After a top-five finish the Eels are now rated among the genuine premiership contenders – led by a key recruit and one of the game's most improved playmakers.
We're previewing the notable NRL Fantasy buys and revealing all player prices for each club as the days tick down towards the start of the new season.
Mitchell Moses
Half, $760,000
Moses was one of the NRL's most improved players in 2019. Always a major talent, the halfback was handed the reins at the Eels and repaid the faith by leading the league in try assists and kick metres.
He also ranked fifth for total goals with Parramatta clicking in attack after a horror 2018.
His Fantasy scoring jumped from high 30s to 54 points a game, and there's no reason why he can't nudge that even higher if he cuts down on the missed tackles and gets across the stripe more often than the two tries he scored last season.
Nathan Brown
Second-rower, $701,000
Nathan Brown is an established Fantasy keeper who looks good value in 2020 after an underwhelming 2019 season by his standards.
His campaign was derailed by an injury in round one and he played limited minutes in his first few games back in the side in the second half of the season.
Going into round 17 he had an average score of 34.5 but he then clicked into gear, scoring 50 or better in six of his final seven games of the regular season.
Brown was a 54-point player in 2018 so more of the same next season would make him a cut-price keeper considering his break even will be around 48.
Five key match-ups of the Eels' 2020 draw
Ryan Matterson
Second-rower, $772,000
The former Roosters and Wests Tigers star has been a steady improver in recent years – his Fantasy averages from his four NRL seasons, in order, are 31.7, 39.2, 48.5 and 53.4.
He's a prize recruit for Parramatta and replaces Super League-bound second-rower Manu Ma'u, who scored an excellent 54.8 points a game in 2019.
He's not quite in the 60-point captain bracket but it's hard to see his scoring going backwards so he looks like a very solid keeper with potential upside at the start of 2020.
Eels starting prices in 2020
| Ryan Matterson | $772,000 | 2RF |
| Mitchell Moses | $760,000 | HLF |
| Reed Mahoney | $717,000 | HOK |
| Nathan Brown | $701,000 | 2RF |
| Shaun Lane | $626,000 | 2RF |
| Junior Paulo | $561,000 | FRF |
| Maika Sivo | $556,000 | WFB |
| Reagan Campbell-Gillard | $547,000 | FRF |
| Blake Ferguson | $532,000 | WFB |
| Marata Niukore | $517,000 | 2RF |
| Daniel Alvaro | $513,000 | FRF |
| Dylan Brown | $508,000 | HLF |
| Peni Terepo | $494,000 | FRF, 2RF |
| Clinton Gutherson | $473,000 | WFB |
| David Gower | $470,000 | FRF |
| Michael Jennings | $468,000 | CTR |
| Waqa Blake | $446,000 | CTR |
| Kane Evans | $432,000 | FRF |
| Brad Takairangi | $407,000 | 2RF, CTR |
| Ethan Parry | $325,000 | CTR |
| Oregon Kaufusi | $325,000 | FRF |
| Brock Lamb | $283,000 | HLF |
| George Jennings | $280,000 | WFB |
| Will Smith | $275,000 | HLF, WFB |
| Jaeman Salmon | $246,000 | HLF |
| Ray Stone | $246,000 | 2RF |
| Andrew Davey | $228,000 | 2RF |
| Haze Dunster | $228,000 | WFB |
| Stefano Utoikamanu | $228,000 | FRF |
