NRL $500+ Full Sunday Line-Up

The first round of NRL concludes on Sunday, but with only two games to choose from, we need to make our Draftstars line-up choices wisely.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $500+ Sunday competition

Front Row Forward

Simon Mannering ($18,000)

Simon Mannering is a fantasy god and is one of the best locks in the game. He has made more tackles than any other player and prides himself on being the defensive linchpin for the Warriors. Mannering was one of the best forwards last season and led the statistics with big tackle counts on a regular basis. If the Warriors attack more – which they will; he will get more points.

Bunty Afoa ($9,950)

Afoa played pretty well in four appearances last season; in his two starts, he scored 67 and 42 fantasy points including a two-try effort. His ability to cover front and second row makes him more useful. Last season Bunty played around 45 minutes and averaged 39 fantasy points. Given the fact that the Warriors have Ben Matulino out, Afoa will see more game time here.

Hooker

Danny Levi ($5,000)

Levi often comes across as an angry young rake on the field, however he is a pocket-rocket half – somewhat reminiscent of a young Issac Luke. Given that Rory Kostjasyn is now injured, Newcastle have given Levi the starting hooker’s role. He has publicly come out and stated how he has worked a lot on his defense in the off-season and made all the right noises. Potential Cash Cow?

Second Row Forward

Ryan Hoffman ($10,600)

Ryan Hoffman has just had his captaincy stripped and will be looking to prove a point here. More importantly, many players play a lot better without having that additional baggage. His fantasy average has been around 35-38 points over the last two years, however not having Ben Matulino there means more runs and more tackles for Hoffman. He will want to put his hand up to be the leader of the pack here.

Brad Takairangi ($8,350)

Takairangi tends to fly under the radar in fantasy, but he plays big minutes, is a strong defender and can be tough to stop with the ball in hand. What does give him the edge is his part of a potent attacking combination with Semi Radradra. That spells try-assists, line breaks, and perhaps even a try.

Centre

Sione Mata’utia ($9,900)

Sione has played six different roles in the last three years and the surprise positional switch paid dividends last year. Newcastle will be looking to do the same with him this year, start him off at centre and then move him across to the second row. He was averaging 27 points after playing every game at centre, but in the final five rounds he averaged about 42 points a game playing in the pack.

Half

Shaun Johnson ($15,850)

With 10 tries, 18 try assists and 62 tackle breaks, it’s no surprise that Shaun Johnson was again among the elite fantasy halves in 2016. What makes this even more impressive is that he was playing injured in 2016. Johnson has publicly come out stating that he wants to have a Dally M Medal-like season and will be ready to fire first-up against the Knights.

Wing/Fullback

Tom Trbojevic ($12,850)

Tom Trbojevic has plenty of room for improvement after playing last year on one leg and being shunted between wing, centre and fullback. This time around, he will be looking to make the fullback position his very own. He is every fantasy coach’s dream – a dual position CTW with an extremely high ceiling that will score above 40 points on most occasions.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ($9,450)

We’re talking about an absolute freak of a player that averaged 57 points per game in 2015 who can be picked up for a mid-range price. He played well in the Warriors’ first trial match so no point trying to ‘wait and see’ how he goes. The superstar averaged 33 fantasy points a game across seven matches in 2016, before his season was ended by injury. Never worth paying top dollar for an outside back but at this price, he is undervalued.

The Line Up

FR-F: Simon Mannering ($18,000)

FR-F: Bunty Afoa ($9,950)

HOOK: Danny Levi ($5,000)

2R-F: Ryan Hoffman ($10,600)

2R-F: Brad Takairangi ($8,350)

C: Sione Mata’utia ($9,900)

HALF: Shaun Johnson ($15,850)

W/FB: Tom Trbojevic ($12,850)

W/FB: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ($9,450)

Salary Remaining: $50