daily fantasy sports articles

Round 11 of the NRL kicks off with a huge matchup between the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos on Thursday night. The Storm have had the wood over the Broncos in recent history, so it should be fascinating to see if the competition leaders can overcome this hoodoo of sorts and keep their winning form alive.

Draftstars has a massive $15,000 guaranteed contest for the first game of the round, with the winner set to pocket a cool $1,133. With several other contests available, including a qualifier for the $750,000 AFL Star Final, there’s a contest for everyone, so get involved and make this game even more interesting.

Team News

The Storm have resisted the urge to make changes, following their last up loss to the Rabbitohs, naming the exact 17 that started last week. I do believe there will be one change though, with Tui Kamikamica likely to be elevated into the side, most likely at the expense of Grant Anderson.

As for the Broncos, they have also made no changes to the 17 that hammered the Sea Eagles 32-6 last weekend. There has been talk all week about some sickness going around the Broncos camp, with centre Herbie Farnworth apparently suffering from flu-like symptoms. Kevin Walters has assured Farnworth will start.

Betting Markets

Melbourne Storm ($1.71) vs Brisbane Broncos ($2.15)

Points total – 41.5 points

Overview

The Storm are favourites at home, however I’m not sure I entirely agree with the market here. The form lines of these teams have been poles apart, with the Broncos clear atop the ladder, whilst the Storm are struggling in 6th. Whilst I appreciate the home ground advantage the Storm have, they did lose to the Bulldogs already this season at AAMI Park, and the Broncos will pose a real threat to a Storm side struggling to score points.

I’ll side with the Broncos to get the job done, in what will more than likely be a tight contest.

Love It – Reece Walsh - $18,240

Walsh came back to form last week, with a spectacular performance against the Sea Eagles where he put up 70 points without a try. With his form in the lead up to Origin crucial for his chances at jagging a spot in the 17, I can see Walsh turning it on in what is a huge clash with the Storm. He’s probably slightly overpriced here but given the dearth of genuine options in the outside backs in this game, he’s hard to ignore. His floor (outside playing Souths) is low 30’s, which whilst not great for this outlay, is at least somewhat acceptable.

Love It – Cam Munster - $22,220

Must go with the upside of Munster here, with three genuine A+ options in the halves in this game. Whilst Reynolds and Grant are probably slightly more consistent, Munster is the only one of the three with a 100+ score and has only one score below 48 this season. Munster always produces in the big games, and this matchup at home against the competition front-runners is huge for the Storm. If the Melbourne side have any chance at winning, Munster must be great.

Love It – Josh King - $16,410

There are four forwards in this game averaging over 50 this season, with King being the cheapest of these options. I can see King making 50+ tackles in this game, with the Broncos loving going through the middle with their big middle forwards. Whilst his form has tapered slightly, he started the season of brilliantly, with three scores above 67 in the opening 5 rounds. He has a solid base with his relentless work in defence, and with high price options such as Cam Munster and Reece Walsh in your side, you may have to take a slight bump with your premium forward option. With Haas and Carrigan cannibalising each other, and the return of Kamikamica potentially taking minutes from Asofa-Solomona, I like King to not be far behind these other premium forwards.

Hate It – Kotoni Staggs - $11,420

What has happened to Kotoni Staggs? Not long ago he was being talked about as a State of Origin centre, and one of the brightest young talents in the game. But his past few games have been horrible, not breaking the 50-point barrier for 6-straight games. With the Broncos looking to go left to Herbie Farnworth’s edge, Staggs isn’t getting the redzone chances he had in years past. Whilst he has upside at this price, he just doesn’t look engaged right now and I can’t have him in my team until he shows me something.

Hate It – Eliesa Katoa - $14,340

Katoa started the season with a bang, averaging 53.5 over the opening 6 weeks. However, his past three games he has averaged just 27.8. Granted, in one of those games he only played 38 minutes due to a HIA, however despite this, he doesn’t seem to be getting the opportunities he was earlier in the season. I much prefer his second-row partner Trent Loiero or Josh King around the same price point.

Who Knows – Jahrome Hughes - $14,910

Hughes is an option at a drastically reduced cost, as he sits over $7,000 cheaper than his halves partner Cam Munster. Hughes has the ability to go large, and regularly pops up for tries in games. However, this season he has struggled to get things going, with only one score over 60, which makes it very difficult to select him. In a game with such high-end half/hooker talent, the only way to have him in your squad for mine is at FLEX, if you can afford it. With three scores in the 30s, three in the 50s and one 90+, he’s a boom or bust option.

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