Is Nicho Hynes the best of the best? Is it already time to put our trust into a stud Englishman? Which version of a popular Tigers centre will I get in coming weeks? There are so many questions coming out of round 3 and some of them were answered in round 4. But let's turn our attention back to fantasy footy for a second and identify some risers in form and others who should be falling out of favour with all fantasy coaches. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
RISERS
Nicho Hynes – HLF, Cronulla Sharks (107 points)
I mean talk about coming out of the gates hot! It has taken no time at all for 2022's Dally M Medallist to hit the ground running after completely dismantling St George Illawarra and carrying fantasy teams all over the country whilst doing so. Hynes, who missed the first 3 rounds due to injury, awarded coaches who wasted no time selecting Hynes into one of their halves positions, put up an eye-watering score of 107 GDS fantasy points to finish as the highest scoring player league-wide in round 4. He didn't even need a full 80 minutes to get there either! Only playing 72 minutes in his first outing. He's a set and forget for the rest of the season barring any bye rounds, consider yourself extremely lucky if you already have a Hynes player card!
Zac Hosking – EDG, Penrith Panthers (98 points)
Former Brisbane Bronco Zac Hosking has put his name on the map in a massive way in round 4! Hosking played only four games for Brisbane before making an off-season move to reigning champions, the Penrith Panthers in a bid to play some more consistent senior football. Hosking has been biding his time and finally got an opportunity to make his season debut in round 4 for Penrith and boy did he take the opportunity with both hands! Hosking had a blinder against the Parramatta Eels, laying 54 tackles and missing none! Running for 109 meters-gained and even scoring a try. It has to be said that even after playing as well as he did in the grand final rematch, his position in the squad is still in doubt, but he has put his best foot forward and if he can get some consistent game time, we've just seen first hand how much of a powerful scorer he can be in fantasy.
John Bateman – EDG, Wests Tigers (66 points)
After being eased into the season in round 3, the classy Englishman John Bateman quickly reminded us of just how devastating he can be when the shackles are taken off! In his first full 80 minutes of the season Bateman looked electric on his way to 66 GDS fantasy points. 45 successful tackles, 112 meters-gained, 3 offloads and 4 tackle breaks was what got him there but owners shouldn't just be impressed by the point production, Bateman also passed the eye-test. There were times where Bateman was just about involved in everything! Hopefully with some consistency in the Wests Tigers lineup, Bateman can live up to the mighty expectations that surround him, round 4 was certainly a step in the right direction.
FALLERS
Brent Naden – CTR, Wests Tigers (8 points)
The most confusing and elusive player in all of fantasy Rugby League at the moment, Brent Naden, centre for the Wests Tigers! I mean listen to his first four scores of the season... Round 1, 50 GDS fantasy points, round 2, 5 GDS fantasy points, round 3, 58 GDS fantasy points and in round 4, 8 GDS fantasy points! The absolute epitome of inconsistency. Scoring fluctuations like this mean that Naden can't be started with any confidence going forward, unless we see some consistency, he'll remain an enigma.
Tohu Harris – MID, New Zealand Warriors (27 points)
A gut-wrenching injury will force a lot of GameDay Squad coaches to make some changes as we approach round 5. Popular middle-forward Tohu Harris has been one of the most inform fantasy assets in the game to start the season but has been stopped in his tracks, suffering a knee injury that will sideline the Warriors star for at least a few weeks. Harris failed to play beyond the 44th minute of the game, only scoring 27 GDS fantasy points on the day which will be leaving a ton of coaches as bruised and battered as Harris himself.
Waqa Blake – WFB, Parramatta Eels (2 points)
Not even an extra 3 minutes game-time could resurrect Parramatta's centre Waqa Blake as the Eels broke the hearts of the Penrith fans with an extra-time win in the grand final rematch. Blake himself has been fairly average so far in 2023, averaging just15 points per game, now that we know his floor is as small as 2 points, he simply cannot be trusted to man a starting position in your teams.