Once again in the NRL on Friday night, we have three of the four teams in finals contention for our Friday night double header. First up, the Panthers will head up the M1 looking for revenge, as they take on the Knights in Newcastle, who is the last team to have beaten the Panthers. Then, in the main event, the Sea Eagles head to Canberra to take on the Raiders in a clash with huge ramifications for both teams. With several Draftstars superstars available across both games, there’s plenty to get excited about here.
Draftstars have several contests on offer for Friday night, including single-match contests, and combined matchups. These include:
NRL $6,000 – Knights v Panthers
NRL $6,000 – Raiders v Sea Eagles
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. And if you're new to the Daily Fantasy scene, simply join Draftstars via this link!
NRL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 23 Friday
NRL Friday Round 23: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Corey Waddell ($9,770) has struggled this season and is probably lucky to get a run as a starting back rower at the Sea Eagles, but there is one thing Corey Waddell can do well, and that’s find the try line. He’s only scored two tries this season, however he has shown that he is more than capable, with nine tries in the two previous seasons. The other huge positive for Waddell at the price is his season average when playing 80 minutes in the back row. Whilst he is being priced at a season average of 31.8, his average during games where he plays the full 80 minutes is 10 points higher. A decent floor, and a nice ceiling for a player under $10k, expect 35-55 to be a realistic score for Waddell this week.
Matt Lodge ($10,380) is priced nice and cheap, however there is always the massive concern that he will do something stupid and get sent off. Regardless, if Lodge can see decent minutes here as a starting prop, he has all the tools in his game to be a great points per minute scorer in the middle. This season, he has four scores over 33 in his 7 games, however if you take out his games where he has played under 25 minutes, he has scored 33 or over in four of five games. Surely, as a starting front rower, he plays more than 25 minutes this week, and in my opinion, you can lock him in to a score of 33-50, pending any potential send offs, or sin bins.
NRL Friday Round 23: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Tolutau Koula ($11,870) has continued to show his terrific attacking ability out on the left for the Sea Eagles, and with Tom Trbojevic moving back to fullback this week, Koula should get more early ball as a result. With a highest score of 88 this season, Koula has a fantastic ceiling which is as close to the highest you can find in this slate at OB, whilst he also has a very solid median type of outcome predicted here. Koula has struggled against the Raiders, and if Canberra are back to their best this week it may prove difficult for the Sea Eagles to put many points on the board, but if this game opens up, I fully expect Koula to cross the line this week.
Brian To’o ($12,000) is well underpriced here at just $12k, and whilst he is clearly carrying injuries, I can’t ignore him at this price. He hasn’t had that massive game this season, and despite the injury/s, why can’t he have that big game this week against the Knights? He has been up and down this season, with three scores under 35, however with five scores over 45 and a high score of 71, he hasn’t exactly been horrible. The big thing that gets me excited is he hasn’t scored a try for the Panthers since the start of June, so over two months without a try. If anyone is due, it’s Brian To’o, and I’ll back him in here. The other thing about To’o is he is incredibly good at doubling up on tries, managing to score two or more tries on over 10 occasions in his career.
NRL Friday Round 23: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Nathan Cleary ($21,930) is so hard to leave out of your team, and I’m not going to risk it too much this week. There’s not really a lot to say about Cleary, he has a floor as high as most gun’s ceilings, and the highest ceiling in the NRL. This season in 15 games, Cleary has 10 scores of 70+, with one of those games being his 7-minute game against the Storm earlier this season. If you take just his 80-minute games, he has 10 scores of 70+ in 13 games, including six scores above 70. If you leave him out, you’re likely not making money, simple as that.
Dylan Edwards ($17,800) has hit form at the right end of the season, coming out of the Origin period looking completely fit and back to his best. If there’s one man in this slate who can take Cleary’s ceiling and raise it further, it is Edwards. Just three weeks ago, Edwards managed a mammoth 109.1 points, in a game that is up there with the greatest we’ve ever seen in fantasy. He has lost the goal kicking, which is a bitter blow, but it just doesn’t matter when Edwards is fit and at his best. Often runs the ball 25+ times, for 300+ metres, and will knock out 60 points this week without an attacking stat. Crucially though, lately he has taken over as a real attacking threat on the right, often popping up outside Cleary to throw the final ball for a try. If he can jag some attacking stats, Edwards is the guy I’d want in my team if I didn’t have Cleary.
Here's Our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for NRL Round 23 Friday
NRL Round 23 Friday Betting Markets
Knights ($3.70) vs Panthers ($1.28)
Line: Panthers (-10.5)
Points: 43.5
Raiders ($1.45) vs Sea Eagles ($2.75)
Line: Raiders (-7.5)
Points: 46.5
Also, be sure to check out our full NRL Previews and Betting Tips for each match. Our experts break down each individual game and highlight some key bets that you can follow!
