Fantasy NRL wrap: Thompson emerges as elite replacement

Cowboys five eighth Ray Thompson emerged as the elite replacement for John Sutton in Round 22 of Fantasy NRL action. Photo / Getty Images.

Cowboys five eighth Ray Thompson emerged as the elite replacement for John Sutton in Round 22 of Fantasy NRL action.

Eels 26 Tigers 22
The star: Matt Keating (65pts) - I mentioned him in last week's wrap as the diamond in the Eels squad and this week he proved me right with his biggest score of the season.
The dud: Benji Marshall (16pts) - If you thought Benji Marshall was the answer to the loss of John Sutton at five eighth then you were decidedly wrong. Marshall has struggled in his past five appearances - you should look elsewhere.
Value pick: Mitchell Allgood (42pts) - His points tally came at a price of $103k so props to those who picked him up, just don't count on this kind of production every week.

Storm 26 Rabbitohs 8
The star: Cameron Smith (65pts) - No explanation needed really, he is Captain Fantasy.
The dud: Bryson Goodwin (13pts) - Another example of why you should bench your backs against the Melbourne Storm as this was never going to be a great week for Goodwin.
Value pick: Tohu Harris (41pts) - He's one of the cheapest fantasy options, that averages over 40 points per game, in the second row.

Roosters 28 Raiders 22
The star: Shaun Fensom (56pts) - Despite being on a losing side, Fensom starred once again. However, this performance came at a cost with a broken thumb now looking like forcing him out of action for a number of weeks.
The dud: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (18pts) - This performance was predictable, why? His move to fullback may be good for his real life prospects, but not for fantasy purposes as the fullback position generally struggles to produce fantasy points compared to others in the backline.
Value pick: Michael Jennings (38pts) - He's not only the best value pick in this game, but the best value back in the competition. With a juicy matchup with the Tigers in the upcoming round, act accordingly.

Sharks 14 Knights 18
The star: Kade Snowden (57pts) - Snowden's best fantasy game of the season coincided with his highest tackle count of the season - by 11 tackles too. His score would have been higher if he hadn't also missed 9 tackles.
The dud: Chris Heighington (19pts) - He's been a great, cheap option in the second row all season and this was his worst fantasy score of 2013. I'll bet he'll bounce back.
Value pick: Jarrod Mullen (29pts) - Mullen outshone Todd Carney and rewarded smart owners who picked him up following the loss of John Sutton

Sea Eagles 27 Warriors 12
The star: David Williams (62pts) - Williams has really struggled in past match ups with Manu Vatuvei but he turned things around in a big way this week with three tries, three line breaks and 232 metres-gained. Manly are in fire right now and Williams is a great bet to match that form.
The dud: Steve Matai (15pts) - About the only Manly star player who suffered in this game was Matai - largely at the hands of Konrad Hurrell who ran over him a number of times and forced five missed tackles. He'll recover.
Value pick: Jamie Buhrer (39pts) - After a mid-season fantasy slump, Buhrer has averaged over 43 points per game in his past seven appearances. Keep him on your second-row radar.

Broncos 26 Dragons 24
The star: Andrew McCullough (66pts) - He's an elite every-week fantasy starter and when he adds a try to his usual counting numbers he's an absolute beast. Buy.
The dud: Justin Hodges (9pts) - Hodges ruptured his Achilles during the match and will miss the rest of the season. Set your squads accordingly.
Value pick: Leeson Ah Mau (47pts) - This came out of nowhere as Ah Mau was averaging 23 points per game coming into this week. I'm not counting on a repeat any time soon.

Panthers 4 Cowboys 36
The star: Ray Thompson (68pts) - Well done to those who went with Thompson as their Sutton-replacement this week. He hadn't scored a try all year before the three in this game. Sutton returns to the Rabbitohs this coming round but Thompson is still a strong option if your transfers are limited.
The dud: Dean Whare (21pts) - Yes, I know he's cheap as chips, but you can do better than Whare for your squad as he's struggled mightily over the past three rounds.
Value pick: Joel Reithmuller (47pts) - He's averaging 40 points per game and costs $118k - another bargain to be found in the second-row stocks.

Bulldogs 16 Titans 26
The stars: James Graham (57pts) - Graham put up a season-best tally of tackles in this game and has averaged 48 points per game - good enough to be inside the top 10 front rowers. Keep him in mind as the season progresses.
The dud: Josh Morris (15pts) - His four-game try-scoring streak came to an end in this one and he isn't a great option for you at $465k.
Value pick: Ryan James (44pts) - That's two 40+ fantasy games in a row from James after struggling for some time. He's doing his damage with the ball in hand all of a sudden and if he keeps it up he'll be back on my radar for a bench front rower.

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