NRL Fantasy: Lone Scout's Winners and Losers Round 3

Sin bins, injuries and a training mishap all hampered Fantasy coaches in Round 3 and coverage will surely be tested in a tragic Team List Tuesday this week.

But never fear, the Lone Scout has handled the dramas and risen to 630th overall and he can help your team too. Let’s get to the analysis after a torrid weekend of footy.

Lone Scout’s Winners and Losers

Winners

Another wet game for the Raiders this time in the national capital and the golden cashie Noah Martin (51) dropped back a little as the home side favoured Hudson Young (71) but in no way is Martin a concern. After a quiet one last week Ethan Sanders (52) hit back and almost added a late-game try to his tally. A couple of previous Fantasy favourites in Savelio Tamale (57) and Kaeo Weekes (58) also polled well.

In an odd turn of events Fantasy favoured the losing side on Thursday with Matt Burton (73) the only major contributor – he kicked a whopping 824 metres in the wet. Connor Tracey (66) and Jacob Preston (55) also had notable outputs for the Bulldogs. However both required a try to piece together their scoring.

After scoring first through Robert Toia (58) the Roosters struggled to maintain the rage against the four-peat juggernauts from the west. James Tedesco (55) still managed to cover his own and is a great option as a WFB staple with others proving inconsistent at best. Forwards Naufahu Whyte (50) and Siua Wong (55) led the way, mainly in base stats as the opposition had the best of preceding’s in this one.

Four tries and another Fantasy A+ outing for Penrith’s unheralded Thomas Jenkins (80) as he continues to dominate the WFB standings. Nathan Cleary (60) did his usual things however didn’t reach the heights of last week, mainly due to an unusually high amount of demerits. Isaah Yeo (65) and Dylan Edwards (65) rewarded the loyal coaches who stuck with them, Yeo in particular had been a trade-out target due to his lesser minutes in the opening two matches as opposed to previous seasons.

The biggest Fantasy news came before the Storm-Broncos game even kicked off with cheapie Ativatu Lisati had been ruled out for a month after picking up a calf injury at training during the week. As a result fellow young gun Joe Chan (83) put together a scintillating performance as the grand final rematch lived up to the hype. Jahrome Hughes (73) was a big reason for Chan’s top showing and he himself put together a Fantasy noteworthy performance. Stefano Utoikamanu (59) is proving to be one of the best MIDs this year with another dominant performance. Sualauvi Fa’alogo (50) didn’t reach the heights of Round 2 scoring but in many ways this game was more encouraging to his owners as it showed he didn’t need extraordinary attacking stats to be fantasy relevant. The returning Trent Loiero (56) put together an impressive result off the pine and is one to watch over the next few weeks.

The premiers returned with a vengeance after going into the sheds 14 points down and came away with a much-needed victory on the back of their forward leader Payne Haas (67) who outscored Nathan Cleary in the potential Fantasy Captains scoreboard. Jordan Riki (78) was the one who blew open the second half and his Fantasy account after scoring two four-pointers unanswered and Reece Walsh (50) just did enough for owners, though was helped along by the kicking tee with Adam Reynolds out this week.

Another game and another tough watch for the home crowd as Newcastle struggled without three of their regular spine and biggest playmakers. As a result only Dylan Lucas (59) and Matt Croker (53) are in the winners column for the Knights this week.

Tanah Boyd (86) surged on as the unexpected Fantasy darling for 2026. It was an outstanding day at the office as he broke the line at will and managed a try for the third week running. Jackson Ford (81) also managed a try and is an intriguing option considering the lack of MID depth this year, however his price may have gotten away from coaches.

A bad weekend for home teams continued as the Sharks failed to repeat their Round 1 efforts and were rolled convincingly. Blayke Brailey (76) jumped to the top of the hooking queue with an 80-minute performance full of grit, determination and more than a little bit of skill on top. Halves Braydon Trindall (50) and Nicho Hynes (63) are sharing the workload but still finding enough Fantasy points to be POD options for those wanting to think outside the box as is Briton Nikora (55) with back-to-back high scoring games.

The Edge forward pair Connelly Lemuelu (68) and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (55) continue on their merry way as the Dolphins pulled off a huge upset. The Phins have a bye coming up in a couple of weeks but either one of these two could be an interesting pick-up this week regardless (The Lone Scout has already invested in Lemuelu). An interesting day for the Phins centres, in the first half everything went towards Herbie Farnworth (57) as he looked set for a potential three figure outing, however Jake Averillo (62) showed he was not to be left out of the conversation and ended up out-pointing his teammate.

In Gosford, David Fifita (51) rewarded the faith of coaches who stuck true by hitting the half-century mark. Jye Gray (68) showed why many Fantasy experts were interested in him coming into 2026 with a more attacking-centric game. Previous fullback Latrell Mitchell (56) furthered his resume at the top of the CTR lists after 3 50+ scores and his price is still rising as a result.

Samuela Fainu (65) carried on his explosive 80-minute efforts but Fantasy coaches beware, Jarome Luai is out for the next few weeks due to injury so Fainu is not a pick-up. 2025 Points per minute machine Terrell May (61) played a few extra minutes and as a result scored closer to what we expect from him, his price continues to drop and will be a pick-up at some point before Origin. Alex Twal (61) is the man benefiting from May’s reduced gametime this season and he would be a strong trade-in option for teams struggling to fill the MID position in Round 4.

At Parramatta, skipper Mitchell Moses (68) started slowly but then got going as the home team got the chocolates. Kitione Kautoga (63) took full advantage running off Moses and Jonah Pezet all day long. Jack Williams (53) took advantage of additional game minutes and will now raise interest with Jmaine Hopgood suffering season ending injury.

Like many of the matches so far this season edges Jaydn Su’A (74) and Luciano Leilua (57) dominated the Fantasy scoring for the Dragons. After Toby Couchman came off for HIA protocols, Hamish Stewart (51) secured a bit longer game time and polled high as a result. With all the injuries and suspensions hampering owners heading into Round 4, Stewart is one who will be set for a big role next week. Although spending 10 minutes in the sin bin, Ryan Couchman (52) redeemed himself with another incredible PPM result. However with Hopgood’s ACL news, the high scoring cheapie is likely to face some time on the sidelines due to suspension.

In Townsville, Cowboys favourite Scott Drinkwater (66) pushed through the pain of a rib injury and returned to form, although considering he was on 56 at half-time, owners will be disappointed he didn’t go all the way to a monster score. Heilum Luki (54) still managed to crack 50 despite doing it all on base stats, he looks like a season long keeper at this rate.

Bottom of the table Titans reflect on another loss but at least marked the return of playmaker Jayden Campbell (78) who gave the side some much-needed spark. Arama Hau (52) owners saw the uptick having Campbell back as well, Hau also topped the tackle count for the day in an encouraging side for his future.

Losers

Normally Jacob Kiraz (17) would see plenty more points than this, however he was hampered in the wet with an out of character performance, owners shouldn’t panic as he will bounce back next week.

Sam Walker (26) continues to be recommended as a firm sell with Daly Cherry-Evans clearly the dominant playmaker in this team.

Interestingly, despite putting forward a nomination for try of the year, Brian To’o (28) couldn’t convert his amazing moment into a Fantasy relevant performance. 

The Storm missed Fantasy hero Ativalu Lisati as the question to sell or hold divides the Fantasy community. One with less discussion is Moses Leo (16) who is reverting to type after a great Round 1.

Xavier Willison (21) enters the losing column this week but his low scores could result in a long-term win for coaches as Willison will be a juicy price when it comes to Origin time and he is likely to play bigger minutes.

Disappointed Knights fans wouldn’t be surprised to find mentions here. Dane Gagai (14), Fletcher Hunt (36) and Bradman Best (35) had underwhelming scores but what hurt nearly half of all Fantasy coaches is Trey Mooney (29). After a couple of errors and then a sin bin in the last five minutes, he is likely to miss a match as a result just to add salt into the wounds of his owners.

A tough run for debutant Morgan Gannon (-1) whose day was over after a heavy collision when making a tackle inside the first five minutes.

Dolphins hooker Max Plath (27) presented an uncharacteristically sub-par result in the Phins' second win on the trot. He may become Fantasy relevant if he moves into the lock position once either Jeremy Marshall-King or Kurt Donoghoe return from injury.

Wests Tigers' loss on Saturday night was compounded by injuries to Jarome Luai (32) and potentially Adam Doueihi (47). Last week’s backline stars Jeral Skelton (18) and Luke Laulilii (21) crashed back to earth in a score more in keeping with expectations.

Cody Walker (22), was another who has failed to recreate his first game heroics with Jamie Humphreys (33) returning and neither player able to impact the Fantasy scoresheet. Keaon Koloamatangi (48) missed the 50 mark again this week and considering his high break-even and the fact Souths have a BYE this week, he is not an essential hold.

Eels enforcer J'maine Hopgood (10) suffered an ACL early in this game which will see an abrupt end to his season. Jordan Samrani (22) also left early and will also have knee scans to determine his return date. Isaiah Iongi (24) was a top trade-in target entering the round but it didn’t work out despite the Eels putting up 30 points in this one. After two good games to start the season, new owners will be hoping the Round 3 result is simply an aberration.

Damien Cook (35) owners felt the sting of the return of Jacob Liddle who pinched 25 precious minutes. With both Couchman brothers a chance to miss next week, Cook is a hold with the hope he spends some time at lock against the Titans next Sunday. Daniel Atkinson (39) was below par for the first time this year, owners shouldn’t panic on him either.

Reed Mahoney (34) again failed to finish the match with coach Todd Payten not sticking to his pre-season promise of playing the incoming rake for the full 80 minutes. If you have the ability to sell him then you should, but with all the injuries and suspensions it may need to wait a further week. Tom Chester (23) was quiet in the first 76 minutes but to add insult to injury for his owners, he went high on Jayden Campbell and suffered not only a sin bin but also went on report.

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (33) remains on the firm sell list after again not receiving the minutes required for not only his fantasy score but also the Titans chances of winning each week. Speaking of underwhelming minutes, cheapie Cooper Bai (19) isn’t getting out of first gear and is also a sell but perhaps after this Round considering most fantasy coaches will not be able to afford to trade-out green dots.

Round 3 NRL Fantasy Team of the Week

1. Scott Drinkwater (WFB) – 66 points
2. Thomas Jenkins (WFB) – 80 points
3. Jake Averillo (CTR) – 62 points
4. Robert Toia (CTR) – 58 points
5. Connor Tracey (WFB) – 66 points
6. Jayden Campbell (HLF) – 78 points
7. Tanah Boyd (HLF) – 86 points
8. Payne Haas (MID) – 67 points
9. Blayke Brailey (HOK) – 76 points
10. Jackson Ford (MID) – 81 points
11. Joe Chan (EDG) – 83 points
12. Jordan Riki (EDG) – 78 points
13. Isaah Yeo (MID) – 65 points
14. Jaydn Su'A (EDG) – 77 points
15. Jahrome Hughes (HLF) – 73 points
16. Matt Burton (HLF) – 73 points
17. Hudson Young (EDG) – 71 points

 

The Lone Scout inbox is filling up but there is still opportunities to get your Fantasy queries in. Simply email thelonescout@nrl.com.au and check in Thursdays on my Q&A column. And considering the major injury news, don’t forget you can check all the latest Casualty Ward information HERE.

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