Centres are dropping like flies, James Tedesco's price is about to soar and all the other team news you'll need before making your trades this week.
This week's team news
Knights v Broncos, Thursday 7.40pm at Central Coast Stadium
Knights: Lachlan Fitzgibbon is back from injury which means Aidan Guerra moves back to the bench. Andrew McCullough comes up against his old club and has been tackling his heart out in two appearances for Newcastle, scoring 69 and 68 to take his price tag back above $600k. Daniel Saifiti (60 points last week) has earned $177k in price rises this year, brother Jacob has earned $197k, Kurt Mann (51) has jumped by $215k, Mitchell Pearce (55) is scoring like a cut-price keeper in the halves, and Bradman Best (46) keeps scoring tries and making tons of cash. Kalyn Ponga had a very quiet first half against Melbourne but rallied in the second to finish with 53 points.
Broncos: Kotoni Staggs is out with a hamstring injury suffered at training on Sunday, with Herbie Farnworth moving to centre and Corey Oates returning to the win, while Tevita Pangai jnr and Alex Glenn return to boost the starting pack. Payne Haas is on track to be the greatest Fantasy scorer of all time, scoring 83 in 80 minutes last week to take his average above 75 (and his price above $1 million). Pat Carrigan is also looking great, with a career-high 62 against Manly, while Jamayne Isaako bounced into form with 46. Cory Paix (35) was solid enough at hooker but the mid-season signing of Issac Luke is not a great sign for Paix's game time going forward.
Rabbitohs v Warriors, Friday 6pm (8pm NZT) at Bankwest Stadium
Rabbitohs: Unchanged. After dropping in value by $164k before last week, Latrell Mitchell now looks a great buy after starring at fullback against the Titans, with a try, three assists and 74 points. He's a dual-position centre/WFB which makes him all the more valuable after some key injuries in the centres. Damien Cook's season average is back above 60 this season. Jaydn Su'A has been a quality moneymaker and even though he only made 28 last week he did avoid a possible suspension after being put on report for a shoulder charge.
Warriors: Also unchanged. A try against the Cowboys helped cash cow Eliesa Katoa to a season-high 66 and another big price boost, while Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (52) is coming off a strong score and seems to have bottomed out in price. Tohu Harris is in terrific scoring form with 69, 74 and 62 in his last three games.
Panthers v Storm, Friday 7.55pm at Campbelltown Stadium
Panthers: A knee injury to Kurt Capewell (3 last week) is a huge blow to Fantasy coaches who had locked him in as a keeper in the centres. He's a definite sell with at least 10 weeks on the sidelines looming. Liam Martin starts in his place while Dylan Edwards returns at fullback for Caleb Aekins. Isaah Yeo (66 in 80 minutes) continues a dream Fantasy season, while Jarome Luai and Stephen Crichton (both 26) continue to plug away as slow earners. Api Koroisau (59) is looking like one of several keepers at hooker this year. Matt Burton (13) only got 14 minutes off the bench last week.
Storm: No changes, with Brandon Smith named on the bench again despite being a late inclusion in the run-on side in the last couple of rounds. Cameron Smith has still got it, scoring around 60 points in the first half of last week's win over Newcastle and finishing on 78 for the match. Cameron Munster is averaging 55 points a game this season. Ryan Papenhuyzen (39) remains a little underwhelming this year but the Storm haven't played any genuine strugglers yet and he's scored just one try this season.
Every try from round 5
Titans v Dragons, Saturday 3pm at Suncorp Stadium
Titans: Corey Thompson will line up at fullback in his first game for his new club, with Phillip Sami on the wing and Brian Kelly replacing the injured Dale Copley at centre. Moaki Fotuaika is looking the real deal this season, scoring 75, 55 and 61 in his past three games (with his game time rising a little each week). He's still good value at $660k if he can maintain a 55 average. Jamal Fogarty (46) is proving to be an effective cash cow in the halves.
Dragons: Paul McGregor is sticking with what worked last week, with James Graham named to start ahead of Trent Merrin the only change. Cameron McInnes split his time between hooker and lock on Sunday but still played the full 80 and scored 89, including a crucial try, against the Sharks. Matt Dufty (77) was a standout at fullback in that much-needed win, Ben Hunt scored 60 off the bench, and the ever reliable Zac Lomax made another solid 42 (despite 12 points in demerits). Adam Clune (34) looks likely to hold onto the halfback jersey while the Dragons play Hunt off the bench and has made a solid start as a cash cow.
Wests Tigers v Cowboys, Saturday 5.30pm at Campbelltown Stadium
Wests Tigers: Cheapie Tommy Talau is out of the side with a hamstring injury, with Robert Jennings back on the wing, Luke Garner starts, and Matt Eisenhuth and Sam McIntyre are the new faces on the bench for Alex Seyfarth and the suspended Russell Packer. Luciano Leilua has an ankle injury but has been named to play. Alex Twal is having a monster season, making 66 tackles against Canberra on the way to 73 points in 80 minutes. Harry Grant (59) is a star already, while Talau (39) could be one to watch down the track after producing six tackle breaks from the wing in his first game of the season.
Cowboys: Valentine Holmes (ankle sprain) and Jordan McLean (low-grade calf strain) are both out, but the big news is rookie Hamiso Tabaui-Fidow will wear the No.1 in Holmes's absence after scoring 40 on debut. He did play much of that game against the Warriors at the back after Holmes was injured early on. Jason Taumalolo didn't miss a beat in his return from a one-week injury, scoring 74 in 63 minutes against the Warriors. Josh McGuire (71) played the full 80 minutes after the Cowboys were hit hard with injuries to McLean and Holmes. Scott Drinkwater (22) is a sell.
Roosters v Eels, Saturday 7.35pm at Bankwest Stadium
Roosters: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves returns at prop, Lindsay Collins goes back to the interchange and Sam Verrills replaces Mitch Aubusson on the bench. Nothing new really needs to be said about James Tedesco after his stunning 111-point game against the Bulldogs on Monday – he's the best winger/fullback available and with a break even of 18 his price will climb in the next few rounds. It doesn't mean you have to buy him this week though; he'll still have the occasional low score (see his 30 against Penrith in round 1) although his last two scores against Parramatta are 86 and 106. Angus Crichton is in less than 3% of teams and is averaging 66 points per game this year, after back-to-back 80-point efforts.
Eels: Oregon Kaufusi replaces the suspended Kane Evans in Parra's only change. The Eels remain undefeated and big guns Mitch Moses (67) and Ryan Matterson (75) are leading the way. Dylan Brown (47) is averaging 55 this year and may well be a low-end keeper this season if this form continues.
Raiders v Sea Eagles, Sunday 4.05pm at Campbelltown Stadium
Raiders: Corey Horsburgh returns after missing last week's game with illness, in place of Dunamis Lui, while Hudson Young is finally back from an eye gouging ban on the bench with Bailey Simonsson dropping out. Jack Wighton (71) had another big game including a try against the Tigers on Saturday, with halves partner George Williams (45) a little quieter. Emre Guler (28) and Nick Cotric (25) were also pretty quiet in that game. After three straight scores in the 40s Joe Tapine has scored 68 and 52 in his last two games.
Sea Eagles: Marty Taupau is set for a short stint on the sidelines with a dislocated thumb and Moses Suli will miss a few weeks with a finger injury, while Curtis Sironen is back from injury in the second row. Daly Cherry-Evans (61) got his first try of the season against Brisbane, while Tom Trbojevic (35) wasn't a huge Fantasy scorer despite a couple of try assists.
Get Caught Up: Round 5
Sharks v Bulldogs, Sunday 6.30pm at Bankwest Stadium
Sharks: New signing Bryson Goodwin could only make the reserves this week as the Sharks tweaked their bench and named Jack Williams at lock once again. That means Toby Rudolf goes back to the interchange. Rudolf has been a golden cash cow with 40 points per game and more than $200k in price rises so far. Will Kennedy (+$162k) is also taking full advantage of Matt Moylan's troubled hamstrings with a string of appearances at fullback. Shaun Johnson is having a bit of a boom-and-bust season, with two scores in the 30s and two in the 70s so far, but his average remains at a keeper-level 53 from five games.
Bulldogs: Aiden Tolman missed Monday's game and is expected to miss another couple due to a COVID-19 scare at his child's school. Cheapie Jake Averillo scored 36 including seven tackle breaks against the Roosters and remains very affordable if you're looking for a cashout option in the centres – but beware he is named on the wing this week and his earlier scores were not great. Dual-position back Will Hopoate ($474k) has dropped almost $147k on his starting price and usually averages 40 at fullback, and is another under-the-radar centre option – he has the potential to bounce back quickly like Latrell Mitchell has done in recent weeks.
