Welcome to the Fantasy Rugby Breakdown, something I hope to do every week. I’ll keep you up to date with the latest developments and hopefully point you in the right direction when you do your weekly transfers.
Round 1 was a scrappy, physical round and that was shown in the Fantasy scores. No-one in the comp cracked 500 and the top scoring players (Nasi Manu and James Hanson) only racked up 48 points. The G&GR league is tightly bunched, with over 250 players signing up for 2012. The top ten after round 1 looks like this (apologies for the dodgy image quality):
Well done to Nick Mcgrath in top spot, who took first after picking a solid core of high scorers- Thomson, Higgers, Freuen and Hanson chief among them.
The League is super tight though, with only 80 points separating the top 50 players, and 108 points separating the top 100. So it’s bloody close, and even though your ranking may not look too good at this point you aren’t far off the top players. So stick with it. To help you do that I have a few picks to buy and sell this week:
Going Up
– Robbie Freuen (Crusaders). This bloke has come back bigger and stronger in 2012, and played a barnstormer last week against a star-studded Blues backline. I was worried that without Carter he wouldn’t get too many opportunities, but Bleyendaal is proving just as reliable. At $353K he is a reasonably affordable option who can score big.
– Johan Goosen (Cheetahs). Young powerful 5/8 from the Cheetahs with a super boot on him. He scored 29 points against the Lions, but take away his sin-binning and he would be right up there in lights. Take advantage of the fact that he is under the radar, because it won’t last long- he’s the real deal. An absolute steal at $150K.
– Juandre Kruger (Bulls). The new Victor Matfield, this bruising second rower is making waves at Loftus. He may not score the house down each week, but take a look at his price tag- a measly $75K. It won’t be like that for long, and he is a great bench option.
– Adam Thomson (Highlanders). The complete fantasy package. Runs, tackles, passes, scores, steals, catches. The only thing he doesn’t do is kick goals. Started the season in form against the Chiefs, and you would be mad if you didn’t think this would continue. Get him in your team now if you missed him first time around. Currently $427K and expect that to climb.
– Rudi Wulf (Blues). This guy has come back from a stint overseas and hit the ground running against the Crusaders on Friday. Was given very little space to work in and still managed 31 points and a spot in the dream team. With some space and time he could carve up a few defensive lines this season, so keep him in your thoughts at transfer time. Good value at $252K.
Going Down
– Schalk Burger (Stormers). Played the house down for ten minutes then was stretchered off and will miss at least six weeks with a knee injury.
– Lelia Masaga (Chiefs). Scored well but picked up a knee injury and is gone for three weeks.
– Bryan Habana (Stormers). Played at 13 and barely touched the ball in the Stormers win over the Canes. The Bryan Habana of old appears to be gone completely, and you’d be mad to waste an outside back spot on him in his current form.
– Piri Weepu (Blues). Came on at the back end of the game and looked very underdone (in other words- fat). On the bench again this week and I’d want to wait a couple more weeks until I consider picking him.
– Any Chiefs Forward. Except maybe Liam Messam, who can still score behind a beaten pack. The Chiefs have a huge injury toll to contend with this week, and I would think twice before picking up any of their pigs despite the fact they scored well last weekend.
Let’s hope for everyone’s sake this advice is on the money.
Remember to get those tips and transfers done by Friday at 5:25pm!!
Who are you picking in Fantasy Rugby this weekend?
