Fantasy NRL: Raft of injuries make selections difficult

Gold Coast Titans forward Nate Myles was last week's top fantasy player and looks like a hugely valuable selection in your front row. Photo / Getty Images

Good news is there are plenty of opportunities to replace fallen stars.

With another round of Dream Team Fantasy NRL over, there's another host of high-profile injuries to worry about this weekend.

South Sydney star Issac Luke is currently owned by 22 per cent of our users and is now looking at two months on the sideline while Feleti Mateo and Josh Mansour will miss at least this coming round with their own injuries.

Another key player in serious doubt to play is Wests Tigers hooker Robbie Farah who is nursing a calf strain and may not be worth the risk of starting this weekend.

Despite these body blows being dealt to a huge number of our fantasy users, there is some respite with Andrew Fifita and Shaun Fensom returning from suspension. Both are top three options in their respective positions and can be plugged back into teams with confidence.

This week's matchups also offer plenty of opportunity to replace your injured stars.

Monday night's Titans vs Cowboys fixture is by far the most appealing game on offer to exploit.

The Titans are scoring the most fantasy points per game in the league while conceding the second-equal most points, with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys themselves are no mugs at scoring points, they're ranked third on that ladder.

So who can we target here?

The standout performer in the whole league is Titans half Albert Kelly ($256,000), who seems to find a runaway try in every match he plays.

He's cheap and in super form, so I see no reason not to start him again this week. Among his fellow teammates, Nate Myles ($257,000) was last week's top fantasy player and looks like a hugely valuable selection in your front row while Greg Bird ($226,000) may kick goals again this week to boost his solid value.

In the Cowboys, Johnathan Thurston ($328,000) is in tremendous form and their backline have consistently posted strong scores. Of these backs, Kyle Feldt ($191,000) stands out as a high-value option while Kane Linnett ($383,000) has been very solid. Jason Taumalolo ($199,000) was shut down well by the Warriors last week but could break out with a big game at any moment.

Outside of this fixture, the Tigers could provide some points against the Warriors while the Knights play the Sharks, who have conceded the most fantasy points per game of any team so far this year.

From these sides, I'm picking Dane Gagai ($314,000), Kurt Gidley ($321,000), Pat Richards ($128,000) and James Tedesco ($214,000) as your top pick-ups. Also keep tabs on Tupou Sopoaga ($144,000) at the Sharks who is posting big numbers in the absence of Paul Gallen.

Now, I can announce some exciting news regarding our Fantasy NRL game - we're offering the chance to compete against NRL legends Awen Guttenbeil, Steve Price and Richie Barnett plus Herald league expert Michael Brown. Just click on "The Experts Leaderboard" in the game navigation and opt in to the league to compare yourself each week to our experts.