A wrap-up of the most popular player movements ahead of Round 18 of the NRL Fantasy season.

Who’s Hot

Payne Haas | $683k

No surprise to see Payne Haas as the most traded-in player of Round 18.

He’s dropped a whopping $284k so far this season, and looks to have found himself in an ideal situation for his Fantasy output as a result of the departure of Matt Lodge.

While it is ambitious to expect numbers out of Haas that would rival his 2019 output, I agree with the field here and think he’s an exceptional pickup for the run-home with a break even of 40 this week.

Isaiah Papali’i | $767k

Papali’i is up next, and for good reason.

If you have an additional $84k to spend — it might be worth splashing out on Papali’i with the added bonus of the dual positioning and upside playing 80 minutes (or close to) on an edge.

While Papali’i did fall away between Round 10 and 13 with a mid forties average across this stretch, the tackle busts have returned and he now boasts a 3 Round average of 82.7.

If you’re picking him up this week, you’d have to give him some close consideration for the captaincy on recent form.

Reed Mahoney | $661k

Number three on the list is Eels Hooker, Reed Mahoney.

Mahoney is returning from a shoulder injury suffered in Round 13, and owners will be hoping he can replicate his early form — where he averaged 71 points over the opening two months.

An injury-affected Round 9 performance and just the one 80-minute game across his last four starts has resulted in his current price-point of nearly $200k below his peak back in Round 5.

There’s always a risk involved picking up a player in their return-game from injury, but with a break even of 50 and no Lussick on the bench — I can certainly understand the appeal.

David Fifita | $858k

Following Reed Mahoney on the ‘Who’s Hot’ list this week is David Fifita.

There’s only a few ‘must-have’ players in this game we play, but Fifita is certainly one of them.

The price-point makes it difficult for coaches looking to bring him back in after selling ahead of Round 10 — but if you have the means, I’d be locking him in.

I spoke about Papali’i being a great captaincy option earlier, but Fifita is on top for captaincy in my opinion with a floor of 48 and a ceiling of 107 this year.

Ben Hunt | $763k

Coming off an amazing Origin performance, we have Ben Hunt rounding out the ‘Who’s Hot’ list this week.

I spoke about Hunt in detail in the Q+A pod yesterday, so make sure you check that one out as well — but for anyone considering Koroisau and Mahoney this week that has additional cash spend, Hunt has to come into consideration.

He’s cracked the 70 point barrier in 50% of his games this year, which is pretty remarkable.

The only down-side to Hunt is the fact that Corey Norman steals a significant amount of his base from kicking, but this isn’t enough to keep him out of the elite tier for Fantasy.

As with any player backing up from Origin, I’d be keeping a close eye on late mail as he was incredibly busy playing the full 80-minutes at dummy half for the Maroons.

Who’s Not

Tohu Harris | $766k

The most sold player this week is Fantasy gun, Tohu Harris.

I’m expecting the data on this change, and if it doesn’t — it probably should.

Harris has been named on the extended bench this week, in what is a good sign for him return within the low-end of the originally estimated 2-4 weeks out.

There’s been plenty of discussions in Fantasy circles about the likelihood of him requiring pain killing injections and the impact this could have on his Fantasy scores, but with his pedigree — I think there’s a strong argument to hold onto him and see how he goes — especially for those with 4 to 6 trades remaining.

Nathan Cleary | $1.21m

The same can be said for the second-most sold player on the list this week in Fantasy GOAT, Nathan Cleary.

Panthers physio Pete Green provided an update during the week on Nathan’s rehab, and mentioned he is progressing well with strength and range of movement goals.

The casualty ward also has him pencilled in for a return as soon as Round 20.

If you’ve held to this point, I think you find a way to carry him through two more Rounds given the upside he provides your team for the final 6 weeks as captain.

Jayden Brailey | $599k

Brailey is up next, and unfortunately we didn’t see the bounce owners were hoping to see with the return of Pearce and Ponga – at least not immediately.

Brailey was moved on from my squad last week, and I can’t talk any sellers out of doing the same.

Unfortunately, he’s a long way from his early-season form and I think an extra $80k up to Payne Haas this week looks like money well spent.

Number 4 and 5 on the list in Bailey Simmonsson and Joey Lussick are self-explanatory.

Simmonsson is out until Round 23, and the return of Mahoney has pushed Lussick to an extended bench, and it’s time to move them both on.