Magic Round in the NRL kicks off with a double header on Friday night, with the Sharks playing the Eels at 6:00pm, followed by the Roosters taking on the Dolphins in the later game. The Sharks will be looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking loss to the Tigers last week, whilst the Eels will look to keep up their momentum after beating the Tigers two weeks ago. In the second game, the Roosters will be up against it, as they take on a Dolphins team that has hit its straps of late. A great night of football awaits.
Draftstars have several contests on offer for Friday night, including single-match contests, and combined matchups. These include:
NRL $6,000 – Sharks v Eels
NRL $8,000 – Roosters v Dolphins
NRL $3,000 – Friday Night doubleheader
There are plenty of other contests that will tickle your fancy, so get involved and make the greatest game of all even more exciting.
Betting Markets
Sharks ($1.48) vs Eels ($2.65)
Line: Sharks (-5.5)
Points: 46.5
Roosters ($1.90) vs Dolphins ($1.90)
Line: Roosters (-1.5)
Points: 48.5
If you’re looking to bet on the NRL this season, then you can bet with PlayUp by using the same account that you have at Draftstars. PlayUp are Australian owned and offer a strong range of NRL betting markets and offers, including Same Game Multis.
Additionally, we have full NRL betting previews for every match this weekend where we provide our best bet as well as a great value Same Game Multi!
Top Fantasy Plays
VALUE
Charlie Guymer ($8,000) has been named to start in the backrow for the Eels, with Shaun Lane taking some time away from the game. Keep an eye on team lists, but if Guymer starts, he should play enough minutes to justify this selection for bottom dollar. Guymer has only played decent minutes in one game this season, when he played 67 minutes in round 1 against the Storm. He only scored 29.5, but the Eels were standing behind their goal posts for the majority of the game. Guymer should have a floor of 35 if he starts here and is a great pick up.
Egan Butcher ($9,050) was extremely efficient last week in just 28 minutes of action, punching out 22 tackles and 8 carries for 90 metres. With a score of 34, if Butcher sees even a slight increase in minutes, he should have a nice floor of 35 for a smidge over bottom price. I expect a tight battle in the middle third of the field between the Roosters and Dolphins, which would lend itself to more minutes, and plenty of work for Butcher.
MID PRICE
Hugo Savala (11,020) is underpriced at just over $11k, and whilst his ceiling isn’t as high as the likes of Katoa, Hynes, or Moses, he has been remarkably consistent since taking over as starting halfback for the Roosters. He has averaged 46.8 in the past three games, and that is with a single attacking stat, showing a tremendous floor for the Roosters halfback. If he can manage to secure a couple of attacking stats, a score of 60+ is a strong possibility. Terrific value in the halves.
William Kennedy ($12,640) has been one of the form players of the competition over the past three weeks. Kennedy has scored a try in each of his last three games, whilst running for 177 metres per game, and breaking 6 tackles per game. Against an Eels defence that has been nothing short of dreadful, Kennedy should have another great chance at scoring a try and running for 200 metres this week.
PREMIUM
Isaiya Katoa ($19,480) has quickly turned into one of the best young halves in the game. That has translated nicely to fantasy, as he has averaged 62 points per game in Draftstars. His floor is a terrific 50 points, and with a tight game expected against the Roosters this week, expect Katoa to be heavily involved and have big kicking metre numbers. Whilst I don’t have Katoa named in my team listed in this article, it is purely down to the value I place on Savala at price. Katoa has every chance to be the highest scorer in the two game Friday night slate and having him in your team is an easy decision.
KL Iro ($17,040) is back this week from injury, and whilst I don’t like picking people in their first week back from injury, Iro is an easy selection this week for mine. Whilst Iro struggled crossing the line in his rookie season (6 tries in 23 games), he has started with a bang this season, with 5 tries in 4 games. The Sharks are heavily attacking the left edge this year, and with Iro’s ability to fill the stat sheet with tackle breaks, offloads and runs/tackles, Iro is an easy choice here. The Eels right edge has conceded 47% of all their tries this season, and Iro will be a huge chance at a try or two this week. Premium selection.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
