Fantasy by the numbers: Round 23

The lesser-owned players of Fantasy led the way once again in Round 23, with a couple of CTRs at the top of the charts thanks to outstanding attacking performances. 

There were some big surprises from forwards too, with three big men who sit in less than two percent of teams featuring in the top 10 scorers for the week. 

Fantasy by the numbers: Round 23

Galvin's star still rising

It's uncommon for a cash cow from the very start of a season to get to Round 23 and still be a top 10 most owned player.

Lachlan Galvin has done just that in a phenomenal rookie season in which he's averaging over 50 points per game and is approaching a whopping $700k in value gained, which will comfortably be the most achieved by any player come the end of Round 27.

His 65 against the Knights last week was huge for the 25 percent who still own him, and if you're one of the coaches that was on him from the start then you've basically got a player at rookie price who has turned into a low tier elite HLF for the back end of the year. 

The only thing that seems likely to stop him being among the more popular players in his position to start 2025 will be the uncertainty surrounding how he will score with Jarome Luai as his halves partner. 

Jack's bolt from the blue

Few could have predicted a 71 for Jack Williams over the weekend, but for the 779 coaches with the Cronulla MID rostered it was a surprise gift that likely had a telling impact on how their round went. 

The positional reshuffle which had Cameron McInnes playing halfback meant Williams was used for 60 minutes against the Titans, amounting to his second biggest stint of the season and leading to by far his biggest score. 

The fact that his team won 44-0 helped, with Williams racking up a try, line break and a colossal 218 metres with ball in hand.

Maxing out 

After a tough start to life at hooker in a Fantasy sense, Max Plath has returned in a big way over the past three weeks, with his 83 in the golden point win over the Warriors being the fourth best score of the round. 

Plath – who was one of the real success stories of the opening half of the season with regular scores of 60+ – crashed back to reality with back-to-back 30s after he moved to hooker for the Dolphins in Round 19 and plenty of coaches made the (wise at the time) decision to move off him. 

But those who stayed patient have been rewarded, with Plath the second-best player in Fantasy by form over his past three games, with an average score of 70 in that time. 

Round 23 Fantasy Team of the Week

1. Tom Trbojevic (WFB) – 78 points
2. Fletcher Sharpe (WFB) –75 points
3. Herbie Farnworth (CTR) – 94 points
4. Kotoni Staggs (CTR) – 91 points
5. Brian To'o (WFB) – 67 points
6. Luke Brooks (HLF) – 87 points
7. Max Plath (HLF, MID) – 83 points
8. Corey Jensen (MID) – 73 points
9. Jacob Liddle (HOK) – 75 points
10. Jack Williams (MID) – 71 points
11. Elliott Whitehead (EDG) – 74 points
12. Mitchell Barnett (MID, EDG) – 66 points
13. Patrick Carrigan (MID) – 66 points
14. Adam Reynolds (HLF) – 68 points 
15. Lachlan Galvin (HLF) – 66 points
16. Deine Mariner (CTR, WFB) – 65 points
17. Kalyn Ponga (WFB) – 64 points