Ranking the top trade targets for Round 3

The opening two rounds of the season have given us a good idea of which outstanding Fantasy performances were a flash in the pan and which ones are indeed the real deal.

• NRL Late Mail: Round 3
• NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 3

Plenty of coaches are likely to reach for trades this week thanks to the emergence of a few cut-price keepers and potential money makers, with the options far outnumbering the two trades we have at our disposal. 

Here's the breakdown, in order of priority, on who coaches should be focusing on and why.

Ranking the top trade targets for Round 3

1. Joey Lussick (HOK, $514k)

The best value for money HOK in the game right now and the ninth best player in terms of points per dollar output who is playing this week. After watching things play out through the first two rounds, there is now strong evidence to support the thinking that Lussick will be a top five player in his position going forward, all while being available at more than $150k cheaper than the other players in that mix: Harry Grant, Damien Cook, Reece Robinson and Api Koroisau. Lussick's minutes increased from 63 to 77 between Round 1 and 2 and now his only real competition for game time, Brendan Hands, has dropped off the bench for the Eels. There's unlikely to be a player with Lussick's scoring potential (current average of 52.5) and job security who emerges at this price for a while, so go and grab him. It's also a timely trade for Grant owners ahead of the Storm rake sitting out Round 4 on a bye. 

2. Lachlan Galvin (HLF, $261k)

A 43 on debut last week in an assured showing means Galvin is now the top rookie prospect in Fantasy, and while he will struggle to match the overall money making of someone like a Terrell May, the fact that he's available at $261k more than makes up for it. There simply aren't many genuine cash cows around to start the year, which has left coaches to jump on low-level money makers such as Sam Hughes, Jaeman Salmon and Joe Chan. Galvin has a higher ceiling than all of them thanks to the position he plays and his ability in attack, although being a HLF in a Wests Tigers team also means his floor might be low from time to time. With a -1 break even heading into Round 3, he only needs to average 31 in his next three games to add another $100k to his current $261k price tag. Throw in the likely prospect of some 50+-point breakout games along the way and he's going to make a tidy sum of cash, while probably scoring well enough that he can be in your 17 and not be a liability. 

3. Terrell May (MID, $574k)

If you're one of the 55 percent of coaches who own Payne Haas and are needing to replace him following news of his injury, then consider moving May right to the top of this list. The Roosters powerhouse is playing big minutes, producing big scores and is available at a comparatively low price. He has averaged just over a point per minute through the first two rounds for an average of 61 per game and his role in this middle rotation looks very safe right now, with Spencer Leniu not due back until Round 10 (and even then May's role probably won't change too much). There's only one other MID (Adam Elliott) who is averaging 60 or above right now and available for less than $820k, which makes May an absolute steal this week even though he's already climbed $82k in value since Round 1. 

4. Kurt Mann (MID, $497k)

Given 10 of his 11 seasons prior to joining the Bulldogs saw him average under 40 in Fantasy, Mann wasn't someone on my – or many other people's – radars in 2024. But back-to-back games playing big minutes, which has led to scores of 50 and 52, while carrying a <$500k price tag, has shot him into Fantasy relevancy. What I like about him is that he's getting it done despite having no dynamic attacking stats outside of three tackle busts in Round 1, with a tidy 35 points coming from tackles alone in both games so far. A very low level of demerits also makes him able to get through on base stats alone. The danger is his versatility, which could mean he gets put in some weird positions as injury cover as the season goes on, while there's a risk he does lose some minutes as well once the Doggies start to introduce some new faces to the middle rotation. For the immediate future though, Mann is a cut-price 50-point player who can go straight into your 17.