daily fantasy sports articles

NRL Friday brings us the traditional Good Friday clash between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Lately, these contests have produced high scoring affairs, and we will be hoping for more of the same in this contest to score us some huge DFS points!

The second game of the evening has the newest Queensland derby, with the Dolphins travelling north to take on the Cowboys in Townsville. The Dolphins will be looking to stop the mini-skid they’ve been on, whilst the Cowboys need a win here to get their premiership aspirations back on track.

Team News

The Bulldogs have made several changes to their round 5 team, particularly in the forwards, with injuries and suspensions biting the team hard. Raymond Faitala-Mariner (concussion) is out, with Corey Waddell shifting to the edge, whilst Harrison Edwards starts at lock. Jayden Okunbor (Suspension) and Franklin Pele (Arm) are out, with Jayden Tanner and Jackson Topine coming onto the bench. Max King and Jacob Preston are both in doubt, however are both expected to play.

The Rabbitohs will be without winger Alex Johnston (concussion), who is replaced by Taane Milne. To counteract the loss of Johnston, the Rabbitohs welcome back starting forward Tevita Tatola, who replaces Daniel Suluka-Fifita, who shifts to the bench in place of Michael Chee-Kam. No other changes are expected.

Next up, Cowboys welcome back Scott Drinkwater, shifting rookie fullback Tomas Chester to the bench. Reuben Cotter also returns in another boost for the home team, however they lose both Jordan McLean (hamstring) and Heilum Luki (hamstring). No other changes expected.

Finally, the Dolphins will be without Anthony Milford, with Kodi Nikorima slipping into the halves in his place. Edrick Lee has been named to make his Dolphins debut, slotting onto the wing in place of Jack Bostock. In the only other change, Kurt Donoghoe joins the bench in place of Mason Teague.

Betting Markets

Canterbury Bulldogs ($3.50) vs South Sydney Rabbitohs ($1.31)

Points total – 41.5 points

North Queensland Cowboys ($1.31) vs The Dolphins ($3.50)

Points total – 42.5 points

Overview

As mentioned above, the Bulldogs and Rabbitohs have a recent history of high scoring games, but if you look at their efforts so far this season, you’d have to side with this game being a low scoring contest with both teams in this contest. These two teams each sit in the bottom 5 teams of points scored per game, and with rain likely on Friday across Sydney, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a low scoring, single digit win for the Bunnies.

In game two, I’d be surprised if the Dolphins can turn their form around enough to get a win against the Cowboys, however I can see this being closer than the market is suggesting. Money has poured in on the Cowboys all week, after the Dolphins poor display last week. I don’t think we see that type of performance again, with Wayne Bennett surely having his team up for this Queensland derby. Cowboys in a tight one.

Love It – Val Holmes - $16,390

Val has been a picture of consistency this season, in a Cowboys team that hasn’t really hit their straps yet. With a low of 42, and a high of 57, Holmes has a floor that you cannot ignore in the OB position. The most impressive thing about these numbers is the fact Holmes only has two try involvements this season, indicating these scores he has been producing are sustainable. Add to this the fact the Cowboys are 10.5-point favourites, and set to score 26+ points according to the market, there’s a great chance that Holmes will be involved in a try in this game. He’s expensive, but I see more points scored in the second game of the slate, and I want a solid OB option in that game.

Love It – Tom Dearden - $15,390

There are some decent options at Half/Hooker in this slate, however as outlined above in the Val Holmes blurb, the Cowboys look the most likely to put up a big score this weekend. Looking at the Cowboys’ options, there are some fantastic choices at HH, with Reece Robson being the one with the highest ceiling, but you’re paying a close to $8,000 premium on Dearden. Chad Townsend is another solid option, but also cost close to $4,500 more than Dearden. Dearden has looked very handy the past two weeks, after a relatively slow start, and I like him to look good in this game. Hoping for a try and a 60+ score here, at a nice little discount on the premium HH options.

Cam Murray - $21,040

Murray has been killing it this season, and in the big Good Friday clash against the Bulldogs, I don’t see that changing here. He’s never had a massive game against the Bulldogs, but I see the base stats being huge in this game for Murray. He’s playing 60+ minutes every game, and if this clash is as tight as I suspect, Murray should punch out 65+ minutes here. We will be looking for a try involvement to really justify this price tag, but you know even without the attacking stats, Murray is more than capable of punching out a 65+ score. With points likely to be at a minimum with the inclement weather, look for players like Murray to top score in this game.

Hate It – Jacob Preston - $18,870

Preston has been a revelation this season, and it’s no surprise that the Bulldogs are now trying to lock him down long term. This week though, I’m ready to fade the young gun. Preston suffered a nasty finger injury last week, and whilst he should play this week, there’s a good chance that he could re-aggravate the injury and play less minutes. Having a finger problem in wet conditions could also lead to errors from Preston, particularly the way he takes on the line. If he plays 80 minutes, I’m sure he will still score decently, but I’m betting against him scoring points by way of attacking stats this week.

Hate It – Scott Drinkwater - $17,920

Concerning fade here, with Drinkwater coming back fresh off a nice little rest due to suspension. Drinkwater kicked off the season with a 40-point, 2 try performance against the Raiders. He followed that up with a 20-point performance against the Broncos, where he spent 10-minutes in the sin-bin. Now, there’s a good chance Drinkwater comes out and laps the poor Dolphins, but I’m backing Drinkwater to struggle to break the 50-point barrier. As mentioned, Drinkwater only managed 40 points in round 1, despite scoring two tries. He’s not the biggest worker, and scores his points through try involvements. I’ll back against too many of them this week.

Who Knows – Campbell Graham - $17,000

Campbell Graham has been hopping his way through the opening 5-weeks of the season, with scores of 72, 24, 62, 27, and 58. He’s been going up and down like a yo-yo, and it’s no coincidence that he has scored his 50+ scores when generating attacking stats. This week, he comes up against a rookie left centre in Paul Alamoti. Despite his rookie status, Alamoti hasn’t shrugged his defensive work, as the Bulldogs are yet to concede a try to opposing right centres. Campbell Graham is one of the best in the business, and as he’s shown already this year, is more than capable of crossing the stripe. But in a predicted tight matchup, are we sure he’s not on the way back down this week?

Draftstars Suggested Lineup