This is the biggest night of NRL this season, with two monumental games set to take place on Friday Night Football. First up, the Raiders and Panthers will clash at Glen Willow Oval in Mudgee in a possible finals’ week 1 preview, before the Bulldogs head to Melbourne to take on the Storm. With these four teams favoured to end the season inside the top 4, there’s a huge chance we see both these matchups again in just a few weeks in the finals. Wow, what a night of footy!
Draftstars have several contests on offer for Friday night, including single-match contests, and combined matchups. These include:
NRL $6,000 – Panthers v Raiders
NRL $6,000 – Storm v Bulldogs
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 25 Friday
NRL Friday Round 25: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Joe Chan ($8,360) has been named to start on the edge with Shawn Blore out, and a starting edge back rower for near bottom dollar is always an easy selection for value. In his three games starting in the back row and playing 80 minutes this season, Chan averages a solid 34.8 points per game, with zero attacking stats across those games. You’d have to figure at some point Chan will get some attacking stats, and why not this week against a Bulldogs team that is suddenly struggling defensively? Even if he can’t manage the attacking stats, you can throw Chan down for a solid 30-35 points in pure base stats and is therefore an easy purchase at price.
Jonah Pezet ($8,800) has once again been named to start at 6, but with Ryan Papenhuyzen looming on an extended bench, don’t select Pezet in your teams until either Papi is ruled out, or an hour before kick-off when final teams drop. If Pezet starts at 6, he is a very solid buy at the price. Pezet started at pivot last week, and whilst he didn’t put any attacking stats together, he was clearly the organising half on the field and playing far more like a halfback than five eighth. Pezet was the Storm’s number one kicking option, kicking for a massive 641 metres, which obviously helped his output. If he can manage to jag one or two attacking stats this week, a 50+ score is almost guaranteed.
NRL Friday Round 25: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Luke Garner ($12,440) has taken over the left edge role from Scott Sorensen, and despite Sorensen returning, Garner has continued playing the full 80 minutes. Has a solid work rate in the back row, and always looks likely to score a try, Garner is a great mid-priced pick up this week in my opinion. Garner has managed 8-line breaks and five tries this season, and in games where he plays 80 minutes has averaged 50.8 points per game. That makes him underpriced in my opinion, and with a nice upside and relatively high floor, Garner is the perfect mid-priced forward for this slate.
Tyran Wishart ($12,500) has been solid since being brought in for the injured Jahrome Hughes at halfback, averaging 52 points per game over the last four weeks. It’s his ceiling in those four weeks that has me excited, with Wishart pumping out 73.76 points two weeks ago against the Broncos in a relatively low scoring affair. He’s not exactly piling on the attacking stats either, with just one try, one line break, and three try assists in those four games, meaning these scores are replicable. With a high upside, and a decent floor, Wishart is the sort of half I’d be looking at if you want to fade Cleary, or simply smooth out your roster a bit more by leaving Cleary out.
NRL Friday Round 25: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Stefano Utoikamanu ($16,290) has been impressive over the past month of football, averaging a massive 64.3 points per game over his last four matchups. He’s managed this with just the one attacking stat, basing his scores off his workload and base power game, averaging 31 tackles, 143 running metres, 1.75 offloads, and 5.25 tackle breaks per game in that period. He has certainly taken over as the middle leader at the club, and I can see him pushing hard against a Bulldogs’ forward pack that has struggled to match their opponents aggression over the past month of football. Stefano has only one score under 30 all season, all the way back in round 13, so has a solid floor, and I believe you can pencil him in for a 50-75 type score, depending on attacking stats this week.
Dylan Edwards ($15,390) has continued his relentless end to the regular season, back to his absolute best since the Origin period. He has definitely upped his involvement this season in ball playing, with his try assist tally of 9 already a career high with three games remaining. Along with his increased involvement in attack, he still continues to churn through his running metres, breaking tackles for fun, and scoring tries at a solid enough clip. Has the second highest ceiling of anyone in this slate behind Cleary, and despite having an average floor of around 30, should be someone you’re looking at here for a decent price, considering the upside. If you’re looking to fade Cleary, Edwards can be the man to get you that 80+ score in my opinion.
Here's Our Suggested Draftstars Lineup for NRL Round 25 Friday
NRL Friday Round 25 Betting Markets
Panthers ($1.65) vs Raiders ($2.25)
Line: Panthers (-2.5)
Points: 40.5
Storm ($1.55) vs Bulldogs ($2.45)
Line: Storm (-5.5)
Points: 40.5
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!
