Some major omissions for Round 2 are set to create issues for Fantasy coaches, but there's great news for a couple of cash cow prospects too.
Here's everything you need to know about the Round 2 team lists from an NRL Fantasy perspective.
NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 2
Broncos v Rabbitohs, Thursday at Suncorp Stadium
Broncos: Cheapie EDG Brendan Piakura is named after failing a HIA in the opening minutes of Round 1 and finishing on 0 points. His return should mean Patrick Carrigan plays only in the middle and produces a better score than his first up 41 as well. Xavier Willison is set to again miss out on a spot on the bench to veteran Martin Taupau. Payne Haas will be a popular captaincy choice after opening the season with a monster 76.
Rabbitohs: An injury to Jai Arrow opens up a opportunity for $413k MID Tallis Duncan to start in the second row and with no recognised edge cover on the bench at this stage he could be set for big minutes. Latrell Mitchell went large in Round 1 with a try, two try saves and two line breaks part of an 81-point showing which led all WFBs, while $363k wing Richie Kennar keeps his spot for another week, but is likely to be gone for Round 3 when Jack Wighton returns.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Sharks v Bulldogs, Friday at PointsBet Stadium
Sharks: Things didn't go to plan for Cameron McInnes owners in Round 1, with the $695k MID playing only 40 minutes and scoring 42. He's named to start again and isn't a trade out yet, but if he plays under 50 minutes this week he may be one to move off. Ronaldo Mulitalo ranked sixth among WFBs in Round 1 scoring, but he had a stack of dynamic stats in there which will be hard to replicate on a consistent basis. Toby Rudolf comes back into the starting line-up after a limited role off the bench last week.
Bulldogs: The loss of Josh Addo-Carr – who is a surprise inclusion in the reserves this week after being confirmed to have a complex AC joint injury – last week meant Jaeman Salmon was forced to the centres, which impacted his 'true' score and potentially also that of Kurt Mann (50) and Josh Curran (47). Connor Tracey comes in on the wing but at $558k is too expensive to touch.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Panthers v Eels, Friday at BlueBet Stadium
Panthers: Hooker Mitch Kenny returns from suspension and will start, while his backup on the bench, Soni Luke, comes off an excellent showing that saw him hit 54 in just 32 minutes on the park. Nathan Cleary was the overwhelming captaincy choice last week but many may prefer the matchup on offer to Nicho Hynes against the Bulldogs in Round 2. Taylan May was a monster in the centres, earning 14 points from tackle breaks and 15 from metres gained, but at $627k you'd want to be sure he's a long-term elite option at CTR or WFB.
Eels: Mitchell Moses has been cleared to play but could still be feeling the effects of a groin issue suffered last week and if his kicking is restricted again then he could be set for another week as a 30s scorer. Dylan Brown (HLF, $748k) will be a beneficiary again if that is the case. After being a surprise overall top scorer in Round 1, Bryce Cartwright will be a popular pick up right now at $715k. While the presence of Brendan Hands on the bench put most off Joey Lussick last week, he ended up playing 63 minutes and scoring 44 points and is good value at $472k if he can keep that up.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Raiders v Wests Tigers, Saturday at GIO Stadium
Raiders: A fairly big blow with Nick Cotric the man to make way for Seb Kris, with the cheapie WFB having been picked up by close to a quarter of all teams last week. Morgan Smithies keeps the lock role after a 52 last week, as does Zac Hosking (69 points) in the second row, however both have poor job security with Elliott Whitehead and Corey Horsburgh still to return to the team in coming weeks.
Wests Tigers: Rookie Lachlan Galvin has won the race to the No.6 jersey while Jayden Sullivan is the halfback. Galvin is basement price and now worth a punt. Powerful centre Solomona Faataape will debut in the absence of Justin Olam (knee). His past form at Queensland Cup level, which last year would have had him averaging 40 points per game at that level, suggests he's a worthwhile look, but he has very little job security. While the Round 1 bye will have put many off getting Wests Tigers players in their initial team, Benji Marshall's squad have two elite EDG options in John Bateman ($740k) and Isaiah Papali'i ($716k).
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Cowboys v Knights, Saturday at Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Cowboys: Zac Laybutt was outstanding on his way to 59 last week and while he's unlikely to maintain that rate of scoring, at $536k he looks a cut-price keeper at CTR. Reece Robson ranked fourth among HOKs last week with 52. Expect fullback Scott Drinkwater's scores to improve this week too, with the Round 1 game plan meaning he actually missed out on try assist opportunities.
Knights: Kai Pearce-Paul (EDG, $517k) starts and is set to command bigger minutes following his 34 points in 40 minutes in Round 1. Still no Jayden Brailey (hamstring), so Phoenix Crossland gets another run at dummy-half. There should be an improved showing from Kalyn Ponga who was held to 35 last week.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Storm v Warriors, Saturday at AAMI Park
Storm: A bad sign for Cameron Munster who has been left out of the 22 altogether this week after being a late withdrawal from Round 1 with a groin injury. His absence means $459k HLF Jonah Pezet gets another run after hitting 38 against the Panthers. Possible money maker Joe Chan's 26 was underwhelming, but he's worth sticking with and has a break even of 14.
Warriors: Wayde Egan (elbow) and Kurt Capewell (ribs) are both named despite picking up injuries last week. Shaun Johnson managing 60 in a game in which his side scored only 12 points bodes well for his prospects, while those who jumped on cash cow Taine Tuaupiki (WFB, $408k) are laughing after he hit a 45 last week, with another run at fullback coming while Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (hamstring) remains out of action.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Sea Eagles v Roosters, Sunday at 4 Pines Park
Sea Eagles: $265k CTR/WFB Tommy Talau takes over from Jason Saab, who will miss around six weeks with a hamstring injury. In past years Talau hasn't been a good Fantasy player, but at that price some will choose to take the gamble. If you were among the 40 percent of teams who didn't have Ben Trbojevic for Round 1, there's still plenty of money to be made on him and his break even for this week is -4.
Roosters: Following news of Spencer Leniu's eight-match ban, watch for Terrell May to benefit and keep playing bigger minutes. In Round 1 he scored well over a point a minute on his way to 62 in a 54-minute shift and at $523k he's still cheap if you think you can get a couple of months of high-level scoring from him. James Tedesco is still slightly underpriced at $677k.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
Dolphins v Dragons, Sunday at Kayo Stadium
Dolphins: Halfback Sean O'Sullivan has been dropped in favour of 2023 rookie Isaiya Katoa, but you'd be a brave Fantasy coach to go near any Dolphins HLF right now given the options they have available. Tesi Niu has also been punted for Jake Averillo. After being a shock omission from the 17 last week Euan Aitken, who ticks a huge box in Fantasy as a CTR-eligible player who actually plays in the forwards, has been called in to replace Connelly Lemuelu, who is expected to be out until Round 6 with a knee injury.
Dragons: Blake Lawrie (ribs) has been named and will be a good chance of taking the field this week, which will signal a change in the forward rotation and probably impact scores for players like Michael Molo, Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Tom Eisenhuth. Jacob Liddle was outstanding on his way to 68 and is good value if he can score anywhere near that consistently. Bench forward Viliami Fifita (MID, $230k) only scored 13, but actually showed some promise as a Fantasy prospect given that was about a point a minute in his short stint.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com