As we get down to the elimination stage for many head-to-head leagues, your choice of captain, point of difference players and trade selections are more important than ever.
Lone Scout addresses the big questions ahead of round 22.
Is Tapine a sell? - @ben_jorritsma
At this stage Joseph Tapine is only set to miss round 22, and with the Raiders basically in must-win territory it’s likely they’ll bring the influential prop back as soon as he is physically able. So unless you think holding him this week will cost you victory in a head-to-head league, I’d be holding him. He is an excellent Fantasy middle this year and hasn’t scored under 50 since round 10, if you remove last week’s injury-caused 26.
What should I do with just the one trade left? - @andyyreid
Ideally you’d want to hold it for if one of your big guns gets injured in the next week or two and you need to replace them. But if you’re playing head-to-head and facing the prospect of being eliminated from a league this week, then you have to use it and give yourself the best chance to keep your season alive. That extra trade won’t be much use if you have no game to play next week.
Who should I buy between Cook and Grant? - @cami.chickolo
Definitely Cook. He averages 69 points across his last five games, compared to Grant who averages 56.2 across the same period. Over the season Cook also averages eight points more per game than his Storm counterpart. He is the better option if you have the money.
Cook on the boil early
Who should I trade Booth to with no extra money in the bank? - @ryan.saward
If position doesn’t matter, then I think the best players available at or below Booth’s price of $301k this week are Jaeman Salmon or Cooper Johns. Salmon looks set to have a starting spot in the halves for the remainder of the regular season, with Nathan Cleary suspended until the finals and Jarome Luai not expected back until then either, and he's good value at $298k. The job security isn’t as good for Johns ($285k), but it’s likely Jahrome Hughes will face at least a few of weeks on the sidelines with his shoulder issue.
If Booth was your only hooker and you need to bring in another one, then your options are extremely limited with Zac Woolford ($274k) the only starter available in that price range.
Who should I trade Hughes out for? - @crowleydarby
If you have a little bit of extra cash to use on player just over Jahrome Hughes’ price of $571k, then I like the look of Nat Butcher ($574k) who has an average of 56 over his last three games and has locked down a starting spot in the Roosters’ pack. Ben Hunt is a decent option as well at $578k and is your best pick if you need a HLF replacement. If you want to make a trade and also save some cash, consider Tyson Frizell ($538k) or Josh Curran ($547k).
Butcher carves out a second
Who are the best PODs going into H2H finals this week? - @vianello_arlo
It depends greatly on your budget, but here are my leading point of difference (POD) options who are selected by less than 5 percent of all teams:
- Jayden Brailey ($609k) - The fact that he missed the first 16 weeks of the season through injury means Brailey has been forgotten about by almost everyone and is owned by 0.5 percent of teams. He comes off consecutive scores of 55 and 60 and is playing 80 minutes for the Knights.
- Hudson Young ($713k) - The Raiders back-rower remains in just 1.34 percent of teams despite boasting a past five-game average of 52.8 points. Past issues with his job security – which is a big reason most Fantasy players have stayed away from him – appear to no longer be a problem, with Young playing 18 games this year.
- Ryan Matterson ($721k) - The riskiest of these options given his injury history and uncertainty around his minutes right now, but he’s also a Fantasy gun on his day. Matterson is owned by just over four percent of teams and has scored over 60 points in six games this season.
Who's the best captaincy choice this week? -@brendanb20
Rabbitohs lock Cam Murray is in fine touch and should have a busy day in the middle against a strong Eels pack on Friday night. While he set up three tries on his way to 94 points last week, his side's dominance meant he also only made 35 tackles, which is below his normal defensive output. You could also go with Nicho Hynes, who comes up against the 15th-placed Wests Tigers and could rack up some good attacking numbers. The Sharks’ halfback has scored over 60 Fantasy points is each of his last seven games.
Hynes opens the scoring
Is Dylan Brown a must-have with Moses out? - @tyson_dempsey
Brown is a good Fantasy player, but far from a must-have, especially with signs pointing towards Mitchell Moses possibly returning from his finger injury in the next fortnight, ahead of what was initially indicated. Brown is likely to be a nice scorer over the next couple of games while Parramatta’s chief playmaker, as he was last week with 81 against the Sea Eagles, but with trades at a premium, bringing him in shouldn’t be a priority.