NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 7

Round 7 Fantasy Analysis

Sharks: Sione Katoa returns in place of Mawene Hiroti. Aiden Tolman starts with Braden Hamlin-Uele (pec) sidelined. Briton Nikora returns on an edge with Cam McInnes shifting to lock for Dale Finucane (head knock). Braydon Trindall and Royce Hunt join the bench.

McInnes played 80 minutes for the first time this year; with some time spent on the edge and Dale Finucane's HIA it's probably still too soon to get excited but he's on the watch-list this week. Sifa Talakai has made $222k so far and has a bit more to go if he stays at centre. Ronaldo Mulitalo has a three-game average of 63 and shapes as an interesting point-of-difference option. Finucane should now be sold.

Sea Eagles: Morgan Harper returns from COVID with Tolu Koula making way. Josh Aloiai and Sean Keppie are also out with Taniela Paseka starting and Ethan Bullemor and Kurt De Luis the new names on the bench. Koula is widely owned but seems to be purely a back-up centre at this point. Andrew Davey probably has one or two more price rises left. Haumole Olakau'atu went big against the Titans but is too inconsistent to justify his hefty price tag. Daly Cherry-Evans had his worst score of the year but 56 is still handy.

Broncos: Mass changes. Payne Haas returns, Te Maire Martin is the bolter at fullback for the injured Tesi Niu, Tyson Gamble and Cory Paix start with Billy Walters benched and Jake Turpin out, Tom Flegler is back from suspension and Ryan James and TC Robati make way. Martin needed an exemption to play and has been added to Fantasy at $300k but whether he holds the spot over someone like Selwyn Cobbo remains to be seen. Walters is now an urgent sell, Kotoni Staggs has a three-game average of close to 60 and Kobe Hetherington hasn't been getting the minutes or work rate to make anything in the way of price rises.

Bulldogs: Aaron Schoupp replaces Braidon Burns (hamstring) at centre and Corey Waddell returns in the back row with Chris Patolo (head knock) out. Tevita Pangai jnr and Matt Burton were both very disappointing last week. Pangai's score came despite getting the full 80 minutes and he will probably continue to be up-and-down despite being capable of huge scores on his day. Burton had to spend time at centre after Burns was injured so shouldn't be that quiet again, and he does get a chance against a lower-ranked side in Brisbane this week, but the patience of his owners is certainly wearing thin.

Cowboys: Jordan McLean is named to start for Reuben Cotter and Griffin Neame replaces Connelly Lemuelu on the bench. Jeremiah Nanai continues to produce a startling quantity of demerits, leading the NRL in penalties and missed tackles, but rescued his score last week with a second-half try. He may have some more cash to make but it's a bumpy ride at the moment. Jason Taumalolo is back above his starting price after three straight 50-plus scores. Val Holmes has two scores this year under 15, but three of his past four have been 57 or higher. Reuben Cotter has made $116k already this year on the back of an excellent PPM rate and around 54 minutes per game.

Titans: Unchanged, with Jayden Campbell still not back. David Fifita has looked a completely now player over the past fortnight and has made back almost all the cash he lost in a sluggish opening month. Beau Fermor has two straight mid-30s returns after a good fortnight prior to his COVID break and may be one to part ways with if he can't rekindle those attacking stats. Erin Clark has had a real second wind and probably has another price rise or two left in him.

Wests Tigers: Unchanged after their first win of the year, despite Jake Simpkin appearing to pick up an ankle injury. Alex Twal was immense against the Eels but won't produce scores like that too often. Kelma Tuilagi is making steady coin after consecutive mid-40s scores. Jackson Hastings produced 50 in Fantasy and was heavily involved against the Eels, finishing up with goal-kicking duties as well, but his current price already looks fairly reflective of what he will average moving forward.

Rabbitohs: Hame Sele swaps into the starting side for Tom Burgess and Davvy Moale replaces Isaiah Tass on the bench. Damien Cook is the top-scoring player in Fantasy over the past three weeks and now has the second-most points for the entire year behind only teammate Cam Murray. Blake Taaffe made an encouraging start to his stint as Latrell Mitchell's fullback replacement with 36 and looks an appealing cash-down this week. A equal season-low score of 18 to Lachlan Ilias means his price rises have petered out again; there's still no rush to sell him as long as he's not in your 17.

Knights: Adam Clune returns, Phoenix Crossland goes to the bench, Daniel Saifiti swaps into the starting side for his brother and Simi Sasagi drops out. Kalyn Ponga went massive in round six and is attractively priced if you're not put off by his woeful scoring in the fortnight prior. Chris Randall is getting close to peaking but as the second-top scoring HOK this year is potentially a keeper. Brodie Jones is making steady cash for now while Kurt Mann and Leo Thompson have peaked unless they can improve their scoring. Jake Clifford hasn't produced a good score since round two and can be sold.

Eels: Hayze Perham starts on the wing with Will Penisini returning to centre and Marata Niukore out. Junior Paulo returns to the pack, Oregon Kaufusi goes to the bench and Jake Arthur replaces Mitch Rein on the pine. Penisini looked great on the wing with eight busts but even back at centre he has his price moving for now. Mitch Moses, Dyl Brown and Reed Mahoney were all ok in Monday's shock loss to the Wests Tigers without producing any big numbers. Isaiah Papali'i was his team's best again, and is the fifth-best scorer overall this year.

Panthers: Unchanged. Nathan Cleary's 93 arrested his price drops and he is now a priority target. Both centres, Izack Tago and Stephen Crichton, have peaked; it's fine to hold both or either and each has dual position benefits but they can be moved on any time if you don't plan on keeping them for the season. Taylan May picks up dual position this week and still has another price rise or two in him. Isaah Yeo bounced back from his unexpected rest in round six with a season-high 77 and shapes as a top-tier keeper.

Raiders: Jordan Rapana starts at fullback and Xavier Savage on the wing with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad benched. Harry Rushton makes his NRL debut on the interchange in place of Emre Guler. Brad Schneider has made $228k so far with a couple of price rises left. Tom Starling has back-to-back 50s, in consecutive 80-minute games. CNK is now an urgent sell. Savage has a high break-even after his limited minutes last week but is one to watch.

Dragons: No changes. Moses Suli is coming off a big score but is too inconsistent at the price. Mat Feagai has made $84k in three games but is awkwardly priced. Jack Bird is doing a serviceable job at CTR without setting the world on fire.

Roosters: Paul Momirovski replaces Kevin Naiqama in the backline and Siosiua Taukeiaho replaces Daniel Suluka-Fifita on the bench. James Tedesco's frustrating run of scoring continued in round six but will be a tempting purchase if his form improves. Angus Crichton played 80 minutes after reclaiming his starting spot and is available at a $143k discount on his starting price – if you trust him to keep getting picked in the run-on side.

Storm: Ryan Papenhuyzen (ankle) has been named, the Bromwich brothers return from COVID, Brandon Smith returns to the bench, and Chris Lewis and Alec MacDonald drop out. Even a run-on start last week couldn't save Brandon Smith's score and he looks like an urgent sell. Xavier Coates has just one serviceable score this year and can be sold. Tyran Wishart's presence on the bench last week turned out to be no problem for Harry Grant owners, with the hooker darting over for a try in a season-high 77 in 80 minutes. Josh King's scores have trailed off badly; he has now peaked and should be sold. Jahrome Hughes has been underwhelming since his big round one score but is worth persisting with if you have him.

Warriors: Matt Lodge returns with Aaron Pene going to the bench and Taniela Otukolo dropping out. Josh Curran copped a cork to the shin last week but is not in doubt to play. Euan Aitken's scores have been inconsistent but he's still the second-top scoring CTR after Dane Gagai this year. Curran clawed out a respectable 47 against the Roosters despite having to go off for treatment. Jesse Arthars' scoring dropped off in a big way in round six to bring his price rises to a halt.