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Trent Barrett's side was one of the most improved in the NRL last season. With skipper Daly Cherry-Evans and the impressive Trbojevic brothers leading the way, they'll be pushing for a finals berth again next year. All three are established Fantasy favourites at a team that ranked fourth in the league in attack in 2017.
Fantasy gun: Jake Tbrojevic
The hard-hitting lock has already played his way into a Kangaroos jersey and is one of the game's best young players, averaging 55 points a week last season. He's improved in each of his three full seasons in the game so far and looks set to join the ranks of elite Fantasy locks.
Fantasy gun: Daly Cherry-Evans
The Sea Eagles' failed bid to sign Mitchell Pearce may have been a blow for Manly but it's good news for Fantasy coaches, with two genuine high-scoring guns still available in the halves. Cherry-Evans, like Pearce, is a dominant playmaker who does the bulk of his team's kicking in general play and so scores well through base stats (kick metres, tackles) as well as attacking stats – something that may have changed had he joined forces with the NSW No.7. In fact, with Manly's 2017 halfback Blake Green now at the Warriors Cherry-Evans will probably take on even more responsibilities – which should mean even better scores in 2018.
Wildcard: Lachlan Croker/Jackson Hastings
Blake Green's departure opens up a position at five-eighth and while there's still a chance Manly will sign a replacement the better result for Fantasy coaches would be the promotion of one of these young guns to the starting side. Both are cheap at $228,000 after playing very limited minutes last season so any kind of half-decent score (say, 25 and up) would result in solid price rises.
2018 NRL Fantasy player prices
Jake Trbojevic: 2RF, $817,000
Martin Taupau: 2RF, FRF, $757,000
Daly Cherry-Evans: HLF, $715,000
Tom Trbojevic: WFB, $688,000
Apisai Koroisau: HOK, HLF, $631,000
Curtis Sironen: 2RF, $572,000
Shaun Lane: 2RF, $538,000
Dylan Walker: CTR, $491,000
Jorge Taufua: WFB, $477,000
Akuila Uate: WFB, $474,000
Frank Winterstein: 2RF, $445,000
Addin Fonua-Blake: FRF, $441,000
Matthew Wright: WFB, CTR, $434,000
Brian Kelly: CTR, $405,000
Joey Lussick: HOK, $363,000
Lloyd Perrett: FRF, $360,000
Brad Parker: WFB, $324,000
Darcy Lussick: FRF, $285,000
Jack Gosiewski: 2RF, $257,000
Jackson Hastings: HLF, $228,000
Cameron Cullen: HLF, HOK, $228,000
Jarrad Kennedy: 2RF, $228,000
Kelepi Tanginoa: 2RF, $228,000
Jonathan Wright: WFB, $228,000
Lachlan Croker: HLF, $228,000
Lewis Brown: 2RF, CTR, $228,000
Taniela Paseka: FRF, $212,000
Toafofoa Sipley: FRF, $212,000
Tom Wright: HLF, CTR, $212,000
*2018 salary cap: 9.4m. Fantasy squad size: 21
