Lone Scout's NRL Fantasy Q&A: Round 11

A lot of NRL Fantasy teams will be battling to get a full 17 on the field this week as injuries and suspensions continue to hit hard, so which trades are worth making and which injured guns should you hold on to?

• NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 11 - new rookies
• Round 10 charges: Titans duo accept bans; Papa out of Origin

This week's big questions

Is Papenhuyzen a trade for those who held him? Or just wait it out until after Origin period?

From Jarrod John Harry

While in hindsight it would've been helpful to trade him after round 6, if you've still got him now he's a hold. Ryan Papenhuyzen is likely to return for the Storm next week, and although he'll miss round 12 if picked for NSW he's a good chance of backing up from Origin considering he'd be likely playing a bench utility role with limited minutes.

Add in the fact he was averaging a massive 75 points a game before Sunday's injury and it makes him one of the best players to have in your squad in the second half of the season.

Can the byes and Origin be explained for those (including myself) new to Fantasy?

From Tash Cutebricks

If you're mainly focused on winning your head-to-head league, you can pretty much ignore the Origin period. Most head-to-head leagues have bye rounds in round 13 and 17 when Origin players have the weekend off, so the only thing that could affect your team is if Origin players in your team fail to back up a few days after Game One or Three (in round 14 and 18).

Even if they do, it'll just be for one or two games so it's not worth trading a player out because they play Origin.

For overall points it's a different matter because every round matters, so there's an advantage in buying non-Origin players. Every club will have a bye in either round 13 or round 17, so the strategy is to bring in players who will play in round 13 first (especially cash cows who you can sell down the track) and get players who will play in round 17 later.

You can make up to four trades before round 13, 15 and 17, which traditionally have been used by teams playing for overall points to overhaul their teams between the two bye rounds.

This year most teams have been forced to use a lot of trades already so you probably won't want to burn through too many in the Origin period.  

Need a centre to cover Peachey while he's out, thinking Harper or Farnsworth? Also is Curran a sell now?

From Zack Sosiak

Both Manly's Morgan Harper and Brisbane's Herbie Farnworth are scoring well this season despite only crossing for one try each, but Harper has the edge this week for two reasons: 1) he plays for a better club so is more likely to get try-scoring chances, and 2) Farnworth is a late scratching for the game against the Roosters due to hamstring tightness.

The one possible concern for Harper is the impending return of Dylan Walker from injury in a few weeks, although Harper is playing well enough to keep one of the centre spots. 

Josh Curran is set to miss 2-4 weeks, which is a tricky prognosis for Fantasy coaches. It's actually only a maximum of three games Curran will miss as the Warriors have a bye in round 13 anyway, but just as concerning as the injury is the fact Curran was benched before Sunday's loss to the Eels with Ben Murdoch-Masila and Bailey Sironen preferred in the edge forward roles.

Curran still managed a good score last week after coming on early due to an HIA to Wayde Egan and then scoring a try, and he does still have a low break even so has some more money to make (especially if he can reclaim a starting spot). But if he's used as a bench player when he comes returns from injury it may be worth jumping off now for a value buy at a similar price – like in-form Raiders hooker Tom Starling.

Is Josh Kerr a good buy?

From Joseph Cahyo Wongsohardjo

Kerr had a great score of 69 on the weekend, albeit in a game when the Dragons were down on troops with Josh McGuire sin-binned and Tyrell Fuimaono sent off, and there's an argument that he'll be a more consistent scorer as the season goes on the more he adapts to his new edge forward role.

But on the other hand he's only scored 40 points or better twice in 10 games this year, and one of those scores was because of a try. If he can produce regular scores in the mid-40s he'll make some decent money, but a week ago he was averaging 33 points a game so that's a big ask – and at $433k he's not particularly cheap. I'd avoid.

What's your opinion on Moses Mbye as a cheapie CTR/WFB or do do we go with some-one like Ikuvalu who is available during the Origin period instead of Teddy, or is Teddy better?

From Lexus Prince

Moses Mbye is very cheap at $308k and covers both outside backs positions, but his scoring will be erratic and best even if he maintains the five-eighth role.

The risk is he goes back to a bench utility role where he averages about 23 points a game – although even in the starting side he only scored 27 last week due to a late sin-binning. But he's not a bad option if you just need to cover Tyrone Peachey for a couple of weeks and provide depth later on.

At just $577k James Tedesco is a great buy, and definitely a better option than Matt Ikuvalu regardless of the Origin period.

Ikuvalu is a winger who relies heavily on tries for decent Fantasy scores, and isn't a keeper or a cash cow at his price so I'd avoid.

Hey Scout. I have Curran, Momi, Fusitu'a, Peachey & Simpkin. I need a centre, who should I trade out? Would like to keep bye round players and wondering if Best is the man to bring in, as he has to be due a big game? Or is there a good cheap option out there that plays round 13?

From Corky Gardiner

From the players you've got, Peachey is a keeper and a definite hold, while Josh Curran will miss 2-4 weeks but looks to be a good moneymaker (and scorer) when he returns. Momrovski and Simpkin are currently back-up players at their clubs so can be sold, while Fusitu'a just isn't a good Fantasy scorer (although he's so cheap that you don't get much value out of selling him).

Bradman Best is actually a late withdrawal for the Knights this week so is one to avoid. In general he's a fine option but his price is trending downwards and he probably needs the Knights to be playing better in order to score well. Getting Blake Green and Kalyn Ponga back in the next few weeks should help.

Other good centres who play this week and in the first bye round are Justin Olam ($510k), Matt Burton ($475k and will play halfback in round 13), Tom Opacic ($522k), Stephen Crichton ($528k), Jack Bird ($486k) and Brian Kelly ($430k).

Guys like Moses Mbye ($308k) and Tommy Talau ($279k) are available at the cheap end and can save you some cash to spend elsewhere, even if they might score closer to 25 than 40.