The Fantasy King: Round 12
By Mick Adams
And so it’s goodbye and good riddance to Round 12, one of the more bizarre weekends of fantasy football, even by the lofty standards already set this year. To put it into context, the Supercoach top scorer this week scored sixty points less than last week’s winner, despite having two extra games to work with. With substandard returns for Corey Parker, Zeb Taia, Cameron Smith and many other popular players, as well as the late withdrawals of Liam Fulton and Matt King, points were hard to come by. If you are a Supercoach player who hit four figures, hats off. Here are some of the major talking points from another frustrating week of fantasy:
Greg Inglis
How good is it to see G.I. back to his blistering best? Regardless of who you follow or what colour jersey he happens to be wearing, the site of Inglis in full flight is an absolute joy to behold. We’ve been largely robbed of this experience in recent years as injuries and the strains of the Melbourne Storm salary cap drama has taken a toll. Despite some decent performances, he has often seemed listless and disinterested since the issues which rocked the Storm in 2010. Halfway into this season it’s safe to say that he’s back in a big way. Never one to really go after the ball, the switch to fullback has meant that the ball finds him on a regular basis, and league lovers are reaping the benefits. Outstanding to watch.
For fantasy players it’s even better news, as he is killing it. He racked up a Supercoach ton for the second game in a row against the Raiders, and with Souths hitting their straps of late, there could be more windfalls to come for Inglis owners. Given the Rabbitohs have their final bye in two weeks however, it would be folly to splash out on G.I. until at least round 15, when (providing he backs up from Origin the Wednesday prior) he should dine out on the risible Eels.
Dave Taylor
Another Queensland Rabbitoh on fire. Earlier this year I derided Taylor for his laziness, and while he’s never going to have the work rate of his teammate Sam Burgess (best forward in the game? He must go close), Taylor is improving in this regard, and it was pleasing to see that many of his 103 Supercoach points came from tackles and hit ups. It is those tries and line breaks that really pay the bills with Taylor however, and there is no reason why they won’t keep coming if the Bunnies can keep their form up. They have a fairly soft run home too, playing the Eels and Knights twice and the Dragons, Panthers and Titans once.
Eagles Flop
That the Panthers aren’t locked in an epic death match for the wooden spoon with Parramatta is an absolute credit to the coaching of Ivan Cleary, who continues to impress. Looking at the Panthers roster, it is astounding that he has done so much with so little, and the victory over an awful Manly team keeps them three wins clear of the bottom. Given how poor Parra have been, it is hard to see them making up the difference.
The embarrassment suffered by the premiers extends to the fantasy world, with the majority of the Eagles’ stars underperforming. No surprises to see one of the game’s grubbiest players at the top of the shame list (Steve Matai of course), but he was in good company with the likes of Brett Stewart, Anthony Watmough and Daly Cherry-Evans also polling abysmally. The latter’s numbers have been well down this year, and his price has plummeted as a result. If he can address this slide he could emerge as a smart option as a backup half towards the end of the season.
Who ate all the pies?
It’s a case of out of sight, out of mind sometimes when players move to the Titans, and so I was alarmed to see a picture of Jamal Idris in Rugby League Week today. That the coaching staff could let their star signing regress to the pudgy mess he now resembles is an indictment on their credentials, going some way to explain their lowly ladder position.
In fantasy terms however, Idris is surprisingly on the improve. He’s an all-or-nothing proposition in fantasy football, and after a woeful run has been on the good side of that ledger of late. After dropping as low as 50k under his opening market price, he had a big jump on the weekend, and another couple of good performances will see him near parity.
Rookie Watch
It’s all about one name this week, as anyone who saw the Raiders/Souths match will attest: Edrick Lee. A huge, super fast winger drafted in from the Raiders’ Toyota Cup side, Lee immediately pencilled himself in as one to watch in years to come. His debut fantasy score was okay if nothing special, but importantly, Lee has held his place this weekend even with the return of Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson from their alcohol induced spell in purgatory. With backline positions at the Raiders up for grabs, Lee has a chance to seal a spot in first grade. Those with a need for a backline cheapie should keep an eye on the Raiders against the Tigers on Saturday night.
