Does the Hammer require tries to be fantasy relevant? Has Cotter returned to his 2022 form? Can we start Staggs at the moment? There were so many questions coming out of round 5 and some of them were answered in round 7. 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 favor with all fantasy coaches. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channelstwitter,facebook,instagram,discord.
RISERS
Shaun Lane – EDG, Parramatta Eels (62 points)
After returning from a broken jaw in round 6, Lane had a couple of quiet outings in fantasy terms with scores of 27 against the Wests Tigers and 31 against the Bulldogs. This week there was more asked of him in defence in tough conditions and he went on to make thirty tackles with only one miss. On top of this he was able to break five tackles and make four offloads. The Eels seemed to attack down the left edge a fair bit against the Broncos but Lane was used as a decoy a lot. Lane and Brown probably had the best combination between a halve and an edge at the back end of 2022. It looks like they are starting to bring some of that spark back to the Eels. If the Eels continue to favour the left edge, we may see Lane score a few tries and creep towards a 50+ point average. He may not be one of the headlining edge forwards but he wouldn’t be a bad depth piece for your squad. Especially with Origin and some big bye rounds just around the corner.
Reuben Cotter – MID, North Queensland Cowboys (64 points)
Cotter has strung a couple of great fantasy performances together with scores of 61 against the Warriors and 64 against the Knights. I’m not sure what Todd Payten is doing starting him off the interchange but it seems to be working for us fantasy coaches. Over Cotter’s last two games he’s averaged 61 minutes and 62 points a game, that’s over one PPM. With Taumalolo sidelined for a number of weeks, we may see Cotter’s minutes increase to around 65 minutes a game and this would make him a starting option for your team. Before I consider putting him in my starting team, I want to have one more look at his role without Taumalolo in the team and what minutes he gets next week.
Moeaki Fotuaika – MID, Gold Coast Titans (65 points)
Fotuaika isn’t one of the most well known MIDs in GDS but man, he’s putting up some great numbers. Over the last four games he’s averaged 61 minutes and 54 points a game, that’s 0.88 PPM. Most of his points come through base stats where he has a four-game average of 33 tackles and 168 metres gained, that’s 49 points in base. Don’t get me wrong, he is no Murray, Haas or Yeo but with all of these players set to play Origin, Fotuaika would be a great depth piece to have in your squad.
FALLERS
Brian To’o – WFB, Penrith Panthers (9 points)
To’o can be a GDS fantasy weapon, but he hasn’t shown us the form he showed from a couple of years ago. Like most wingers, To’o can provide a very high ceiling but a very low floor and we saw the latter this week. The Panthers don’t look like the team they were last season with the loss of key players, and they are lacking a bit of consistency compared to what we are used to. To’o is averaging 39 points for a winger which actually isn’t too bad but when you have so many fullbacks to choose from in the WFB position, there are far better starting options. Hopefully we see To’o regain some form and become a factor in fantasy but for now, he won’t be given a spot in my starting side.
Kotoni Staggs – CTR, Brisbane Broncos (26 points)
Staggs is one of those players that I love to give multiple second chances to. After this week, I don’t think I can put myself through watching him on the field while having him in my GDS lineup anymore. He is in great try scoring form and has scored seven tries in his eight games with an average 35 points in GDS. However, if he hadn’t scored these tries his average would only by 26 points. This shows us how reliant on attacking stats Staggs is compared to other centres. Another massive concern is his defence as he is losing a lot of points through missed tackles. This season he is averaging three missed tackles a game and this is up there as one of the highest averages for missed tackles in the centre position. With matches against the Rabbitohs, Storm and Panthers in the next month, Staggs won’t be starting in my team anytime soon.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow – WFB, Dolphins (30 points)
After a fantastic start as a Dolphin, the Hammer fantasy production has dropped in the last couple of weeks with scores of 29 against the Rabbitohs and 30 against the Titans. Like many in the WFB position, the Hammer is heavily reliant on attacking stats and he hasn’t managed to score a try in the last couple of weeks. He is a player for the future in GDS as he's a talented young footballer that has just signed a contract to stay at the Dolphins till the end of the 2027 season. He is likely to have more boom games this season, but I think there are more consistent WFBs that I’d prefer to start above him.