NRL Fantasy: Lone Scout's Winners and Losers Round 13

In a week favouring the forwards in NRL Fantasy, we close out on our first two bye rounds for 2026 showcasing some big team scores considering a week that is capped at only 13 players.  

We look over the highs and lows of Round 13 and assess how well we approached things and also the takeaways to consider for the next set of bye rounds fast coming up over the next couple of weeks.  

Lone Scout's Winners & Losers

Winners

In just his second loss as coach, Kieran Foran’s Sea Eagles took the contest to the wire but fell short at the finish to a reshuffled Cronulla outfit. The game was topped by Braydon Trindall (81) after taking the reins in the absence of Nicho Hynes, a popular target no doubt should Hynes miss out anymore football. Teig Wilton (72) furthers his stocks as a Point of Difference (POD) trade in target given Sharks only bye remaining is Round 17 when all other teams play. Celebrating and earning his stripes in his 150th NRL grade game was milestone man and tackle bot Cam McInnes (65), bring him in with confidence this week. Matching McInnes was Newtown Jets hero Billy Burns (65) who streaked away with two tries during his night out after shifting out to the centres for a short period of the match. 

Jamal Fogarty (74) played the dominant half and also scored well as a result, he doesn’t have the bye schedule to be considered for overall however. Taniela Paseka (54) stepped up to the challenge to keep Manly going forward alongside Jake Simpkin (51) who started at dummy half and played out the full 80 minutes. Ben Trbojevic (65) maintained his upper class form as we have now come to expect in 2026 with his regular partner Haumole Olakau'atu rested after Origin.

Next up it was Newcastle who bested a further injury-impacted Eels despite the visitors putting up a brave fight. In a odd low Fantasy rewarded game it was Dylan Lucas (90) scoring a double to take the top fantasy score in both the game and round this week, Lucas will be one to target after the Knights Round 15 bye. Greg Marzhew (50) needed a try to get him over the half-century mark, but owners who took a punt on him a few weeks ago will be happy enough with that result. 

Jack Williams (55) took over the captaincy from the injured Mitchell Moses and polled highest for Parramatta. Returning fullback Isaiah Iongi (52) was the only other one wearing blue and gold to crack the half century, he has a good bye schedule from here on out and will be a popular trade-in target over the next two rounds. 

Rolling on with the redeemed Wests Tigers holding out the Bulldogs in a six-point nailbiter. With a favourable bye schedule Terrell May (86) likely earns himself must have” status after his 1.34 points per minute (PPM) effort critical to the victory. With the costs of the trade in made more straight forward with the highly valued and owned Alex Twal (72) receiving some friendly fire in the dying minutes of the contest, ending in a potential MCL awaiting further scans this week. Though on the lower end of his range, Kai Pearce-Paul (57) still made his talents known and remains a high priority trade in target for those needing a strong EDG presence for the remainder of the year. His six missed tackles an unusual deficiency that cruelled his chance of an even higher score. Also hitting their NRL Fantasy goals was Jeral Skelton (61) in his return to NRL level football alongside young half Jock Madden (54) and bench forward Alex Seyfarth (51) but all of these are just watch list candidates for now. 

Jacob Kiraz (85) continued to make his case to make the No.1 jersey a permanent inclusion with his season-best result. If you didn’t get him this week, there is still a possibility depending on the washout of his slightly early exit in this one that was believed to be just cramps. Sitili Tupouniua (71) took advantage of Jacob Preston’s absence with a hard running evening. We’ve seen these sort of games from Tupouniua over the years but unfortunately he has never shown the consistency to be a Fantasy favourite. Max King (66) showed signs of a return to his best form and could be one to watch for after the bye period is over as MID depth along with Leo Thompson (56). His former Knights teammate Enari Tuala (59) was shuffled to the wing and was busy throughout, also scoring a try. 

The Melbourne Storm took out a convincing win over arch-rivals the Roosters on Saturday night. Sua Fa’alogo (84) was seemingly untouchable, posting the big number without even crossing for a try. He is a season-long keeper now and can’t be flicked during the Storm’s upcoming byes. Fa’alogo’s score was nearly matched by Cam Munster (81) who, beside Harry Grant (60), took out some frustrations following Queensland’s loss on Wednesday night. Fellow spine member Jahrome Hughes (50) got the job done as he always does this time of year, it’s a shame the bye draw isn’t friendly or he would be a consideration. Stefano Utoikamanu (76) was eager to show the Blues coaching staff what they missed out on - shame it was a week late for those coaches who jumped off him after a quieter past few outings.  

Not much to report for the Roosters here with only Billy Smith (50) hitting the half-century in his return game in the unfamiliar wing role. Robert Toia (47) did earn respect having backed up with a second 80-minute game after also playing all of Origin only three nights prior. 

Interim Coach Dean Young finally takes the spoils with the Red V clinching their first win of the season against premiers Brisbane no less. The returning Fantasy royal Payne Haas (79) didn’t miss a beat, though with his likely recall to NSW camp and Brisbane not playing rounds 16 and 19, Haas won’t be worth the inclusion into squads just yet unless you are either flushed with trades or only playing head to head and miss the bye rounds. Xavier Willison (75) rewarded those coaches holding on to the dual MID/EDG forward and he now becomes a handy option to cover some tough upcoming bye rounds.  

In the biggest turnabout to Fantasy form for 2026 to date, Valentine Holmes (65) reminded he still has still has “the goods” claiming two tries and five goals during the win. The twins Toby Couchman (62) and Ryan Couchman (62) not only matched each other in looks but also on the Fantasy scoreboard. Back-rowers Dylan Egan (59) and Hamish Stewart (56) did their part as coach Young didn’t resort to usual edge impact forward Luciano Leilua from the bench this week. Also playing big minutes was Damien Cook (60) after Jacob Liddle didn’t make the final team cutdown after being a chance to return from injury this week. Daniel Atkinson (59) scored a lovely individual try and aided his day while winger Mathew Feagai (54) also made the most of his efforts with a try.  

Back at GIO Stadium the Raiders earned a convincing win over North Queensland. Origin star Hudson Young (65) topped the charts for the Green Machine while Ethan Strange (56) was another to enjoy two wins for the week after backing up following his Blues debut. Equally impactful was Young’s edge partner Zac Hosking (63) as both he and Young played out the full 80 minutes. Sebastian Kris (57) racked up a double though a HIA in the back end meant he couldn't finish the match - we wait to see if he can back up next week. The ever-reliable Joseph Tapine (53) gets another mention and will be a handy pick-up if people need to switch away from Alex Twal this week. Finally Tom Starling (57) and Kaeo Weekes (55) also made a successful showing in front of their home crowd at GIO Stadium.

The Cowboys lost in their away trip to Canberra and now edge closer to a number of byes over the next period. Heilum Luki (67) was their chief protagonist and his back to back high scores make himself a difficult trade out option. However a note to potential holder’s, Luki may have entered himself into Maroons discussions especially as the injury to Pat Carrigan may force a shuffle in their ranks. Coen Hess (49) wound back the clock but playing a little bit of edge late in this game while Zac Laybutt (48) also gave his all and scored nicely. 

In one of the games of the season so far Penrith won over their top-of-the-table counterparts in a thrilling affair despite missing most of their Origin stars. As is often the case when Nathan Cleary is missing, Dylan Edwards (66) stepped up with a big Fantasy score but seeing Penrith have the bye in Round 15, there is no need to rush into him. Paul Alamoti (57) landed the kicking tee in Cleary’s absence and also managed two tries in one of his strongest games yet in 2026. Isaiah Papali’i (57) continues to keep pace with the top edges, getting most of his points in the second half. Casey McLean (55) brought back the confidence from his game-breaking performance in Origin off the bench with an energetic output. Jack Cogger (58) was ever reliable filling in at No.7 and would be a great cash down option if he ever got an extended spot in the position. 

The Warriors have barely missed a beat since Tanah Boyd went down injured as Te Maire Martin (63) continues his meteoric rise at halfback. He is a must add in Round 15 if named ahead of Luke Metcalf. Fullback Taine Tuaupiki (59) was outstanding trailing runners all day, he is another you could plump for after the Warriors bye this week. Erin Clark (58) pumped out another huge score, well done if you got him to cover the Origin period but it is probably too late now for those considering him. Jacob Laban (52) earns a spot in this part of the column but considering how many times he was on the other side of the ledger earlier this year, I cannot possibly recommend him in anything other than draft. 

Losers

The Sharks back five were all held fairly quiet throughout the contest despite winning the encounter with Jesse Ramien (27) and Ronaldo Mulitalo (20) not ones to consider despite the good bye schedule. Blayke Brailey (48) was set to feature at the top end of this column until suffering a fracture to his right arm that earnt an early shower and likely an extended period in the bleachers. Brandon Wakeham (22) came off the bench as a middle for Manly and simply isn’t getting enough consistent game time to hold for those that plumped for him a few weeks back. 

Newcastle nabbed the win but Trey Mooney (30) couldn’t get a try this week and now looks a sell coming into lockout for those few remaining owners out there. Joash Papalii (29) owners copped a break when he was named at No.6 but it didn’t result in a Fantasy uptick. Despite having a kind bye draw he will be hard to hold onto with so many better performing options out there. Tallyn Da Silva (29) came off the bench in this one despite no Ryley Smith which means he too can be cut and run from if you played the percentages when Smith went down. 

The Wests Tigers and Heamasi Makasini (28) started on fire against the Bulldogs but then Makasini’s day was dashed with a suspected AC joint costing his owners just 28 minutes in. Api Koroisau (33) was expected to be a cost effective bye round cheat code but he looked slightly off the pace after missing a month of footy and now could become an option on the interchange for Blues coach Laurie Daley.  

A week to forget for the Roosters and especially young half Sam Walker (9), who even had the ignominy of a sin binning in the final minute, furthering his difficulties faced. Cody Ramsey (15) was an intriguing cash down option after his 51 last start but he couldn’t replicate in the match-up against rivals Melbourne. Siua Wong (40) and Angus Crichton (26) were unable to inject themselves into the contest with the former still a good buy candidate that could be even cheaper when Round 15 rolls around and edges are at a premium. 

In a blow for Brisbane and QLD alike, Pat Carrigan (24) was assisted from the field in the second half of the loss to the Dragons with an ankle issue. Reece Walsh (45) scrapped out a decent enough score but it is still a loss for those who took a chance on the Australian fullback considering the strong match-up. Handy rookie and slow burn cash cow Setu Tu (26) has surely made his last appearance for coaches after failing to hit his break even that will see a drop in value.  

Canberra nailed the win but owners looping their halves were hoping for much more from young playmaker Ethan Sanders (39), though the main impact on his score was due to a poor afternoon on the kicking tee, making only one of his six shots at goal in the icy condition in Canberra. Likely contributing to the unfavourable result for the Cowboys, Tom Chester (27) and Scott Drinkwater (26) went largely missing and now both are on the chopping block as the Cowboys bye draw turns nasty. Thomas Mikaele (33) was going well in his first stint but he didn’t make his way back onto the field after aggravating his knee and will be one to monitor come Team List Tuesday. 

Freddy Lussick (36) and Tom Jenkins (31) weren’t big features of the Panthers' two-point win over the Warriors, Lussick is nearing cash out territory with Mitch Kenny not far away. Leka Halasima (17) left the match at half-time due to a hamstring complaint and scored low as a result. 

Round 13 NRL Fantasy Team of the Week 

1. Sua Fa'alogo (WFB) – 84 points 
2. Jeral Skelton (WFB) – 61 points 
3. Valentine Holmes (CTR) – 65 points 
4. Jacob Kiraz (CTR/WFB) – 85 points 
5. Dylan Edwards (WFB) – 66 points 
6. Cameron Munster (HLF) – 81 points 
7. Braydon Trindall (HLF) – 81 points 
8. Terrell May (MID) – 86 points 
9. Damien Cook (HOK) – 60 points 
10. Payne Haas (MID) – 79 points 
11. Dylan Lucas (EDG) – 90 points 
12. Xavier Willison (MID/EDG) – 75 points 
13. Stefano Utoikamanu (MID) – 76 points 

With our first set of bye rounds now cleared, we can focus in on Rounds 15-19 which will pivot some teams to aim at for our trade in and trade out targets. So as a result, look out for Part 2 of my Origin bye schedule article dropping later this week on NRL.com.

As always, shoot through those questions troubling your fantasy squads to thelonescout@nrl.com.au for Thursday's Q&A.