THE HANGOVER: DRAFTSTARS WEEKLY WRAP
Evidently, it is the humble bird that is the apex predator in 2018. Over the weekend we saw the Eagles and Roosters taking out the premiership in their respective codes. Saturday saw West Coast overcome a gallant Magpie outfit in the final two minutes to secure their fourth premiership. Then, on Sunday, the Roosters toppled the almighty Storm with relative ease, despite the contentious inclusion of Billy Slater.
In the Northern hemisphere, the NFL entered week four of its 16-week regular season with a handful of uncertain contenders fighting to stake their claims on Super Bowl 53. The Rams, and their star sophomore quarterback Jared Goff (465 YDS, 5 TD), put their best foot forward with a breath taking victory over the Vikings.
Draftstars had you covered for each of the AFL, NRL and NFL competitions with over $145,000 on offer across three contests.
With just two entries in the AFL Grand Final contest, JRod78 turned $40 into almomst $11k while grose showed his NRL nous selecting Luke Keary on his way to $3,893. The NFL contest proved another tight one with madbomber76 securing over $1,100 by merely 13.4 rushing yards and 1.34 points.
Congratulations to West Coast, the Roosters and their Grand Final stars, Luke Shuey and Luke Keary, on their victories.
AFL GRAND FINAL $100,000+
Well slap my sidebottom and call me Steele. What a game.
After the Pies built a seemingly insurmountable 29-point lead at quarter time, and another 12-point lead at the start of the final quarter, the premiership looked destined for Nathan Buckley’s desolate trophy cabinet. Alas, enter Dom Sheed. The underrated midfielder snuck forward with less than two minutes remaining, marked in the pocket and slotted coolly under immense pressure, snatching victory from (magpie) claws of defeat.
Despite the victory, the Eagles only had three of the top eight scoring players in the game. However, Luke Shuey managed the top score in the Grand Final for his starring 34 possession, one goal and 133 DS point game. The performance also earned him a coveted Norm Smith medal.
But it was Josh Kennedy that topped the game for value, scoring 120 points and costing just $9,560. Considered a risky choice when taking his 2015 decider performance into account, he was selected by each of the top ten users and proved to be the catalyst for a win.
NRL GRAND FINAL $30,000+
Who saw that coming?
An annihilation in the first half saw the NRL decider virtually over at half-time. Building an 18-0 lead at the break, the Roosters never looked back, running out 15-point winners. Cooper Cronk, playing with a busted scapula, proved an inspirational leader as he clinically directed his troops and made the Storm look sub-par.
Luke Keary not only claimed the Clive Churchill medal, but was the Roosters best value selection. Costing the 16th most in the game, Keary put up exceptional kicking and running numbers on his way to 48.88 points.
Despite the loss, look no further than Storm centre Josh Addo-Carr for the best value selection overall. Scoring the Storm’s only try of the night, Addo-Carr output 51.80 DS points, the third most of the game, and cost just $8,900.
NFL $15,000+ MONDAY
We see you Mitch Trubisky. The second year quarterback looks a star made and he put on a show for the Chicago Bears on Monday. Throwing for a relatively modest 354 yards, it was his 6 touchdowns that caught our attention. With his haul, he sits equal second with Marino, Brady, Rogers and Peyton Manning, for TD’s thrown in a single game. Selected by just 1% of contestants, Trubisky’s value cannot be understated.
One of a number of notable games, the Patriots dealt the Dolphins their first loss of the season with an unexpected 38-7 blowout victory. James White proved not just his value to New England, but his Draftstars value, scoring 31.20 points at a meagre price of $8,440. He was the most selected player this week and found his way into four of the top five teams.
Bad luck to those who banked on Drew Brees backing up his 40+ score from last week. He threw for only 217 yards and scored just 8.58 despite his sides victory over the Giants.
Keep an eye on Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger as your QB for next Monday. Playing against a virtually non-existent Falcons defence that allows over 30 points per game, he should have a big impact.
Don’t forget to join us throughout the week for the several contests on offer and then load up again come the weekend. Although the AFL and NRL are over, the NFL is starting to turn it up a notch and the NBA pre-season has just kicked off!
Written by Brin Duggan Follow @BrinDuggan
AFL, Latest, NBA, NFL, NRL