Friday Night Football in Round 7 serves up another cracking two-game NRL Draftstars slate, with two very different contests offering two very different DFS puzzles. The early matchup sees the Melbourne Storm head to Canberra to take on a Raiders side that may have found their groove last week, winning a high scoring affair with the Rabbitohs. The Storm are desperate for a win, and from a fantasy perspective, that usually points us towards a tighter contest, so look for players who can stack base stats through tackles, run metres and repeat involvement, rather than relying solely on attacking upside. Hookers, middles and edge forwards should all be heavily involved here, particularly if the game settles into the grind many expect. With Melbourne looking to arrest a shaky patch of form and Canberra continuing to juggle roles within their forward pack, this contest offers several appealing value and mid-range pieces who can help you unlock the stars elsewhere.
The late game takes us to Darwin, where Penrith meet the Dolphins in what shapes as the more explosive fantasy environment of the two. The Panthers are still built around control, field position and defensive pressure, but the Dolphins have the sort of speed and attacking punch to turn this into a much more open game than the market may suggest. Penrith’s spine remains elite with Dylan Edwards and Nathan Cleary steering the ship, while Luke Garner again looms as one of the better cheap options after being named to start in the back row. On the Dolphins side, Jake Averillo, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Isaiya Katoa all bring legitimate Draftstars upside through a mix of metres, tackle busts and direct attacking involvement.
With only two games on the slate, roster construction becomes everything. This build is a fade of Nathan Cleary and his $23k-plus salary, purely because paying down from the best raw projection on the slate opens up far more flexibility across the rest of your squad. That said, I can’t deny anyone from jamming him in, because his control, kicking volume and raw ceiling are simply miles ahead of the field.
With multiple premium options and several key value plays emerging through role changes and early season form, lineup construction will be critical. Draftstars contests on offer include:
- NRL $6,000 – Raiders v Storm
- NRL $8,000 – Dolphins v Panthers
- NRL $3,000 – Friday Night doubleheader
NRL Daily Fantasy Lineup Tips: Round 7 Friday
NRL Friday Round 7: Our Value Fantasy Picks
Luke Garner ($8,940) is one of the best cheap plays on the slate because he is named to start on Penrith’s edge and has a very real path to 80 minutes at close to bottom dollar pricing. Garner’s value is built on defensive workload and line running, and against a Dolphins side that can generate plenty of traffic at edges through Katoa and Nikorima, the tackle count should be there even before you factor in attacking upside. Garner is priced based off his 30-odd minute bench roll that he has had for most of the season, so with a starting edge role sure to see 55+ minutes, this is a great buy to slot in as a FLX or cheap FWD3.
Morgan Smithies ($10,130) is another value play that makes a lot of sense even though he has been named on the bench, because he was used in a much bigger role last week and, produced his best score of the year through pure base stats. Wait for official late mail, as if Smithies remains on the bench to start, the value in this play isn’t there and you should look elsewhere, but Smithies could again end up with more work than his bench tag suggests. At this price, a high energy middle who can stack tackles and hit ups quickly is exactly the sort of player worth chasing on a short slate.
NRL Friday Round 7: Our Mid Price Fantasy Picks
Dylan Edwards ($13,170) remains one of the strongest mid-range fullback plays in the game because of how safely his fantasy points are built. He is named at fullback again for Penrith and consistently piles up run metres, support play touches, and often breaks tackles and pops offloads, which gives him a strong floor even before attacking stats arrive. Against the Dolphins in Darwin, where conditions can open games up and create more broken play opportunities, Edwards has every chance to push well beyond value through sheer involvement, and he always carries attacking statistic upside, with as close to as high a ceiling as anyone on the slate.
Jake Averillo ($13,330) looks like one of the better mid-priced OB options because he is still producing across multiple categories rather than relying purely on tries. He stays in the Dolphins centres this week and has already shown over the past few rounds that he can create attacking stats himself, with five tries and five-line breaks in his five games this season. This week, I expect the Dolphins to heavily target the Panthers’ left edge defence, with Izack Tago making his season debut in the centres on the left, which has already proven to be their weak edge this season. Averillo has a high ceiling, which is exactly the sort of mid-priced OB you need in your squads.
NRL Friday Round 7: Our Premium Fantasy Picks
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki ($15,570) is a premium forward worth paying for because his role is stable, his motor is huge, and his fantasy game is not overly reliant on attacking stats. He is named to start in the second row again for the Dolphins, and that role gives him access to both strong base through tackles and carries, plus upside through tackle busts and close-range line running. Finefeuiaki has already shown this year that he can find the try line as well, and against Penrith he should be asked to do plenty of defensive work while still getting his chances on attacking shifts down the edge.
Isaiya Katoa ($16,210) is not the premium playmaker ceiling option on the slate but is one of the most appealing spend-ups if you’re fading Cleary. He is again named at halfback for the Dolphins and remains the key to almost everything they create through shape, kicking game and direct attacking involvements. Even in a difficult matchup, Katoa can get there through a combination of attacking stats, kicking metres and game control, and if the Dolphins are able to challenge Penrith at all, there is a strong chance he is directly involved in most of the points. On a slate where many lineups will jam Cleary, Katoa makes plenty of sense as the premium pivot with real 60+ upside. Has looked great in his two games against his former team, which doesn’t hurt.
Suggested NRL Friday Draftstars Lineup
NRL Round 7 Friday Match Info & Betting Odds
Raiders ($2.10) vs Storm ($1.74)
Line: Storm (-1.5)
Points: 48.5
Dolphins ($4.50) vs Panthers ($1.20)
Line: Panthers (-14.5)
Points: 52.5
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!
