NRL Fantasy: Lone Scout's Winners and Losers Round 6

Shock upsets rocked the competition ladder and impacted Fantasy scores in Round 6.

The resurgent Cowboys and Sea Eagles continued their revival while injury continued to decimate the Eels and both of last year’s grand finalists are fighting to stay in touch with the eight.

Players saw some season and even career highs and lows in Round 6 so let's get into the notable mentions.

Lone Scout’s Winners and Losers

Winners

In an explosive upset, the Bulldogs take down seemingly unbeatable Penrith on Thursday night. The Lachlan Galvin (58) to Jacob Preston (80) combination is causing fits for opposition teams and helping both players shine in Fantasy statistics. Enari Tuala (54) interestingly has maintained a 50.5 point average, almost all in base stats, and could be worth a look as a POD. Max King (60) led the pack despite suffering a broken jaw which will put him out for the foreseeable future.

In a night to forget for the Panthers, only Isaah Yeo (54) was able to keep up with his season average while the remaining Panthers put up one of their lowest combined Fantasy scores for many years.

The poor Dragons still find themselves winless after the resurgent Sea Eagles get their second win on the trot. The miraculous return of Setu Tu (53) saw owners checking potential looping options when he crossed for a four-pointer. The always handy dual position frontman Toby Couchman (64) got through plenty of work and coaches will be hoping his price doesn’t get away from them before the Dragons Round 9 bye.

Luciano Leilua (77) shows the upside of edges in this year’s competition and considering Ryan Couchman still has one week remaining of his suspension, Leilua should continue to score well.

Former Dragon Reuben Garrick (78) had his best outing of the year, unsurprisingly against his old club. Tom Trbojevic (54) had a busy night but despite the solid output he has another gear that he could still go to and is definitely on the buy list again this round. Haumole Olakau'atu (53) backed up last week’s heroics with another tidy 50+ outing, this time on base efforts without a try.

The injury-stricken premiers lose the derby with gun MIDs in Payne Haas (65) and Patrick Carrigan (62) having to do the heavy lifting without big names Reece Walsh, Ben Hunt and Adam Reynolds. Unfortunately Carrigan is set to join the unavailable list with a suspension looming. Thomas Duffy (70) replaced Reynolds in the halves and put together a huge Fantasy game as a result against his old club. Edge back-rower Jordan Riki (74) had yet another stellar outing and topped the fantasy points for Brisbane in this one.

Fantasy scores exploded for Scott Drinkwater (79) with a try and a sneaky one-pointer at the death under his belt as the Cows toppled their arch-rivals. The two ever reliable pre-season cheapies Tom Chester (63) and Heilum Luki (64) continued their fantastic efforts and both are potential season long keepers at this point. Soni Luke (72) replaced Reed Mahoney after 10 minutes and went gangbusters, Luke has shown this once before when playing for Penrith but unless we see it more consistently, it will be hard to trust him on this one giant performance.

Latrell Mitchell (66) stays ahead of the pack with just Herbie Farnworth beside him as the top centres this season. This score was despite Mitchell moved back to cover Jye Gray who was ruled out after 14 minutes with an AC injury. Just as coaches started moving on from him, David Fifita (53) had a big game, again mostly in base. The Mitre 10 Mighty Buy Tallis Duncan (52) was forced into the centres early but it didn’t impact his output in a positive result for those that took the chance on the Rabbitohs young tyro. Cameron Murray (53) keeps pumping out plus 50 scores and will be a nice option for those juggling inconsistent MIDs.

Canberra get the chocolates in only their second win of 2026, led by captain Joseph Tapine (64) who put together a tidy resume in the win and is definitely one to target as we head into the Origin period. Noah Martin (50) was relegated to the interchange just before kick-off, but luckily made the most of his 57 minutes on the field, this is one to monitor however as Martin may be nearing his peak. Fellow edge forward Hudson Young (77) outscored all and Fantasy coaches across the spectrum will be keenly awaiting the dual positions being awarded this week as Simi Sasagi (60) continues to shine in his new centre role this year.

The Sharks lost but Blayke Brailey (69) gave his all against incumbent NSW rake Reece Robson and should be viewed as a near must own after Cronulla’s bye this round. Jesse Colquhoun (65) showed another side of him just as coaches were thinking he had peaked and is now a hold through Round 7.

Though starting slowly the Roosters landed in the winner’s circle with James Tedesco (60) nearly reaching his exorbitant break even. Tedesco is a clear pick-up this week while Reece Robson (55) could also be considered as a value HOK option. Siua Wong (56) was the other notable, especially considering he had 15 minutes off the field during a HIA check.

Few highlights for the Storm in another shock loss. Enforcer Stefano Utoikamanu (52) kept on with his weekly average and rookie forward Cooper Clarke (55) impressed on the edge and will be a popular cheapie pick-up heading into the next round.

Tanah Boyd (59) was back taking charge with the missing Luke Metcalf and is a nice play for those wanting a third gun HLF. Jackson Ford (71) poses as an interesting prospect as one of the few notable MIDs available for selection in Round 12, he scored yet another try against Melbourne. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (51) was shifted into the centres in this one and this move had an immediate impact on his Fantasy scoring, he is one to put on your watchlist in case he doesn’t revert back to the wing.

The Eels had another tough day out with a couple more for the casualty ward this week. MID Jack Williams (57) did his best for his club and Fantasy squads playing 80 minutes after Kelma Tuilagi (62) went off with a HIA in the 60th minute. Will Penisini (53) had a timely return from injury and poses an interesting cut-price option at centre for those who can’t afford the two big guns.

The Titans secured their second win for 2026 with playmaker Jayden Campbell (89) going bananas. Keano Kini (90) ran rampant and rewarded coaches who kept the faith after a couple of lower scores. Kini will have to be considered as a buy in the tricky to fill WFB spot. Arama Hau (56) scored yet another try and has turned out to be the best of the EDG cheapies despite starting slowly. An even slower burn Cooper Bai (52) got his first big score of the year but this was mainly due to increased minutes with Klese Haas being a late withdrawal, coupled with a strong running try.

Sunday’s blockbuster final game of the round saw the Wests Tigers winning out against Newcastle at Campbeltown. Top MID Alex Twal (70) is still a pick-up, basically a must-own with only 3 minutes off the park. This is reminiscent of Terrell May’s (73) rotation last year. May is getting less game time in 2026 but is relishing being fresher with his output starting to increase. Adam Doueihi (63) was involved in everything as always and edge Forward partners Samuela Fainu (53) and Kai Pearce-Paul (57) continue their high-flying streak but watch for the Casualty Ward article on NRL.com.au as Fainu went off early with an injury.

Veteran Dane Gagai (69) got going in the second half to record back-to-back monster fantasy scores, he will be popular in the buys this week. Phoenix Crossland (50) played the 80, including almost half the game in the middle, and is definitely a good options for those looking to pivot off Reed Mahoney. Jermaine McEwen (58) is a sneaky EDG play for those looking for a POD in the position while Sandon Smith (58) polled well but will probably take a back seat once Dylan Brown returns.

Losers

It’s well and truly time to move on from Bailey Hayward (27) after he returned to the normal work rate. Jacob Kiraz (31) looked better with Bronson Xerri (35) inside him but still seems hampered by a shoulder complaint. Matt Burton (40) is playing second fiddle to Lachlan Galvin and can be moved on from if you took him as a point of difference.

It’s not often a mid 40s score posts in this part of the column but that’s the case this round as Nathan Cleary (46) let down the vast majority of coaches who skippered him. Isaiah Papali’i (36) had his first low score of the year but all this does is halt his price rises in a good sign for those planning ahead for Origin cover.

It may be time to move on from Daniel Atkinson (26). The Dragons just aren’t potent enough in attack for Atkinson to score enough Fantasy points. Damien Cook (28) owners will see a sizable drop in value and one to consider moving on from now that Jacob Liddle’s return is realised.

Those hoping he would return to 2025 form, the 2.3% owners for Gehamat Shibasaki (18) will need to move quickly while his cash value continues to plummet. Centre partner Kotoni Staggs (39) didn’t fire to the same level as he had the previous two outings.

Reed Mahoney (2) cements himself as a trade out after being held out of the game as a precaution early, this was despite the fact he actually passed his HIA.

Jye Gray (6) suffered an AC joint injury just 14 minutes into the double-header in Perth and is expected out for a prolonged period. Brandon Smith (27) returned from injury in the starting No.9 role but didn’t get many minutes as coach Wayne Bennett eased him back into duties. This included him playing some time on the left edge after a second half reshuffle which was impacted by both the scoreline and the Gray injury.

Corey Horsburgh (30) came off the bench in this one and is getting mighty cheap and one for the watchlist.

In a rough week for fullbacks, William Kennedy (21) rockets back to earth after last week’s heroics... this is the typical career arc of Kennedy in fantasy circles. Briton Nikora (16) played limited minutes off the bench and his price could plummet if this trend continues.

Connor Watson (32) proved he isn’t the answer to coaches’ hooking woes after a quiet game coming out of his big performance two weeks earlier.

As many have already seen, Joe Chan (10) was the recipient of coach Craig Bellamy and NRL Fantasy coaches' scorn after copping a stern chat at half-time and hooked after only five minutes into the second half. It's unlikely Chan keeps his position in the 19 this week. Moses Leo (12) was already sold by most after being injured last round and this game confirms he is not Fantasy relevant for 2026. Harry Grant (40) could be on notice after another below average outing, a straight swap to Blayke Brailey not out of the question if Grant can’t get going this week.

Despite the big win, edges Leka Halasima (12) and Jacob Laban (22) aren’t putting up the numbers of some of their comparables across the league. Last year’s mid priced darling Erin Clark (34) isn’t coming close to 2025 numbers, however this could adjust at some point and Clark could be a value pick-up.

Coaches who brought in popular cheapie Joash Papalii (23) will be disappointed Parramatta have suffered so many injuries as this hasn’t given the young fullback much chance to excel.

Heamasi Makasini (23) again failed to put together a passable performance and coaches may lose patience and move on. Makasini did have a disallowed try in this one so perhaps look to hold in the non-scoring bench for now.

The Knights saw a huge drop in Fantasy output in the loss to the Wests Tigers, none more than Fletcher Sharpe (27) posting a new floor score as he continues to work through his return from injury. Dylan Lucas (38) was shifted to the centres for the duration of the second half and his Fantasy output suffered as a result. WFB Greg Marzhew (17) ended with one of his lowest ever 80-minute results and will be under pressure to retain his starting spot once all the big names return from injury.

Round 6 NRL Fantasy Team of the Week

1. Keano Kino (WFB) – 90 points
2. Sunia Turuva (WFB) – 80 points
3. Reuben Garrick (CTR/WFB) – 72 points
4. Dane Gagai (CTR) – 69 points
5. Scott Drinkwater (WFB) – 79 points
6. Thomas Duffy (HLF) – 70 points
7. Jayden Campbell (HLF) – 89 points
8. Terrell May (MID) – 73 points
9. Soni Luke (HOK) – 72 points
10. Jackson Ford (MID) – 71 points
11. Jacob Preston (EDG) – 80 points
12. Luciano Leilua (EDG) – 77 points
13. Alex Twal (MID) – 70 points
14. Hudson Young (EDG) – 77 points
15. Alex Johnston (WFB) – 75 points
16. Jordan Riki (EDG) – 72 points
17. Blayke Brailey (HOK) – 69 points

Get those questions through to thelonescout@nrl.com.au as no doubt there will be plenty to ponder over after the turbulent round we just witnessed. I’ll be back to talk through the findings on Team List Tuesday afternoon and stick close to nrl.com to catch the latest official NRL Fantasy news.