Will we be able to start Edwards again this season? With the Knights in great form, is Marzhew a must start? Billy Smith is having a career year in fantasy terms but can he be reliable? There were so many questions coming out of round 24 and some of them were answered in round 25. 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 favor with all fantasy coaches in our GameDay Squad Rugby League: Round 24 Review. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
RISERS
Eliesa Katoa – EDG, Melbourne Storm (83 points)
Katoa had his best game of the season as he crossed over for a couple of tries against the Dragons. In this performance he came away with 2 tries, 1 try assist, 1 line break, 1 line break assist, 6 tackle breaks and 1 offload on attack, this came to 53 points. His fantasy production through base stats wasn’t that great as he only scored 36 points from tackles andrunning metres. Hughes is playing some great footy at the moment and Katoa is thriving playing outside of him. He is running some great lines off Hughes and able put the opposition’s defensive line under a great deal of pressure. The Storm’s last two games have been against the Raiders and the Dragons. In these games they have been great on attack and scored a total 86 points. With the Titans up next, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the Storm put up 40+ points. Katoa really seems to benefit in match ups where the Storm score a lot of points. With the attacking upside he can provide, he may be a very good POD option next week. In tougher matchups he is an avoid for me as he is more reliant on attacking stats than other edges
Dylan Edwards – WFB, Penrith Panthers (86 points)
Edwards was excellent as the Panthers got past the Titans 40-16. In this performance he came away with 2 tries, 1 line break assist, and 11 tackle breaks on attack, this came to 56 points. He also ran for 304 metres, this was the second time this season he has run over 300 metres. Edwards has been out of favor for a lot of coaches over the last couple of months but off the back of this performance we may see him selected in a lot more teams moving forward. The Panthers next two games are against the Eels and Cowboys who allowan average of 49 and 41 points to opposition fullbacks. Edwards might be a great starting option for GDS coaches against the Eels but always be wary of the Panthers making late changes and resting players in games leading into the finals.
Greg Marzhew – WFB, Newcastle Knights (95 points)
Marzhew was one of the heroes for the Knights as they put away the Rabbitohs on Sunday afternoon. In this performance he came away with 3 tries, 2-line breaks, 11 tackle breaks and 1 offload on attack, this came to 73 points. Marzhew continues to be one the of the best WFB options each week for coaches and has an average of 59 points on the season. This was his third score of 95+ points and he would have been a home run hit for the coaches that started him this week. On top of his try scoring ability, he offers coaches a solid base through running metres. Even though tackle breaks aren’t classified as a base stat, he averages eight of these a game. When you combine his tackle break average with his average of 200 running metres a game, you are looking at a 44-point average just through these two stats. Nothing is ever guaranteed in fantasy, but he has only had five scores less than 44 points all season and because of this it’s hard not to start him most weeks. With the Knights coming up against the Sharks next week, he will still be a solid starting option in a tough matchup.
FALLERS
Billy Smith – CTR, Sydney Roosters (7 points)
Smith had his second worst game of the season as the Roosters kept their finals dreams alive with a win over the Eels. Demerits were the name of the game this week for Smith as he lost 27 points through 5 missed tackles, 1 error and 2 penalties. In this game the Roosters seemed to favor their right edge attack over their left and Smith didn’t see as muchball as he has done recently. This won’t always be the case as the Rooster’s left edge has looked great on attack over the last month. Smith does have a very favorable matchup next week against the Wests Tigers. The Wests Tigers have been very poor defensively against the left centre position and allowed an average of 51 points a game over the last three. With the Roosters season still alive, I’m expecting a very strong performance from them next week and Smith could be a great POD option. After Smith’s poor performance this week, it may be a great opportunity to buy low on Smith.
Josh Schuster – EDG, Manly Sea Eagles (4 points)
The highly touted Schuster has been a massive disappointment for GDS coaches. He has now moved to the interchange and this week he only managed 4 points in 25 minutes playing on an edge. To be honest, it’s unlikely that many coaches would have started him in any game this season. Up until this week, all his 14 appearances have been at five-eighth, and this is great for GDS coaches as he does have an EDG position designation. However, he is only averaging 27 points a game on the season and only has one score of 50+ points. With Luke Brooks signing with Sea Eagles for 2024, I’m not too sure where Schuster will play moving forward. He may become a starting edge or play the utility role off the interchange. Neither of these options are likely to please GDS coaches. Even with the remainder of this season and 2024 not looking great for Schuster in my opinion, I won’t be selling him as his value already seems to be at rock bottom. At only 22 years old I believe hehas a future in the game as he’s a naturally gifted footballer. Hopefully we see his value rise in the future.
Heilum Luki – EDG, North Queensland Cowboys (14 points)
Luki can be a game changer with a very high ceiling but at the moment there are just too many good edge forwards at the Cowboys. It looks like Leilua has locked down the left edge starting spot and Luki is likely to continue coming off the interchange. When he’s on the field he offers a decent PPM for an edge forward but he’s just not getting the minutes. If he’s given the opportunity, he would be a great POD play any week but I just don’t think he will have that opportunity this season. At 22 years old, I believe Luki does have a promising future and now is probably the best time to go and acquire a few cards in different rarities of him.