Fantasy NRL: Injuries strike fantasy stars

Elijah Taylor of the Panthers receives attention for an injury during the round 21 NRL match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Penrith Panthers. Photo / Getty Images.

Three of the biggest fantasy stars of 2014 so far will not be seen again this season after suffering injuries last weekend. Dr Stats looks at how to go about filling those holes before the latest round of Dream Team Fantasy NRL begins.

Two of the top five fantasy back-rowers, the no.3 front rower, the no.1 half and the no.5 back all suffered injuries in Round 21 to throw chaos into the ranks of fantasy coaches.

Three of those players are lost for the season - Shaun Fensom, Wade Graham and Elijah Taylor - and will leave huge holes to fill in many a fantasy squad.

Obviously, those three players can be dropped from all squads while Jake Friend, and Konrad Hurrell can, as a minimum, be benched as both are expected to miss multiple weeks.

With the loss of Fensom and Taylor, the fantasy back-row stocks have been significantly reduced so let's look at who your best replacements are in that position.

Paul Gallen ($261,000)
With Fensom done for the season, meet your new number one fantasy option in the back row. He's back from injury this weekend and is a must-own. BUY

Boyd Cordner ($327,000)
Cordner is in the midst of a break out season for the Roosters who play the leaky Titans on Monday night. BUY

Simon Mannering ($296,000)
The Warriors captain has been a top three back row option all season and faces the Sharks this weekend in a juicy matchup. BUY

Tariq Sims ($225,000)
On a budget? Sims is your man and the best bang for your buck in his position so far this year. BUY

The loss of Wade Graham in the halves makes the position much more of a lottery to predict. Graham was an every-week 40-point machine while many of his possible replacements are much more erratic beasts.

Given that, I'm opting for a match-up based strategy for this position and this week your best bets are James Maloney ($417,000) against the Titans and Chad Townsend ($200,000) against the Sharks. Curtis Sironen ($212,000) is also a sneaky play against the Cowboys.

In other team news - Sam Burgess is again in doubt to take the field for the Rabbitohs against the Sea Eagles so I'd recommend keeping him benched for now.

If you're looking for front rowers to fill his spot there are a number that are flying under the radar due to injury and Origin comitments. Robbie Farah ($334,000) and Andrew Fifita ($397,000) are both great buys this weekend while Trent Merrin ($231,000) is also looking close to full fitness for the Dragons and is a nice cheap option.

Top pick:
Paul Gallen, Sharks

Value pick:
Chad Townsend, Warriors

On the bench:
Shaun Fensom, Raiders (out for season)
Jake Friend, Roosters (out 3-6 weeks)
Wade Graham, Sharks (out for season)
Elijah Taylor, Panthers (out for season)
Konrad Hurrell, Warriors (out 2-3 weeks)
Shaun Johnson, Warriors (out 1-2 weeks)
Justin Hodges, Broncos (out 2 weeks)
Chase Stanley, Bulldogs (out indefinitely)
Reece Robinson, Raiders (out 3 weeks)
Luke Lewis, Sharks (out for season)
Sam Burgess, Rabbitohs (in doubt to play)