Casting an eye to Round 4, OTL take a look at three new additions to their NRL Fantasy Watchlist.

Grant’s 2019 ISC numbers were off the charts, with 14 tries, 21 try assists and an impressive work rate in defence resulting in 68 NRL Fantasy points per game.

The 21-year-old’s efforts did not go unnoticed, as he came away with the Intrust Super Cup Hooker of the Year award after leading his team to a minor premiership.

Even with this scintillating form, it was always going to be a near impossible task to dethrone Smith for that starting Hooker role.

As a result of searching for alternative opportunities to play at the top level, a historic loan swap deal was finalised after Round 2 which would see Grant join the Tigers and Momorovski head down to Melbourne for the remainder of the season.

Whilst Grant’s arrival will likely see the highly owned Billy Walters take a significant hit to his Fantasy stocks, Grant looks like a more than promising option at basement price to move on one of your cheaper assets such as Walters or JBT ahead of Round 3.

Given the urgency the Tigers have shown to push this loan-swap deal, we’re optimistic there’ll be big minutes on offer and he looks every bit a must-have.

Next, we turn our eyes to Connor Watson from the Newcastle Knights.

Some very unfortunate news has come out of Knights’ camp regarding an ACL injury suffered by their new number 9, Jayden Brailey against the West Tigers in Round 2.

With Levi now at the Manly Sea Eagles, we’re tipping the versatile Watson to resume the starting Hooker role that he filled for a number of games in the 2019 season.

Whilst he’s proven he isn’t quite NRL Fantasy relevant playing anywhere in the backline, Watson’s numbers at Hooker have him placed amongst the best in the position.

In the 7 games Watson started in the 9 jersey last year, the livewire utility averaged a tick under 60-points a game off the back of a solid base consisting of 42 tackles and 100 run metres per game.

And if the glimpse of form shown he showed in the 49 minutes at Hooker in Round 2 is anything to go by – Watson looked primed for another great run for NRL Fantasy coaches after coming away with 58 points (with a try).

A friendly break even of 41, combined with a $650k price tag and 0.6% ownership makes Watson very enticing for those looking for a potential cut-price keeper – or the ultimate draft pick-up if your opponents have switched off over the season suspension and he remains in the free agent pool.

We’ll wrap this Top 3 Watchlist Target video with Bulldogs favourite, Raymond Faitala-Mariner.

In 2018, Mariner caught the attention of NRL Fantasy coaches when he ended the season with a high 40s average and over $230k in price rises.

Unfortunately, Mariner has had a serious run of injuries since then which restricted him to just 10 appearances in 2019 – with half of these games starting from the interchange.

Adding to this horror injury-run, Mariner succumbed to a syndesmosis injury to his left ankle which sidelined him for two months during the 2020 pre-season, however he was able to return in time for the opening 2 Rounds.

During these two appearances, he played for a combined 49 minutes and returned 41 points – resulting in a PPM of point 8 4.

But where things get interesting for Mariner is the sudden absence of two key second row forward options in Cory Hawaira Naera and Joe Stimson.

Whilst CHN has had his contract terminated, Stimson also looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines following shoulder surgery.

Priced at $490k, Mariner could be some $150k plus undervalued should he win the race to secure the starting edge role over new-comer, Dean Britt.

As a result, Mariner is the newest addition to our watchlist as a potential replacement for Jack Williams who has severely underwhelmed in terms of NRL Fantasy after a fortnight of Footy.