Crichton opens up on his finger and future
Angus Crichton, 2RF, $880,000
Souths young gun Angus Crichton was pretty much the NRL Fantasy story of 2017. Elevated into the starting side, Crichton proved a relentless tackle-busting freak, capable of splitting the line and scoring a try while racking up the tackles and tons of run metres.
Scoring potential: 5/5
After starting the season on the bench, Crichton played his first 80-minute game in Round 6 and promptly smacked out 78 Fantasy points with 42 tackles and seven busts. His round 15 hat-trick against Souths produced 121 points – the highest score of all time (later eclipsed by Nathan Cleary) – and his eventual season average of 60.1 was bettered only by Cam Smith and Jason Taumalolo.
Reliability: 4/5
Crichton's scoring pyrotechnics in 2017 came despite the NSW Origin hopeful managing a host of injuries including hip and hand problems and a broken foot. He should've missed six weeks or more but ended up sitting out just rounds 16 and 26, proving that even when injured Crichton is a reliable Fantasy gun. He's a chance of an Origin call-up this year and his move to the Roosters from 2019 could see him drop down the pecking order which are both factors that could theoretically hinder his selection at times but expect him to average close to 80 minutes this year.
Value: 2/5
Crichton is the third most expensive player in the game at a whopping $880,000 and will need to play phenomenally well to even maintain his price. It would take something special for him to average over five busts per game again. Realistically, Crichton will almost certainly be available at a more attractive price after a month or two of the competition.