daily fantasy sports articles

NRL Round 24 kicks off with two teams in different spots, with the Sea Eagles desperately clinging onto a chance of making the finals, whilst the Panthers would already have one eye focused clearly on the big games in September. Manly hasn’t beaten the Panthers at home since 2017, and it would be a huge surprise to see them do it here. With a one-sided game expected, creating a team in DFS is just the kind of thing you need to make this game exciting.

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

Team News

The Sea Eagles have lost recruit Matt Lodge for the remainder of the season, with the former Roosters’ prop replaced by Sean Keppie in the front row. Ben Trbojevic has been promoted to start on the edge, with Kelma Tuilagi dropping to the bench. No other changes.

The Panthers have named the same 17 from their round 23 victory over the Storm, with Moses Leota once again expected to drop to the bench for Lindsay Smith. Star centre Izack Tago remains sidelined.

Betting Markets

Manly Sea Eagles ($7.00) vs Penrith Panthers ($1.10)

Points Total: 44.5 points

Overview

The Panthers are 18.5-point favourites for this one, with an upset unlikely on Thursday night at Brookvale. Over the past 5 matches between these teams, the Panthers have won all 5, by a combined score of 188-52, with an average margin of 27.2 points. The Panthers should win, and should win in a canter.

Love It – Zac Hosking - $13,360

Hosking is playing out of position again, with the backrower lining up inside Brian To’o at centre for the second game in a row. Whilst he looked a little lost defensively last weekend in the centres, Hosking made some beautiful plays in attack, getting To’o away on several occasions. Is a worker, so should get through enough work to score decently without attacking stats, but I love the Panthers right side to score plenty of points against a weak Sea Eagles left edge defence.

Love It – Nathan Cleary - $24,960

Cleary is awfully expensive, and you can easily make a case for both Cherry-Evans ($22,710) and Luai ($15,910) at this position, especially if you want to get a Brian To’o or big name forward into your squad. However, Cleary has been on fire since returning from injury, with scores of 59, 94, and 84. His upside is far higher than anyone else in this matchup, and with a score of 95 in the earlier game against the Sea Eagles this season, I love a huge score here for the Prince of Penrith.

Love It – Jake Trbojevic - $15,550

Trbojevic has been average at the back end of the season, DFS-wise, and this could be a little risky given the apparent low ceiling on Jake. However, the Panthers dominate possession and runs, meaning Trbojevic could be in line for 50+ tackles. Add in some runs, and probably a few offloads when the Sea Eagles are trailing, and a 60+ score is a huge possibility. Maybe a little overpriced given his season, but I like him in this spot.

Hate It – Dylan Edwards – $14,380

Edwards is definitely dealing with a few niggles, as his output has fallen off a cliff the past few weeks. It was a tough Origin period for the fullback, as he had to really step it up with so much talent off the field for the Panthers. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Edwards get a rest down the stretch this season, however for now he will just get through enough work to help the Panthers win. They should win easily here, meaning Edwards won’t need to be too involved.

Hate It – Haumole Olakau’atu - $18,860

The second most expensive forward in this matchup, the big Sea Eagles edge backrower has as high an upside as any forward in this game. However, he desperately needs attacking stats to make his price worthwhile. Given the sheer intensity of the Panthers’ defence, it’s difficult to see even someone as talented as Olakau’atu scoring massive attacking stats in this game. In the previous matchup between these two sides, Olakau’atu scored just 41 points, running for only 97 metres.

Who Knows – Jarome Luai - $15,910

Love him or hate him, you must admit Luai has handled his Origin dropping well on the field. He has played his best football all season over the past month, and this week he gets a chance to take on Cherry-Evans and the supremely strong right-side defence of the Sea Eagles. Luai is averaging 60 over his past 6 games, with a low score of 41, so it would seem he’s worked hard at his floor. However, after only scoring 32.5 against the Sea Eagles earlier in the season, it would not be a surprise to see the Panthers five eighth struggle this weekend.

Draftstars Suggested Lineup