The NRL Fantasy form guide and key team changes for all 16 clubs heading into round eight of the 2018 Telstra Premiership.
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Brisbane Broncos v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, 7.50pm Thursday at Suncorp Stadium
Broncos: Josh McGuire has joined Matt Gillett in the casualty ward but Andrew McCullough has been named to return about a month early from an elbow injury. Young guns Tevita Pangai jnr (44) and Jaydn Su'A (41) are both benefiting from roles in the starting pack, while Corey Oates is averaging 56 from his past three games after a barnstorming 73 last week. Jamayne Isaako appears to have just about hit his peak after $187k in price rises.
Bulldogs: Greg Eastwood has been replaced by Clay Priest on the bench, with Michael Lichaa named at hooker despite speculation he could be dropped with Matthew Frawley to join a reshuffled spine. Raymond Faitala-Mariner's value is still rising and there's no need to sell him with an average above 50, while Moses Mbye is coming off his first sub-40 score apart from his injury-affected -1 back in round 4. Jeremy Marshall-King has more price increases to come.
Newcastle Knights v South Sydney Rabbitohs, 6pm Friday at McDonald Jones Stadium
Knights: No changes. Kalyn Ponga is the second-most owned player in Fantasy but 57% of teams are still missing out on an absolute must-have Fantasy fullback. Slade Griffin's 60 last week took his price increases past $200,000 and he's got more to come now. Jack Cogger has a single-digit break even after scoring 33 at halfback and is a potential cash cow this week.
Rabbitohs: Richie Kennar is sidelined with an ankle injury and is a sell, with Campbell Graham starting in his place on the wing. Cameron Murray only managed 31 points in 47 minutes in his return from injury last weekend, his shortest stint in the starting side this year. Damien Cook's 53 against Brisbane was his worst score in a month.
Penrith Panthers v North Queensland Cowboys, 7.55pm Friday at Carrington Park, Bathurst
Panthers: Dylan Edwards is out for the season with a shoulder injury, so Dallin Watene-Zelezniak moves to fullback with Tyrone Phillips to start on the wing. Peter Wallace is back at hooker, bumping Wayde Egan out of the 17, while Corey Harawira-Naera is named in the forward pack with Isaah Yeo switching to centre. James Maloney (49 last week) has made $301,000 in price rises since round three and James Fisher-Harris (51) has made about the same since the start of the season, while Viliame Kikau has now jumped $400,000 since round one. All three have more money to make so there's no need to sell yet.
Cowboys: No changes, despite a shock loss at home to Canberra last week. Jason Taumalolo is averaging 67 in his past three games after three straight scores above 60.
Canberra Raiders v Gold Coast Titans, 3pm Saturday at GIO Stadium
Raiders: Unchanged. Siliva Havili produced easily his best performance of the season in Canberra's surprise win over the Cowboys with a try assist, 42 tackles and a try for 72 points in 58 minutes. That'll keep his price increases coming for another couple of weeks at least. He's now Canberra's form Fantasy scorer, just ahead of Josh Papalii who made 61 on Saturday and has averaged 47 in his past three.
Titans: Ryan Simpkins replaces Morgan Boyle on the bench in an otherwise unchanged Gold Coast side. The Titans' grind against the Sharks resulted in great scores for Fantasy gun Jai Arrow (73) and cash cow Mitch Rein (70), with Rein grabbing his first try of the year and Arrow making 194 metres, four tackle breaks and a line break to go with 38 tackles.
New Zealand Warriors v Wests Tigers, 5.30pm Saturday at Mt Smart Stadium
Warriors: Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris and Solomone Kata are all back from injury and even Issac Luke has been named despite suffering a knee injury last week. Jazz Tevaga is out with a shoulder injury and is replaced on the bench by Karl Lawton, with Sam Cook on standby in the reserves should Luke drop out. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck made 50 points without a try in last week's loss to Melbourne, his first score above 35 since round three. Pita Hiku's price is now dipping after three straight scores in the 20s and it's time for him to be upgraded if you can find a reliable scorer in the centres.
Wests Tigers: Elijah Taylor has been named to return, bumping Sauaso Sue to the bench and Tim Grant out of the 17, while Alex Twal replaces Jacob Liddle on the interchange. Esan Marsters made 57 on the weekend to push his season average close to 40 – and he's still yet to score a try in 2018. He is kicking goals now these days and will continue to do so until Tui Lolohea returns to the Tigers side, although Lolohea's currently being kept out on form. Matt Eisenhuth is coming off 68 and is in just one per cent of teams.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Parramatta Eels, 7.35pm Saturday at Southern Cross Group Stadium
Sharks: Josh Dugan's foot injury is set to sideline him for 4-6 weeks, with Valentine Holmes back in the No.1 jersey and Sosaia Feki pipping Sione Katoa to the vacant wing spot. Wade Graham's likely return from a hamstring injury means cash cow Scott Sorensen moves back to the bench with Kurt Capewell holding the other starting second-row spot and Kurt Dillion dropping out of the 17. Young centre Jesse Ramien made 48 without a try against the Titans thanks to 101 run metres and six tackle breaks after he grabbed a double for 46 points the week before.
Eels: Tony Williams is out for the season with another ACL injury, with Tepai Moeroa returning to the forward pack in his place. Nathan Brown is still sidelined with an ankle injury. Manu Ma'u (74) and Corey Norman (66) both starred in Parramatta's win over the Tigers on Sunday while Daniel Alvaro (55) is looking like a borderline keeper. George Jennings gave his price tag a healthy boost with a season-high 47.
St George Illawarra Dragons v Melbourne Storm, 2pm Sunday at Jubilee Oval
Dragons: Just one tweak on the bench with Reece Robson replacing Jacob Host. Ben Hunt is averaging 65 in his last three after scoring tries in the past two rounds, and he made a whopping 545 kick metres against the Roosters. Euan Aitken's 22 in that game (featuring four missed tackles and two errors) was his worst score of the year and will spook Fantasy coaches on the lookout for a centre this week. Matt Dufty is coming off scores of 13 and 17 after averaging 43 through the first six rounds.
Storm: Suliasi Vunivalu and Dale Finucane return from injury, with Tim Glasby (thumb, 6 weeks) out. Curtis Scott is named despite picking up an ankle injury last week, with Young Tonumaipea on standby. Christian Welch made 79 in his first start of the season at lock and moves to prop this week after Finucane's return. Cameron Smith made 66 last round, outscoring Damien Cook by 13, and he once again looks a safe option as captain after a wobble early in the year. Josh Addo-Carr is scoring tries for fun and could easily finish the league's top try-scorer this year.
Sydney Roosters v Manly Sea Eagles, 4pm Sunday at Allianz Stadium
Roosters: No changes. James Tedesco is coming off scores of 57 and 63 and made a whopping 279 run metres against the Dragons, and he could be set for a monster score when he starts scoring tries (he only has two from eight matches as a Roosters so far). Ryan Matterson would have been a steal at the start of the year after jumping $280k in value with an average in the high 50s, while Latrell Mitchell has scored tries in each of his last three games.
Sea Eagles: Lachlan Croker's season is over with due to an ACL injury and cash cow Jack Gosiewski will miss a month with a broken hand, forcing a reshuffle at Manly with Dylan Walker moving to five-eighth, new recruit Moses Suli named at centre and Shaun Lane starting in the back row. Frank Winterstein joins the bench and Jackson Hastings has been named in the reserves in jersey No.19. Martin Taupau smashed 104 points with a superb all-round performance against Newcastle and is now ranked second behind Jai Arrow among Fantasy props in 2018, ahead of Andrew Fifita and Sam Burgess. Unlike Arrow, Taupau and the Sea Eagles will play in the first major bye round. Fellow keepers Jake Trbojevic (59), Daly Cherry-Evans (55) and Tom Trbojevic (46) all produced good scores in a losing side as well last week.
