We’ve now passed the midway point of the season and fantasy league ladders are taking shape across the NRL digital landscape. Most fantasy coaches will be looking to cement their squads post-Origin, but the next few weeks are critical and could make or break your season.
This year there have been a few notable performers in our squad. Here are the Vodafone Warriors’ top performers so far and why they could be worth a trade into your squad.
Remember that you can still enter a team for Fantasy NRL and be in the draw for weekly prizes.
Shaun Johnson has been among the competition's top scorers since two quiet performances to begin the season. He has scored over 60 points in six of his thirteen starts of the season so far, with three scores of 70 plus. SJ scores big because he kicks long, he breaks tackles and if he isn’t throwing the last pass for a try, he’s scoring one himself. If you don’t have him in your team yet, SJ could provide the extra points needed to excel in the fantasy post-season.
Konrad Hurrell had a frustrating start to the season with his exclusion and reintroduction making it hard to know whether fantasy coaches should hold or drop the barnstorming centre from their squads. Those that have held on to Koni have certainly been rewarded. His season average of 50.2 points per round puts him among the highest scoring centres in NRL Fantasy 2014.
Hurrell is strong in his carries, with a high average of metres per game, but his attacking performances when the team have dominated oppositions are what put him among the elite scorers. In our matches against Canberra and Wests, Konrad Hurrell has scored 74 and 75 fantasy points respectively. Across both games he had 4 try assists, 6 line breaks, 11 tackle busts and 1 try. With current team form, hopefully he can accumulate similar scores off the back of dominant team performances.
Captain Simon Mannering has played all over the park as a back rower this year, but his fantasy scores early on did not reflect his high work rate with an average of just 30 points after four rounds. He has increased this significantly to 45.77 per round with scores of 75 and 69 in his last two starts.
It’s no secret that under Coach McFadden the team have produced improved defensive performances, and this may be something that impacts Mannering’s fantasy scoring. He lost points during the early rounds through missed tackles and uncharacteristic errors, which may have come as result of the pressures of underperformance across the park.
With the team having turned a corner, Simon Mannering has been in vintage form with three tries in his last two outings. He is a must-have as a dual position lock/back rower.
Finding a balance of scorers across the park and trading players who have risen in value is so important through this stage of the season and we would appreciate hearing your tactics or theories through our social media.
Remember that you can still enter a team for Fantasy NRL and be in the draw for weekly prizes.
