NRL Fantasy

The suddenly relevant Tigers hope to continue their stellar run of form, as they take on a Raiders outfit that is coming off a tremendous performance in Round 13, beating the Rabbitohs on the road. With both teams in solid form, we should be in for an entertaining affair to kick off Round 14.

Draftstars has a massive $12,000 guaranteed contest for the Tigers and Raiders, with several other contests available, there’s something for everyone, so get involved and make this game even more exciting!

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Team News

Just the one change for the Tigers since their blistering 66-18 victory over the Cowboys two weeks ago, with Joe Ofahengaue off to the Eels, replaced at lock by Fonua Pole. Alex Seyfarth joins the bench. Api Koroisau is the only Origin player, and could start from the bench after playing the full 80 in Origin 1.

As for the Raiders, they have controversially decided to rest Jarrod Croker, with the Raiders legend scheduled to play his 300th game next week in front of his home fans at GIO Stadium. Nick Cotric has been named to replace Croker, with Albert Hopoate shifting to centre and Cotric to the wing. In the only other change, Corey Harawira-Naera will miss a month of football, after his scary seizure on the field last weekend. Hudson Young will replace the Kiwi backrower, as he returns from Origin camp.

Betting Markets

Wests Tigers ($2.10) vs Canberra Raiders ($1.74)

Points total – 43.5 points

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Overview

I was pretty bullish on the Tigers in this one, however with Api Koroisau having to get through 80 minutes on Wednesday night, I’m a bit concerned he may miss out, or at the very least spend some time on the bench. With the Raiders relatively unscathed through Origin (Hudson Young played the opening half an hour), they should be relatively fresh.

Should be a tight game, but I lean the Raiders to get the job done in Campbelltown. 

Love It – Jordan Rapana - $11,510

I’m loathed to ever pick Rapana in my DFS team. He makes errors, he misses tackles, and he isn’t the greatest worker. However, he has a tremendous record against the Tigers, and he will line up on the right wing against the woeful Tigers left edge defence. He was, however, tremendous last week against the Rabbitohs, and showed he can finally put a score together without scoring a try (44.2). Hoping for a big haul here for Rapana, with multiple tries and line-breaks.

Love It – Jack Wighton - $13,720

I like Wighton at this price point, in a game where there isn’t a true alpha half/hooker option. Wighton has been very consistent this season in DFS (save his mediocre performance in round 12 against Manly), with scores between 36 and 50 the norm. Whilst his halves partner Jamal Fogarty is a more boom or bust option in this slate, I’d prefer to save the $7,000 and spend it on a forward, of which there are several great options in this game. Wighton has a solid floor, and is always a chance at a big score if he decides to take over.

Love It – Joseph Tapine - $20,970

Tapine has been somewhat overshadowed in the Raiders forward pack this season. The likes of Hudson Young and Corey Horsburgh have taken plenty of attention away from Tapine, who was one of the best players in the game in 2022. Well, Tapine’s minutes are on the increase, and with more minutes, he’s being more productive. Last week was Tapine’s best game of the season, as he ran for 227 metres and made 50 tackles, in a tremendous performance. Still priced below Horsburgh, I love the big Kiwi front rower in this spot, and expect another 65+ point performance.

Hate It – Apisai Koroisau - $15,500

I’m worried about Api’s minutes here. With a short 2-day turnaround from Origin, I would not be surprised at all to see Api benched in favour of Jake Simpkin to start this one. Api playing 50 minutes or less is a real possibility here, and if he pulls up lame from Origin, he may even miss out altogether. Koroisau is a fit player, so this could be completely wrong, however I’m avoiding the Origin hooker in this one.

Hate It – Hudson Young - $18,680

Not a huge fan of this one, however much like Koroisau above, there is a chance Young plays less minutes in this game. Also, despite his try scoring ability, Young hasn’t shown that he is capable of those match-winning scores we saw from him last season. Despite 5 tries in 11 games this season, Young has a high score of just 59.8. This is possibly down to the fact Young is being used far more as an attacking threat this year, and isn’t getting through the workload he did last season. I feel ok that even if Young manages to cross for a try, he won’t put on a score that kills my weekend.

Who Knows – Matthew Timoko - $15,290

I actually don’t mind Timoko in this spot. Timoko is the highest priced OB in this game, however, has had a couple of quiet performances over the past fortnight. In fact, Timoko has put together his two lowest scores of the season in the past two weeks, and it is cause for concern. This week, however, he will have a great chance against the woeful Tigers left edge, and along with Rapana, has a great chance at some big attacking statistics. Will look to get Timoko into some line-ups for sure, however as his last two weeks show, he could be on the lower end of a regression swing. 

Draftstars Suggested Lineup

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