Can SJ keep pace with the elite halves in GDS Fantasy? Can Teddy be considered as a weekly starter? How long do we persevere starting Manu while he plays in the halves? There were so many questions coming out of round 13 and some of them were answered in round 14. But let's turn our attention back to fantasy footy for a second and identify some risers in form and others who should be falling out of favour with all fantasy coaches. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
RISERS
Shaun Johnson – HLF, New Zealand Warriors (114 points)
SJ put on a clinic as he guided the Warriors to a much needed win against the Dolphins. In this performance he came away with 2 tries, 5 goals, 2 line breaks, 1 line break assist and 6 tackle breaks on attack, this came to 60 points. He also made a season high 27 tackles and only had one miss. Since the inclusion of Metcalf to the Warriors halves, SJ kick metres have dropped by 200 metres a game and that works out to be 6-7 points. If SJ and Metcalf continue to be the Warriors halves pairing, the drop off in SJ’s kick metres might need to be something coaches consider when selecting their starting team. With Cleary going off with a hamstring injury while backing up from Game 1, SJ may become a target for a lot of coaches this week on the Transfer Market.
James Tedesco – WFB, Sydney Roosters (90 points)
Teddy is back! After the Blues disappointing loss in Game 1, Teddy had come under some criticism. Against the Bulldogs he showed his critics how good he still is. In this performance he came away with 2 tries, 1 try assist, 1 line break, and 11 tackle busts on attack, this came to 63 points. It’s great to see him put together back-to-back 90-point performances. He’s averaged 200 running metres and 10 tackle busts across these two games, this is more like the Teddy we know. He won’t be scoring two tries every week but hopefully we see the tackle busting Teddy continue this good form.
Valentine Holmes – CTR, North Queensland Cowboys (95 points)
Holmes was simply outstanding as the Cowboys stunned the Storm in Townsville. The way he was running around out there, you wouldn’t have known he only played in Origin four days ago. In this performance he came away with 1 try, 6 goals, 2 try assists, 3 line breaks, 1 line break assist and 9 tackle breaks on attack, this came to 82 points. Holmes still managed a few missed tackles and errors, he lost 16 points through these mistakes. Even before this performance, Holmes was one of the top centres in GDS fantasy. He’s just proven to us that backing up off a short turnaround isn’t a problem for him.
FALLERS
Jack Wighton – HLF, Canberra Raiders (4 points)
Wighton is a great NRL player, has represented NSW but in fantasy terms, his best days might be behind him. For the second week in a row, he failed to register any attacking stats outside of a tackle break. He also lost 36 points through 8 missed tackles, 2 errors and 1 penalty, this is just not good enough for GDS coaches. Even prior to the Wests Tigers game, he was losing 17 points a game through demerits. Other than a score of 62 in round nine against the Dolphins, he hasn’t managed another score above 40. It might not be all doom and gloom if you hold his card as he is off to the Rabbitohs next season and he may be able to turn his fantasy fortunes around. Until then, he is a clear avoid for me.
Joseph Manu – CTR, Sydney Roosters (28 points)
What to do with Joey Manu! It gives fantasy coaches such joy seeing him named in the halves but this was the third week in a row we saw him fail to score above 30 points. He hasn’t managed to register any attacking stats except for tackle breaks since the ANZAC Day clash against the Dragons. This is a massive concern. Over this same period, he is losing 18 points a game through demerits and this will be really starting to bug GDS coaches. I’m not sure if he's lacking confidence or maybe Trent Robinson has asked him to play a different type of game. It might be a hard ask to play him in your squad next week with a matchup against the Panthers, but Manu is a talented footballer that can easily turn it around and leave you with egg on your face if you drop him. What a dilemma!
Nelson Asofa-Solomona – MID, Melbourne Storm (15 points)
NAS has been the powerhouse of the Storm pack for some time now and he’s been able to provide GDS coaches with some decent fantasy production in the past. This season, he just hasn’t been getting the minutes we want to see for a MID. He is averaging 40 minutes a game compared to 46 minutes in 2022. It’s not a huge drop off but it’s still enough to make a difference. A lot of it could be to do with the rib cartilage niggles he’s been having. The pace of play may have been too quick for NAS against the Cowboys and Bellamy may have decided to give him some extra time on the pine. He is a huge man that can be devastating with the ball in hand and is a handful for any defense when firing on all cylinders. Until I start to see more of his barnstorming runs and an uptick in minutes, I’ll be avoiding NAS.