A bye round for the Raiders means it'll be a tricky week for plenty of Fantasy coaches, with a stack of Canberra players featuring heavily in teams this year.
Injuries and suspensions mean there are value pickups scattered all across the competition this week, while Terrell May's return to action, following a bye in Round 23, means we have all three of the major captaincy options available again.
NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 24
Panthers v Storm, Thursday at CommBank Stadium
Panthers: There's no Isaah Yeo for the second week in a row as he battles a shoulder injury. That justifies the decision many made to trade him out ahead of Round 23, while it creates a massive headache for those who opted to hold him. Nathan Cleary went well again with a 64, while lowly-owned Panthers Izack Tago (65) and Liam Henry (64) impressed as well. Possible point of difference WFB Brian To'o comes off a 57 last week.
Storm: Concussion means popular WFB Ryan Papenhuyzen is out and has now missed five of Melbourne's last seven games. MID Stefano Utoikamanu looks like being a legitimate point of difference for the final few rounds, after a 51 last week left him with a team-high last three game average of 64. Tyran Wishart (HLF, $408k) will be a heavily traded in player this week after scoring 76 as Jahrome Hughes' replacement at halfback in Round 23. He keeps that role for Round 24 and is set to start all of the remaining regular season games.
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Warriors v Dragons, Friday at Go Media Stadium
Warriors: The return of Wayde Egan means cheapie Sam Healey is set for limited minutes at dummy-half. He should still manage enough to easily hit a break even of five though. Tanah Boyd, who plenty of coaches jumped on over the past month, gets a spot back in the 17 after being dropped for last week's loss to the Bulldogs. Round 24 was a forgettable one for the Warriors on the Fantasy front, with Demitric Vaimauga their leading scorer with 41.
Dragons: After registering 48 on debut last week, Hayden Buchanan (CTR, $261k) retains a spot in the backline and looks a decent cash down option right now given Moses Suli is sidelined by a knee injury. Mid-season cash cow Hamish Stewart has a starting role in the second row after hitting 49 last up. MID David Klemmer has now gone five-straight games scoring 48 or more, with a L3 average of 54.
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Roosters v Bulldogs, Friday at Allianz Stadium
Roosters: After a poor three-game run, James Tedesco, who sits in almost 20 percent of teams, powered back to form with a 96 that was headlined by a pair of tries against the Dolphins. It's time to start talking about Sam Walker as a serious POD with value after he scored 69 last week to give himself a L3 average of 57.3. Currently Walker is owned by only 1.2 percent of teams.
Bulldogs: Connor Tracey (abdominal) has been included in the reserves this week, which could mean Jacob Kiraz shifts from fullback to the centres or wing. That's likely to be good news for the popular DPP back's Fantasy prospects on the back of two scores in the 40s while in the No.1 jersey. The wet weather they played through in Round 23 likely contributed to some lower scores for the Bulldogs' skill players, but owners can expect a bit of a bounce back this week.
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Sharks v Titans, Saturday at Sharks Stadium
Sharks: With Jesse Ramien ruled out for the remainder of the regular season, Mawene Hiroti (WFB/CTR, $392k) comes into the backline and should keep his spot for the rest of the Fantasy season. There's Draft league value in Billy Burns now that Briton Nikora is ruled out for the rest of the regular season. At $353k, Burns is also a possible cash down option in Classic leagues. Blayke Brailey continues to be a high-performer, with a last three game average of 58.
Titans: Nobody gets close to Jayden Campbell when it comes to being Fantasy's form player right now, with a 81-point average across his last three games that has lifted his season average back up to just shy of 60. Sam Verrills is quietly putting together an excellent run which has gone basically unnoticed by Fantasy coaches. The $637k HOK boasts a L3 average of 66.3, which makes him the form player in his position. The return of Tino Fa'asuamaleaui from injury could mean a slight drop off in involvement for the likes of Jaimin Jolliffe and Moeaki Fotuaika.
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Broncos v Dolphins, Saturday at Suncorp Stadium
Broncos: Billy Walters and Ben Hunt move into the halves to cover for the injured Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam, with Corey Paix (HOK/HLF, $383k) set to be the big winner as he eyes an increased-minute role at hooker. Payne Haas crushed it in his return to action last week with a 83 and is likely to be at least the round's second-most popular captaincy choice for Round 24 as a result. A 28 for Reece Walsh against the Storm marked his worst score, and only one under 45, since way back in Round 7.
Dolphins: A heavy loss last week translated to low Fantasy scores across the board for the Dolphins, with a 42 for cheapie WFB Tevita Naufahu one of the few highlights. After an excellent run of form, HOK/HLF Kurt Donoghoe dipped below 40 for the first time since Round 10.
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Rabbitohs v Eels, Saturday at Allianz Stadium
Rabbitohs: The Bunnies' most popular Fantasy player, Lachlan Hubner, is out due to concussion, while Latrell Mitchell is again named at centre after scoring 64 there last week. The return of Mitchell allowed Tallis Duncan to move back into the pack in Round 23 and he remains in the starting second row this week.
Eels: Ryley Smith got back to a big-minute role last week and duly returned to Fantasy form as well, with his 50, achieved in a 68-minute stint, being the best score he has managed since Round 13. Popular WFB Joash Papalii scored 41 in Round 23 but remains an inconsistent Fantasy player who is better utilised as a loop option than a set member of your 17.
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Wests Tigers v Sea Eagles, Sunday at Allianz Stadium
Wests Tigers: CTR Taylan May has cleared concussion protocols and will return to action, while fellow backline member Starford To'a is also good to go after missing the club's pre-bye win over the Bulldogs. A rested Terrell May looks a very good captaincy choice this week, and given his last performance wasn't a great one, coupled with Nathan Cleary and Payne Haas both going well last week, he may be the least selected of the three as well. In-form HLF/CTR Adam Doueihi is again the halfback.
Sea Eagles: A return to fullback doesn't look like being good for Tom Trbojevic on the Fantasy front, with a 35 last week meaning he's back to being a questionable starter in most backlines. Ben Trbojevic returns to the pack after time out with concussion, while Jazz Tevaga is likely to score well in his new temporary role as the club's starting lock. Tolutau Koula starred in Round 23 with a 65.
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Cowboys v Knights, Sunday at Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Cowboys: Braidon Burns is performing well beyond what you'd expect from someone who sits in 0.6 percent of teams, with last week's 51 leaving him on a L3 average of 50.7. At $545k he's a fairly cheap option for those looking to cash down from a more expensive player, and he comes with the added benefit of DPP status as both a WFB and CTR. A try-scoring double propelled Jaxon Purdue to his first 50+ score since way back in Round 13.
Knights: There's a new face on the scene in Newcastle with Connor Votano named at fullback. At this point of the season he's not a consideration for anyone other than those in deep Draft leagues, or Classic teams who can gamble on a cash down that might not score well. HOK Jayden Brailey is putting together a nice finish to the season now that he's starting at dummy-half again, with last week's 72 enjoyed by under two percent of all coaches. Jake Arthur keeps a spot in the halves this week and is worth grabbing if you are a HLF needy team in a Draft competition, on the back of him scoring 54 in the heavy loss to the Panthers.
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