Fantasy NRL: Smith with final swansong

The Knights eliminated the Storm and star performer of the fantasy NRL season Cameron Smith. Photo / Getty

Round 28 of NZ Herald Fantasy NRL saw owners say goodbye to the undoubted star of the competition, Cameron Smith - though not without one last swansong.

Sea Eagles 24 Sharks 18

The star: Matt Ballin (54pts) - Manly's tackle machine returned to prominence this week after failing to crack the 50-point mark in his past four appearances. He's been a fantasy asset all year long.

The dud: Luke Lewis (23pts) - His move to five eighth for this match resulted in his lowest fantasy score of the season. Hopefully you kept a good eye on the team lists before setting you squad.

Value pick: Brenton Lawrence (35pts) - The strong-running Manly prop is one of the cheapest in their squad at $263k and is a solid option for you if you believe his side will progress past this weekend.

Storm 16 Knights 18

The star: Cameron Smith (68pts) - Most owners will be saying goodbye to their star captain this week despite another huge performance. Smith's loss from the competition provides the fantasy world a whole lot of questions over who to select as their squad's captain going forward.

The dud: Billy Slater (16pts) - Slater had only posted a lower fantasy score than this twice before in 2013 and looked to be battling injury throughout the second half.

Value pick: Alex McKinnon (43pts) - Playing in the scarce position of lock, McKinnon posted his highest fantasy score of the year and could be a nice, cheap option there this weekend if he keeps up this form.