NRL $5,000+ Saturday Line-Up

It’s a massive line up this Saturday, with three huge games on the plate. Both of last year’s Grand Finalists will play and so will preliminary finalist Canberra. Add the fifth-placed Panthers to the mix and there is a blockbuster line-up to choose your Draftstars team from.

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Here is a team you may consider for the NRL $5,000+ Saturday competition

Front Row Forward

Trent Merrin ($16,000)

Merrin has become a tackling machine over the past two seasons, averaging nearly 37 tackles a game in the second half of last year and nearly 36 so far this year. This has led to some monster Draftstars scores and should continue this week in what will be a fiercely contested game against the Storm, who love to run the ball through the middle of the park. Merrin will also get a substantial amount of running metres, so if he can get his minutes back into the high 70’s that he was clocking last year, he will produce a massive score.

Josh Papalii ($13,500)

Papalii has had a massive start to the year both on the field and in the fantasy world. His ability to continue to run the ball whilst being tackled is so valuable to the Raiders and those extra metres certainly come in handy in Draftstars. However, while his metres and tackles have been good, it’s Papalii’s ability to fill up the attacking stats that separates him from the other options. His tackle breaking ability combined with the occasional line break is invaluable from a forward and gives him a ceiling that is tough to match.

Hooker

Jayden Brailey ($5,150)

The decision at hooker is tough this Saturday and could be pivotal in deciding the contest. Cameron Smith is a superstar, but at over $19k, he is too unreasonably priced to consider. That leaves Kaysa Pritchard, Jayden Brailey and Danny Levi as the value options. Pritchard laid a mammoth 48 tackles last week and Levi laid 40, but Brailey gets the nod thanks to his consistency and his favourable match up against the Knights. Last week, Panthers hooker Peter Wallace ended up with 49.65 points against the Knights and Brailey is certainly capable of doing the same. His thirst for tackling is great to watch and his lowest score this year is 36.40. Save the $14k from Smith and back in Brailey to score around the 35-40 mark.

Second Row Forward

Paul Gallen ($16,600)

Gal broke six tackles last week against the Eels on his way to a whopping 83.50 Draftstars points. After Trent Merrin, Isaah Yeo and Peter Wallace combined for nine tackle breaks and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gallen do the same. The workhorse lock is super consistent, never dropping his tackling or running numbers and often offloading two or three times a game. Against the leaky Knights, there is every chance that Gal picks up a few attacking stats as well.

Wade Graham ($12,950)

It took Graham and James Maloney a while to find their groove on the left edge last season, but since the end of last year, the two have found a way to compromise that has led to great results for both players. Maloney has allowed Graham to continue some of his playmaking, which has the second-rower produce two try assists already this season. Graham has averaged 62.27 Draftstars points in the three full games he’s played this season and considering injury was the only reason he missed minutes in round three, there is little doubt he will play a full game again this week.

Centre

Isaah Yeo ($11,900)

The Storm and the Panthers are the two stingiest clubs in the league in terms of points allowed, which should make for quite a congested game. As such, picking workhorse back-rower Yeo at centre could be a solid tactic as he should pick up a few extra tackles. Yeo plays the full 80 every game and the Panthers have given him more opportunities to run the ball this season. Teammate Tyrone Peachey may not be suited to the low scoring game and with the Canberra centres struggling so far this season, Yeo is a safe bet to be one of the best scoring centres this round.

Half

Ryley Jacks ($5,000)

Whilst the like of Nathan Cleary, Corey Norman and Clint Gutherson are scoring huge numbers and are good options this week, it is simply too difficult to ignore Jacks’ value. Already one of the best tackling halves in the game, Jacks also has the capacity to score, kick and break tackles on the attacking side of the game. He won’t outscore some of the bigger names, but the money he saves you will almost certainly allow coaches to make up the points (and then some) elsewhere.

Wing/Fullback

Josh Addo-Carr ($9,800)

JAC has been incredible for the Storm so far this year, with the former Tiger dominating the stats for his new club. The tackle-breaking machine has been gaining huge metres through his mix of blistering speed and the strength to bust tackles. Considering he also has the ability to break the lines and score, Addo-Carr is a must for your team this week.

Valentine Holmes ($8,850)

Holmes has been named at fullback this week for the first time this season and it could not have come at a better time. The star flyer will be primed for a huge day against the hapless Knights, who have allowed 116 points in the first four rounds. Holmes rarely lines up in the number one jersey, but has been given the chance to nail it down with Jack Bird moving back to the centres. In his five career starts at fullback, Holmes has scored two tries and picked up three line breaks to go with his usual meterage. Expect him to find the try line at least once on Saturday.

The Line Up

FR-F: Trent Merrin ($16,000)

FR-F: Josh Papalii ($13,500)

HOOK: Jayden Brailey ($5,150)

2R-F: Paul Gallen ($16,600)

2R-F: Wade Graham ($12,950)

C: Isaah Yeo ($11,900)

HALF: Ryley Jacks ($5,000)

W/FB: Josh Addo-Carr ($9,800)

W/FB: Valentine Holmes ($8,850)

Salary Remaining: $250