Will Munster guide the Storm to the finals again? Can Edwards be anything but a meter eater and tackle breaker? Will Taumalolo be fantasy relevant this season? There were so many questions coming out of round 5 and some of them were answered in round 6. 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
Cameron Munster – HLF, Melbourne Storm (111 points)
How good was Munster against the Roosters, he had a hand in everything that they did. He may not be as consistent as a Hynes or a Cleary but when he turns it on, he can help you rocket up the standings. Prior to this week he was only averaging 48 points a game and with better performers in the halves this season, he may have been overlooked for selection. Against the Roosters he provided 51 points in base and 56 points in attack. The attacking points came via 1 try, 1 goal, 2 try assists, 1 line break, 1 line break assist, and 8 tackle breaks. Munster should always be in the consideration to be a starter for your team every week but has proven he can be a riskier option than other halves. This week, the risk paid off for those coaches that had him starting.
Latrell Mitchell – WFB, South Sydney Rabbitohs (95 points)
Latrell bounced back with a bang on Friday with a hat-trick against the Bulldogs. After a couple of quiet weeks, this sort of performance is what fantasy coaches have been after all season. The injury to Josh Addo-Carr led to a reshuffle in the Bulldogs backline and this made them very exposed down the right edge. Latrell made the most of this as he scored all of his tries down the right edge as well as providing a couple of the try assists. Latrell is starting to look like he may be one of those WFBs that are matchup dependent. When it comes to playing against the top teams, sitting him might be the best option if others in his position have more favourable matchups. With the Rabbitohs next four games against the Dolphins, Panthers, Broncos and Storm. We should know by round 11 how we should be playing Latrell in our squads.
Dylan Edwards – WFB, Penrith Panthers (118 points)
I’ve been beating the Edwards drum for a while now and this week he provided coaches with the top GDS fantasy score of the year by any player. Prior to this game, I believe he was one of the most underrated WFBs in fantasy. Now, he will be on everyone’s radar! He generally gets most of his points from tackles, running metres and tackle breaks but against the Sea Eagles, he recorded attacking stats in almost every category. Of his 118 points, 93 points came in attack as he chalked up 4 tries, 3 line breaks, 2 line break assists, 13 tackle breaks and one offload. If you already have Edwards in your squad, well done. If you don’t, I would be looking to add him as soon as you can.
FALLERS
Jason Taumalolo – MID, North Queensland Cowboys (17 points)
The writing has been on the wall for a while now and it doesn’t look like Taumalolo will ever be the fantasy stud we have seen in the past. Since Todd Payten has been coach of the Cowboys, we have seen Taumalolo’s minutes managed. This works in NRL terms but for fantasy, it’s not ideal. Last season Taumalolo averaged 55 minutes a game and scored 0.77 PPM. This season he averages 53 minutes and is scoring 0.75 PPM. The reduction in minutes is surprising as the Cowboys have had injuries in their MID rotation to deal with. The Cowboys have looked out of sorts this season and I thought we may see an increase in minutes for Taumalolo as he can be so devastating with ball in hand. Taumalolo will not be seeing my starting side anytime soon and will only become a consideration if his minutes increase to 60+ a game. Even then, I believe there are far better options at MID.
Tom Trbojevic – WFB, Manly Sea Eagles (18 points)
Turbo looked out of sorts against the Panthers and this was due to some back spasms he was experiencing. It didn’t help that the Sea Eagles were well and truly outplayed by a red-hot Panthers team. Turbo even crossed over for a try and without this he would have only scored 8 points. With Turbo’s known injury history, I would be monitoring the news about him to see how serious these back spasms are. The Sea Eagles have the Storm up next and with the defensive display they have shown over the last couple of weeks, Turbo would be an unlikely starter for me in this match up. Even if he was 100% fit
Tyrell Sloan – WFB, St George Illawarra Dragons (5 points)
Sloan has been having an ok season so far but any momentum he was gaining in fantasy quickly stopped after his poor outing against the Titans. Like a lot of WFBs, Sloan is heavily dependent on attacking stats and this week we saw the floor he can provide in an 80-minute performance. He is a very talented young footballer and if you have him in your squad I would be holding his card. This season, he has gone missing in fantasy terms in most games, and this isn’t ideal for fantasy coaches. Sloan probably won’t get a start in my team this season but if the Dragons are to get a role on and Sloan starts getting his hands on the ball more, he may become an option. Until then, he’s a hard avoid for me.