daily fantasy sports articles

Just the one game in the NRL this week on Friday, with ANZAC week pushing the two traditional games to Tuesday. We get a good one though, as the Eels look to keep their winning streak alive, as they take on the high-flying Broncos in Darwin. With hot and sticky conditions expected, points could be at a premium in this heavyweight clash. Let’s dive in and try and find some value plays for your DFS squads.

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Team News

The Eels receive a boost, as starting hooker Josh Hodgson makes his return, pushing rookie Brendan Hands to the bench, and Makahesi Makatoa to the reserves. Bailey Simmonson returns from suspension, but is named amongst the reserves.

For the Broncos, they also receive a boost in the backline, with Corey Oates named to return from a broken jaw on the wing. Jesse Arthars moves back to 18th man. Thomas Flegler also returns to start in the front row, with Corey Jensen reverting to the bench, and Keenan Palasia pushed to the reserves. Jordan Riki is apparently in doubt, however I’d expect him to play in this big game.

Betting Markets

Parramatta Eels ($2.25) vs Brisbane Broncos ($1.65)

Points total – 42.5 points

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Overview

The Broncos are in far better form to start the year of these two teams, but which team is more desperate? Despite winning two straight, the Eels are still on the outside looking in to the top 8, currently in 12th on 6 points. A win here would be massive for the Eels, with winnable games on the horizon against the Knights (H), Titans (A), and Raiders (A).

Despite the urgency, I can’t go past the Broncos here. They’ve had a couple scares the past two weeks, but they showed in the 2nd half last week against the Titans that they are a dangerous team, and given the Eels’ poor defence all season, I like the Broncos to get it done here.

Love It – Adam Reynolds - $19,720

Reynolds has been the architect behind the Broncos terrific start to the season, even if Reece Walsh has come in and been the x-factor they were lacking last season. Reynolds has been winning games for over a decade now, and knows what it takes to steer his team around to victory. And whilst his creation stats haven’t been through the roof this season, they have been consistent, which is perfect for DFS, as his production is replicable. He has try assists in all 7 games this season, as well as line-break assists in 4 out of the 7 games. He has scored 0 tries, but has a solid base behind his general play kicking, and goal kicking. Whilst Moses has the higher upside here, I much prefer Reynolds in this spot.

Love It – Payne Haas - $22,170

They should call this bloke Mr Automatic. The consistency in Haas’ DFS game in unrivalled, with his scores ranging from 63.7 to 75.3, the floor on Haas is as good as it gets. His minutes have been a little inconsistent, however he’s getting at least 55 minutes every game, if you take out the Tigers blowout win, and with minutes he always gets huge run metres and a solid tackle count. With a big matchup against one of the best forward packs in the NRL, I expect Haas to not only play big minutes, but for him to establish his dominance early and often. 

Love It – J’maine Hopgood - $12,000

Whilst the early season form of Hopgood has definitely slowed up, he still remains a solid option in the lower mid-price range. Last week, Hopgood started again, which is a huge positive for his DFS value. 70 minutes was the most he has played since round 2, and he punched out a solid 48.4 points. If he continues to play 70 minutes or there abouts, that score will be around his floor. If he can manage to pop an offload for some attacking stats again, his ceiling is back up into the mid-70s, which at this price is phenomenal value.

Hate It – Mitch Moses - $21,780

Moses has been in some decent form recently, DFS and in actual NRL. He has shown a solid floor, built mainly off the back of his general play kicking and goal kicking. But Moses is a different animal when playing away from CommBank Stadium. So far this season, his averages sit at 72.9 at CommBank Stadium. This average drops to 55.5 away from CommBank, and that’s with a 79.7 against the Tigers. Fading Moses isn’t always a great idea, but I feel in this spot, against this sort of opponent, that Moses may struggle to outperform Adam Reynolds, who is a tad over $2,000 cheaper.

Hate It – Bryce Cartwright - $15,380

Named again to start on the edge, I’m fairly confident he will again be pushed to the bench by Brad Arthur. Less minutes, means fewer base stats for Cartwright, and less chances at attacking play involvement. Cartwright has been a solid performer in DFS this season, particularly over the opening month and a half of the competition, however his drop in minutes is a worrying sign, and unless he can get you bulk attacking stats, he’s not someone who would be on my radar.

Who Knows – Shaun Lane - $17,900

Both Lane and Shaun Carrigan belong in this category, with both forwards perhaps still being priced up on their 2022 form. Carrigan is a well-known worker, however he’s kind of taking a back seat to Payne Haas this season, struggling to punch out scores over 55. Lane missed the opening 5 weeks, however since coming back hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. Lane was one of the best players in the NRL finals last season, however he seems to be struggling to get involved this year. Zero attacking statistics, added to his below average work rate, has Lane looking like a massive fade. The main issue is, if he can look like he did in last year’s finals series, he could be a massive point of difference.

Draftstars Suggested Lineup