Fantasy NRL wraps: Burgess takes fantasy honours

Sam Burgess had 65 fantasy points against the Broncos. Photo / Getty Images

Rabbitohs enforcer Sam Burgess took out fantasy honours in Round 8 while Benji Marshall's return from injury flopped spectacularly.

Broncos 12 Rabbitohs 26
The star: Sam Burgess (65pts) - 40 tackles and over 170m gained handed the big Brit his biggest fantasy score of the season.
The dud: Josh Hoffman (11pts) - his second game in a row with no tries scored and his second-lowest yardage total of the season came in this fixture. He plays the Eels next week so he's set to bounce back fast.
Value pick: George Burgess (45pts) - as a 130k front rower Burgess is a solid option every week for your team.

Bulldogs 40 Wests Tigers 4
The star: Michael Ennis (57pts) - this is his second week in a row as the star of his fixture. He's on fire right now.
The dud: Benji Marshall (4pts) - players who inserted Marshall back into their lineups as he returned from injury were made to rue that choice on Friday night. He's admitted his form is terrible so keep him out of your lineups until he gets some confidence back.
Value pick: Josh Jackson (43pts) - the Bulldogs second rower had his best offensive game of the season in their romp over the Tigers and it paid off for owners who invested 206k into him.

Storm 20 Raiders 24
The star: Shaun Fensom (64pts) - he's an incredibly consistent fantasy performer - this second rower has broken the 40-point mark every match since Round 2 and any time Cam Smith gets outshone it's worth mentioning.
The dud: Gareth Widdop (18pts) - he's been pretty decent at his position so far this season but was simply shut down by the Raiders. He'll bounce back.
Value pick: Brett White (43pts) - he's got to be one of the only players in our game to crack the 40-point mark and be valued at under 100k. He's a great front row bench addition to your team.

Eels 10 Cowboys 14
The star: Tim Mannah (52pts) - Mannah racked up a season-high tackle count in this tough loss to the Cowboys. He's a consistent option in the front row.
The dud: Matt Bowen (11pts) - like other high-profile real life fullbacks (Ben Barba, Kevin Locke) in this competition, his fantasy value is minimal. This wasn't even his worst fantasy total of the season. Avoid.
Value pick: Tarig Sims (47pts) - after a slow start to the season this low-cost 'bench option' has become more of a real fantasy option the past few weeks. This was his best total of the season. Hopefully the upward trend continues for owners of this 125k second rower.

Warriors 25 Titans 24
The star: Feleti Mateo (57pts) - he finally turned up. Against the Titans he posted season-bests in tackles, metres gained, line breaks and he scored his first try. Mateo is tagged as one of those players that constantly teases with his potential because of games like this. Hopefully this time the tease follows through.
The dud: William Zillman (14pts) - owners who looked at Zillman's great historical record against the Warriors were left disappointed on Sunday. The weather was the likely cause of his troubles though as both sides kept it relatively tight in windy, wet conditions.
Value pick: Todd Lowrie (43pts) - he's the value pick of almost every fixture he plays. At 122k it's hard to go wrong with him in your squad.

Knights 20 Sharks 21
The star: Andrew Fifita (57pts) - a mammoth effort on offense lifted Fifita's total this week, over 200m on the ground easily his season-best.
The dud: Paul Gallen (7pts) - Gallen left the game early in this one, hence his unusually low total. He's going to miss Round 9 but will likely be back soon after.
Value pick: Anthony Tupou (39pts) - at 153k he's a half-decent bench player but not much more. This week he played well above his season average thanks to Paul Gallen's injury. He'll likely receive more minutes in Round 9 as well, so add him to your bench if you need a cheap second rower.

Roosters 30 Panthers 6
The star: Jake Friend (58pts) - Friend had his best yardage game of the season in this one and he scored a try to top off the strong effort.
The dud: Luke Walsh (12pts) - the Panthers halfback had his worst fantasy game of the season but it was probably to be expected against the Roosters. There's a lesson there.
Value pick: Sonny Bill Williams (49pts) - I never thought I'd have SBW in a good value column as usually the superstars of the NRL come with a hefty price tag. For whatever reason, he doesn't, and at 132k he's a great option in the second row. This game saw him post his best metres-gained of the season.

Dragons 18 Sea Eagles 24
The stars: Mitch Rein (57pts) - Rein had some legs in this match, running for his best highest yardage of the season and added 47 tackles for good measure.
The dud: Brett Stewart (7pts) - he left the game with a hip injury to strike a blow to his owners. He's been named for the Sea Eagles for Round 9 but you'd be wise to check again on Friday for an injury update.
Value pick: Justin Horo (37pts) - another player with season-best yardage this week. He's a solid option in the second row at 251k but it wasn't a game that showcased any truly budget-talent.

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