With Rep Round on this weekend, I thought I would do something a bit different for Fast 5 this week. I will be going over the top 5 guns to own for round 17, to help you plan your trades for the coming rounds.
A lot of fantasy coaches can get caught up with the number of players they have for a bye round and not focus on the quality of players they are trading in. The ideal way to approach bye rounds is sticking to trading in guns and cash cows/cash outs. The list of players below I believe are all players that score well enough to remain in your final 17 for the run home and who also play in round 17. Note that the origin squads may change between game 2 and 3, so there is always some risk in picking up origin eligible players.
Isaiah Papali’i $839k (BE 84) Average: 63.3 Ownership: 29.1%
Isaiah has backed up an incredible first season with Eels with another season averaging 60+, which has placed him into that elite tier of fantasy guns. To make him even better he is ineligible to play origin and has the handy MID/EDG DPP status. A few low scores of late have dropped his price down slightly which has made him a great pick up over the next couple of rounds for those who don’t already own him. After a brief stint at lock, he is now back to an edge where his average bumps up slightly to 65.6. In my opinion he is by far the best captaincy option for round 17 and probably a must have for the round. If you want to wait a week for his price to drop a little bit more, you can, however there is never a bad time to buy him.
Ryan Matterson $827k (BE 73) Average: 57.4 Ownership: 5.8%
It’s been a strange year in terms of Fantasy for Ryan Matterson, averaging more points off the bench (60.8) compared to when he has been starting (50.8). After watching the Eels last game, I think the role of 60-minute lock is where I see him playing for the rest of the season. With a PPM of bang on 1, I expect him to average approximately 60 from now to round 25. He is currently slightly over priced due to recent scores of 84, 73, and 71 so you can wait a week to purchase him if need be. However, similarly to Papali’I he is going to be a gun in your final 17 with MID/EDG DPP, so there is never bad time to buy him.
Adam Reynolds $803k (BE 60) Average: 57.2 Ownership: 4.8%
Reynolds has gone to a new level since moving up north to the Broncos having a career high year in terms of fantasy. He is still getting his usual high kick metres, but has picked up a lot of attacking stats due to being the main man for the Broncos. This high involvement, has reduced his floor to 47 points, which is his lowest score of the season. In terms of your final 17, he is still slightly behind the likes of Cleary and DCE for the HLF position (Assuming everyone is playing Hynes at WFB), however he would be a brilliant bench player for any team, or an alternative HLF for those who do not already have DCE or Cleary. Just note that Reynolds does have a history of niggling injuries that put him out for a week or two, so make sure you have HLF cover if you are picking him up.
David Klemmer $759k (BE 71) Average: 56.6 Ownership: 3.7%
David Klemmer has wound back the clock in terms of fantasy this season after gaining a slight boost in both minutes and PPM compared to last season. Last year he averaged 52 minutes at a PPM of 0.88 and this year has averaged 59 minutes at a PPM of 0.97. Whether this is due to the new offload rule, the reduce is game speed, or due to Newcastle’s large injury count, I am unsure. Regardless, he looks like a gun in the MID position this season and is a great pickup for round 17. With a high BE, he is another player you may be able to wait a week on, but don’t be afraid to jump now.
Ryan Papenhuyzen $756k (BE 54) Average: 55.0 Ownership: 13.6%
WFB has been a position where we have struggled to find guns this season with only three players averaging over 50, with one being the injured Ryan Papenhuyzen. Ryan has been reported to return in round 16, just in time for the round 17 bye round assuming that he is not picked in the origin squad. Out of the five players I have wrote about this week, I think Ryan is the one I would probably most likely not pickup in round 16. This is due to him coming back from both a hamstring injury and from COVID-19, which may see his performance hindered. In saying this, I think I will definitely be jumping on him in round 17 as he will be a gun for the run home.
As always, big shout out to footystatistics.com, which is where I do all my statistical research. The podcast will be having a break this week, however it will be back next week to preview round 16. Enjoy the Fantasy week off and enjoy Rep Round! If you haven’t yet check out the round 15 fantasy wrap podcast. Andy hosts with thoughts from Corby, Kyle and Jake.
Comments