Is it time to finally let go of a popular gun middle-forward? Who are some solid non-origin players to keep in mind over the representative period? Should we be looking at a player who has burnt us before? These are some of the questions that will be answered in the round 11 preview of buy, sell and hold. It’s essential to keep in mind that GameDay Squad is a dynasty fantasy football platform and that will be heavily taken into consideration in this article. Let us know your thoughts on who we have included below on all of our socials - twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
BUY!
Dylan Edwards
Penrith Panthers - Winger/Fullback (WFB)
Hard working Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards tops my list of buys this week after a few lean weeks but returned to the form we have come to expect carving the Warriors up through the middle of the park and crossing for a superb individual try. The Panthers have re-structured their attack this season which sees Edwards get a lot more touches than in 2022. He not only has the silky skills and footwork to create attacking opportunities leading to big scoring plays but tops the rum meters (RM) most weeks with his carries out of his own half and is not afraid to ‘roll his sleeves up’ Edwards will not play origin so is almost a must have when origin roles around. Lock him in!
Dylan Brown
Parramatta Eels - Half (HLF)
Kiwi half-back Dylan Brown stepped up this week for the Eels even though they went down to the Gold Coast Titans. Brown started a little slow in 2022, and now as well as 2023, but is now in the category of players you should have in your arsenal come origin. His running of the football and ability to create plays out of nothing is what makes him so dangerous and this was on show for all to see on Sunday night amassing 76pts including attacking stats consisting of 2 try assists (TA), 1 line break assist (LBA), 3 tackle busts (TB). His base stats were just as good with 21 tackles, 233 run metres (MG) & 135 kick metres (KM) A player to have from all aspects of GDS.
SELL
Cameron Murray
South Sydney Rabbitohs - Middle-Forward (MID)
In my opinion Cam Murray has been one of the biggest let downs in 2023 and is now a firm sell option. Remove him from your MID position until after origin and re-asses his fantasy output. His performances from a GDS perspective has declined considerably, playing only 53min for 20pts isn't what we have come to expect of Murray. What we are seeing this season from him has not been seen in past years where he would always hit the defensive line and bust through that front line creating opportunities for support runners around him. He seems to have put his offload away, averaging only 0.7 offloads (OL) compared to 2022 1.8 and averaging only 0.1-line break assists (LBA) per game in 2023. Murray's tackle numbers are still good, but it seems his work rate and lack of attacking stats has really hurt him this season. My observation of Murray is also telling me he looks very fatigued and has less impact than previous seasons…. maybe the intensity of the World Cup has caught up on him and consecutive seasons of big mins?
Ben Hunt
St George Illawarra Dragons - Half (HLF)
Ben Hunt's move too hooker for the Dragons this round really hurt owners who decided it could be a good option to play him. Playing all 80mins he was only able to manage a measley 24pts coming off the back of a whopping 10 missed tackles (MT) Until Hunt returns to halfback he should not be considered.
HOLD...
Brandon Smith
Sydney Roosters - Hooker (HOK)
The Cheese is slowly returning to the form we are used to seeing in his Storm days however, I would like to see the kiwi rake play a bit more as a ball playing lock but unfortunately I don’t think this will happen. Playing decent mins (69) this week with the absence of Jake Turpin, Smith was able to register good base stats along with attacking stats of 4 tackle busts (TB) and 1 turn over (TO) What let him down was the 3 missed tackles (MT). If Smith can continue to play good mins there is an argument that he could be considered over the origin period if you don’t own Marshall-King or Robson.
Teig Wilton
Cronulla Sharks - Edge-Forward (EDG)
Teig Wilton is a very interesting prospect and is a solid base stat player. You know what you are going to get from Wilton whenever he runs onto the paddock and that is effort on effort resulting in good, reliable scores. After coming off scores of 71 and 69 Wilton deserves a mention and is someone to keep on your radar leading into the origin period. A lot of focus is placed on his right edge partner in Briton Nikora but Wilton could be a sneaky POD option. His score was inflated by 7 tackle busts (TB) but don’t be fooled as Wilton will always reward coaches with great base stats and reliable scores.