellent James Graham is closing in on a $500,000 price tag.
Titans v Roosters
Titans: David Shillington and Agnatius Paasi return to the 17 with Eddy Pettybourne and Anthony Don named on an extended bench in jerseys 18 and 19. Ashley Taylor is worth holding another week for one more price rise (at least) unless you're desperate to trade him to Brock Lamb.
Roosters: An ankle injury to Shaun Kenny-Dowall means Daniel Tupou replaces him in a straight swap, with Joe Burgess remaining on the other wing. Mitchell Aubusson is again in the centres, with City sensation Ryan Matterson again on the bench and Connor Watson 18th man. Jackson Hastings went big last week despite the return of Mitchell Pearce and is still making money despite already being the best cash cow of the season.
