We start Round 12 with what looks like a lopsided contest on the ladder (15th v 2nd), but sees both teams coming off similarly impressive wins in Round 11. The Broncos host the Storm after putting away the Roosters last week in a bit of a strange contest. The Storm on the other hand were far too clinical for the Raiders and continue to roll on despite some key injuries affecting the squad. We know the Broncos are capable of good performances, but should we really expect it to two weeks in a row? Probably not.

 

Draftstars has a $25,000 contest with $2,480 to first place. There are also several other contests including the Mini, Micro, and the High Roller. As an added bonus, there is a qualifier for the AFL Golden Ticket.

 

Team News

 

There are three changes for the Broncos, with Tyson Gamble and Matt Lodge suspended, replaced by Anthony Milford and debutant TC Robati on the bench. John Asiata moves to Lodges starting prop role. Herbie Farnworth returns, forcing Dale Copley back to the reserves. The Storm lose Christian Welch to knee issue, with Nelson Asofa-Solomona moving to prop and Dean Ieremia coming onto the bench. Jahrome Hughes returns, with Cooper Johns promoted to the starting side, one hour before kick off. 

 

Odds

 

Broncos $7.00, Storm $1.10

Line – 19.5

Total – 50.5

 

 

Fantasy Plays

 

Love It - Tom Eisenhuth $8,240

 

After scoring 55 points in a rock solid performance last week, Eisenhuth has barely seen his price move despite retaining the lucrative 2RF starting role. He was boosted by a try last week, but I still think he’s very safe for 40+ points which is plenty at this price. The 2RF/CTW eligibility gives some added flexibility when looking for ways to be unique on a big slate like this one.

 

Love It - Chris Lewis $8,500

 

UPDATE - Not so sure on Lewis now after named on the bench. Almost say he is a "Hate It" Lewis is another dual position player with 2RF eligibility and presents an interesting option at HLF. Like Eisenhuth he thrived in his role last week with 57 points, although I struggle to understand how given he’s a fairly limited forward who’s moved into the halves. Nevertheless, he’s still very cheap and seems to have a pretty safe floor if he continues to make his tackles and chip in with some running and kicking as he did last week. Playing off the bench and probably get some forward run.

 

Love It - Brandon Smith $13,330

 

Why not complete the trifecta with a third 2RF dual eligibility Storm player, this time available at HOK. We know that Smith loves playing hooker in real life, and he gets another chance to do so with Harry Grant still sidelined. He’s had three ~65 point games this season and has generally shown he’s a great scorer when allowed to play 60+ minutes in his preferred role. With the other HOK options looking pretty sketchy, Smith should be a great play tonight.

 

Hate It - Anthony Milford $11,220

 

It’s always tempting to play former fantasy guns like Milford at reduced prices, and for the first month of this season you would have had good results doing so. Since then he’s been repeatedly dropped, and played with a number of different halves partners. This time he’ll be next to Albert Kelly, who showed last week he can be the controlling half, possibly leaving Milford to rely on attacking plays to score the majority of his points. Expecting that to happen against a team like the Storm is full of danger, so I’ll prefer every other HLF option.

 

Hate It - David Mead $8,100

 

Mead turned in a vintage performance last week, racking up a huge 60 points thanks to a hat trick of tries. In short, that won’t be happening again this week, and I don’t see any avenue to the ~40 points he’ll require to be relevant. I prefer Xavier Coates against his future team or Reimis Smith running at a questionable defensive edge.

 

Who Knows - Jake Turpin $13,010

 

Turpin might be one of the most frustrating players to figure out on a generally frustrating team. 7/11 games this year have been 50+, but only 2 of his last 5. Those 5 games have coincided with a backup hooker being named on the bench, meaning it’s now almost impossible to predict his minutes. If he gets 70+ minutes like he did last week (despite a HIA), then he’s a very viable play. If it’s under 60 minutes, we can safely avoid. Again, I have no way of knowing what it will be, so I can only recommend using him sparingly.

 

Suggested Draftstars Team

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