Fantasy takeaways: Pre-Season Challenge Week 1

The start of the 2023 Pre-Season Challenge gave Fantasy coaches their first glimpse at players ahead of the new season, with plenty of takeaways to consider as teams are being built. 

NRL.com takes a look at the weekend that was for Fantasy-relevant players, and what lessons can be gleaned from the first round of pre-season action.

Rookie watch

Much has been spoken about 18-year-old Dolphins half Isaiya Katoa this off-season, and he did his chances of playing in Round 1 no harm against the Cowboys. A try assist, line-break assist and conversion helped the former Panther to 28 Fantasy points. 

Alofiana Khan-Pereira, who is a good chance of nabbing the Titans' vacant wing spot, had a rough day with his hands, making five handling errors, but managed to rescue a Fantasy score of 34 thanks to a couple of tries and 107 run metres.

Wests Tigers forward Justin Matamua played a much bigger role against the Warriors than he will during the season, but consider his score of 58, which included 37 tackles without a miss, as evidence of what he is capable of in 2023. 

Manly development player Viliami Fifita meanwhile could be one to watch for later in the season after racking up 39 points with a busy stint in the pack. 

Mixed bag for likely popular buys 

While a large portion of Fantasy's top players sat out Week 1 of the Pre-Season Challenge, a few did take the field. In his first outing back at the Broncos, Reece Walsh (WFB, $529k) was outstanding at the back, scoring a try and making a couple of line breaks for a Fantasy score of 55. Thankfully his facial injury doesn't look serious either. On the other side of the field David Fifita (EDG, $771k) only managed 42 in his shift, but remains one to watch with Kieran Foran coming onboard and likely to help his scores.

Eels lock Ryan Matterson, who will miss the first three games through suspension, missed four tackles on his way to 35. Knights duo Jackson Hastings (11) and Jayden Brailey (16) both had low scores in their stints, but Fantasy owners shouldn't read too much into that.

Players who look underpriced for 2023

Plenty to take from the Dolphins here, starting with Jarrod Wallace who was a middle of the road Fantasy player last year averaging just 29.7 points across the season, and as a result had his price drop to $426k. He shapes as a much better option at the Dolphins where he is likely to play a bigger part in the pack, and in the draw with the Cowboys he had 48 points. The same is true for his teammate Ray Stone, who scored 46 against North Queensland and looks great value at $257k, as does Connelly Lemuelu, who will play in the back row but is listed as a EDG/CTR in Fantasy. He scored 44 on Sunday and is priced $389k. 

While the Warriors' pack is stronger than in 2022, Tom Ale ($343k) is a good chance of earning a bench spot and was brilliant in the win over the Wests Tigers, amassing 180 run metres on his way to a score of 56. He won't do that every week, but it's a good sign nonetheless. 

Take it with a grain of salt

Just about everything Marcelo Montoya touched on Thursday night turned to gold, and his three-try showing led to a big Fantasy score of 65, helped along by four line breaks and seven tackle breaks. But the veteran has never been a great Fantasy prospect, having averaged under 30 points per game in each of his six seasons to date and that is unlikely to change in 2023. 

Moses Mbye scored 40 in a halves role against St Helens, but is unlikely to play there during the season and last year averaged 21 per game as a utility. Be careful taking the bait on outstanding rookies in the Pre-Season Challenge too, as very few are likely to feature in the early rounds of the NRL. 

Backline options banged up

While confirmation of the full extent of their injuries is yet to come through, it looks like coaches can put a line through Xavier Savage (WFB, $452k) and Justin Olam (CTR, $479k) for Round 1, with the pair suffering jaw and forearm injuries respectively over the weekend. Their potential replacements could have some fascinating Fantasy implications, and all eyes will be on the second week of pre-season action to see which players will benefit from their absence.