With two possible guns at HLF and a stack of EDG talent who can hit top-tier scores, there's plenty for Fantasy owners to like about the Eels this season.
Many rosters will include either Mitchell Moses or Dylan Brown in 2024, after they ended last year as the fifth and sixth best players in their position respectively, with the pair proving they can co-exist as good scorers.
J'maine Hopgood proved hugely popular last year as a cash cow prospect that turned into a cut-price keeper and his designation as both a MID and EDG means the Eels boast four really good EDG players in 2024, with Hopgood, Bryce Cartwright and Shaun Lane all good options.
Cartwright in particular is an intriguing player and after years of being a mediocre (or worse) Fantasy scorer, he was a standout in 2023 and averaged 48.5 points per game, although it remains to be seen if his role will stay the same with Kelma Tuilagi arriving from the Sea Eagles over the off-season.
Cartwright double helps Eels to a win
Eels 2024 NRL Fantasy guide
The big gun
J'maine Hopgood ranked third among all MIDs last year in what was a breakout season for the 24-year-old, averaging 60.9 points per game. Given the number of mouths there are to feed in the Parra pack, there's a chance his minutes, and likely with it his Fantasy points, drop off a little, but that shouldn't put you off. Even with a few less points Hopgood will be a top tier MID option and an elite EDG, with his dual position status making him a fantastic pick up. He brings very good base numbers and the potential for a stack of offloads and assist metrics.
Hopgood continues stellar form
The bargain
Until we know how the minutes at hooker will be split up between Brendan Hands ($406k) and Joey Lussick ($459k), this remains far from a safe pick, but on paper the latter looks a tempting HOK buy. In five appearances last season Lussick averaged 40.2 tackles which contributed to him levelling out at just under 36 Fantasy points per game. A whopping 22 missed tackles in that period held him back big time, but if he can tidy that up he's immediately a chance of moving up into the 40s. Who the favoured No.9 is remains to be seen, but given Lussick has been signed through until the end of 2025 and coach Brad Arthur has spoken about not wanting to burden Hands with too much load, it's probably safe to assume he'll have a decent role to play this year.
Bye round outlook
Rounds 9, 16 and 20. The Eels sit out only one of the major bye rounds (Round 16), but if they end up having Origin reps then they could be sells after Round 15 given they will likely miss three of the next four weeks when you factor in that bye, Origin III and then another bye in Round 20. Having Parra players available for the first two months before they have a bye is a positive to consider when building your initial squad.
2024 full player price list
- J'maine Hopgood: MID/EDG, $837,000
- Mitchell Moses: HLF, $792,000
- Dylan Brown: HLF, $759,000
- Ryan Matterson: MID/EDG, $701,000
- Bryce Cartwright: EDG, $667,000
- Junior Paulo: MID, $642,000
- Clinton Gutherson: WFB, $627,000
- Will Penisini: CTR, $582,000
- Shaun Lane: EDG, $558,000
- Reagan Campbell-Gillard: MID, $543,000
- Morgan Harper: CTR, $518,000
- Daejarn Asi: HLF, $484,000
- Bailey Simonsson: CTR/WFB, $473,000
- Joey Lussick: HOK, $459,000
- Maika Sivo: WFB, $429,000
- Kelma Tuilagi: EDG, $421,000
- Joe Ofahengaue: MID, $409,000
- Brendan Hands: HOK/HLF, $406,000
- Sean Russell: CTR/WFB, $381,000
- Ofahiki Ogden: MID, $341,000
- Wiremu Greig: MID, $336,000
- Makahesi Makatoa: MID, $331,000
- Matt Doorey: EDG, $311,000
- Haze Dunster: WFB, $250,000
- Zac Cini: CTR, $250,000
- Ky Rodwell: MID, $250,000
- Jirah Momoisea: MID, $250,000
- Tevita Taumoepenu: MID, $230,000
- Toni Mataele, EDG, $230,000
