A big-gun WFB and an elite EDG with captaincy credentials return from injury to help out coaches in the second of the major bye rounds this week.
A reminder that in Rounds 13, 16 and 19 only your starting 13 players count towards your score for the round. Interchange player scores will not count towards your team’s total for these rounds, unless they are utilised as auto emergency players.
NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 16
Dolphins v Storm, Friday at Suncorp Stadium
Dolphins: Trai Fuller will be a popular option this week in the absence of most of the elite WFBs, while Euan Aitken and Herbie Farnworth are among the best CTR prospects playing in Round 16. Jeremy Marshall-King ($680k) continues to sit right on the edge of being a top-tier HOK option.
Storm: Ryan Papenhuyzen returns from injury and might be an immediate pick up for WFB needy teams. He averaged 43.3 per game prior to being injured midway through his side's Round 9 clash with the Titans and is available at $573k. His return isn't bad news for owners of Sualauvi Fa'alogo yet either, with the gun rookie keeping a spot for this week on the wing as replacement for Xavier Coates who is out on Origin duty. HLF Jahrome Hughes continues to perform well on the back of a 58 against the Warriors and has now crept up to just under 12 percent ownership.
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Titans v Warriors, Saturday at Cbus Super Stadium
Titans: David Fifita is named to return after sitting out last week as a precaution, in what came as a major blow to his 40,000 owners. Keano Kini is the form WFB with a green dot next to his name this week and comes of a spectacular last-up 85 in which he broke the club record for most metres in a game. $559k WFB Jayden Campbell has been a handy performer for those who kept him or picked him up upon his return from injury a fortnight ago, with consecutive scores of 57 and 61.
Warriors: Owners of Warriors players will have their fingers crossed for a bounce back this week after a disappointing Round 15 in which Mitch Barnett (who is away with the Blues this week) and Adam Pompey were their only >50 point players against the Storm. Tohu Harris could be in line for a bigger minute role after getting the starting lock job back, with Dylan Walker named on the edge for Round 16. All eyes are now on Shaun Johnson and whether he can get back to elite scores now that Te Maire Martin is taking on a bigger share of the playmaking duties.
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Roosters v Bulldogs, Saturday at Industree Group Stadium
Roosters: Another start awaits Terrell May and with that likely another score above 50, which should stem the flow of his price decreases and see him jump back up this week as he plays bigger minutes in the absence of Lindsay Collins and Spencer Leniu. James Tedesco (WFB, $708k) is named to play and should actually take the field in a major bye round this time, after being a late call up to the Blues in the series opener. Dom Young is set to return from a hamstring injury on the wing.
Bulldogs: Reed Mahoney ($711k) is a super safe HOK option for those needing cover this week and he's now the third most consistent scorer in Fantasy. Both Jacob Kiraz and Matt Burton have strong claims to finish at the top of their positional groups in Round 16, while Jeral Skelton is a decent streaming option in Draft leagues who is capable of a big score on his day. If you own Jacob Preston he's worth holding with his injury likely to keep him out for just a couple of weeks, after initial fears he'd suffered broken foot or ankle.
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Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles, Saturday at Accor Stadium
Rabbitohs: Damien Cook is creeping back towards elite status at HOK, with a 69 last week giving him a last three game average of 57.3. He's still underpriced at $714k right now but won't be for too long if he keeps up this rate of scoring. Jye Gray (HLF/WFB, $299k) gets a run at fullback, but he's unlikely to get enough chances in first grade from here to be worth picking up.
Sea Eagles: With Manly in somewhat of an injury / player availability crisis this week, there are a few traps to watch out for who look good on paper but probably won't play much for the rest of the year. Aaron Schoupp, Caleb Navale and Aitasi James head up that list. Jake Simpkin looks likely to have a big-minute role again this week with Karl Lawton required at halfback, although Gordon Chan Kum Tong is set to play some dummy-half after being named on the bench.
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Wests Tigers v Raiders, Sunday at Campbelltown Sports Stadium
Wests Tigers: Boom rookie Lachlan Galvin returns from a rest last week, with a touch over 32,000 coaches having made the decision to move on from him at this point after his excellent opening half of the season. Stefano Utoikamanu went huge last week for a season-high 81, while Alex Seyfarth (MID, $507k) continued to climb in value with a 54 that leaves him with a break even of nine this week.
Raiders: Big-time money maker Kaeo Weekes had his worst score of the season last week with a 33, but his recent run of performances mean he still has a very manageable break even of 34 in Round 16 and he's a player to definitely hold. His halves partner Ethan Strange also looks like being a borderline keeper at CTR and comes off a last-up 54. Jordan Rapana was excellent in Round 15 with a 60-point showing and he remains a cut-price high ceiling option at WFB, but probably isn't someone you want in your first-choice 17 each week.
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