Draftstars preview: Bulldogs v Roosters

Draftstars is back for Round 5 of the NRL and with it comes the chance to back your fantasy knowledge to win some cash.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, you can enter competitions for each game for as little as $2.

You pick a squad for that game and watch the points roll in, as per an NRL SuperCoach clash.

It’s important to note however that the scoring system does differ from SuperCoach, we’ve attached the points system at the bottom of the page.

The main differences to note are that there’s a greater emphasis on players with a high workrate, while attacking players aren’t rewarded as significantly.

Tacklebreaks are worth three points, while missed tackles are worth negative two. Kick metres are also included, so targeting dominant long-range kickers in sides is often a strong move.

On that note, let’s look into today’s fixture.

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BULLDOGS v ROOSTERS

OVERVIEW

This clash looks to be a very one-sided affair on paper and I can’t see it not unfolding as the bookies see it. The new rules appear to suit the better sides, with momentum near impossible to slow down with the six again call in place. I think the Roosters could win by a hefty margin and hence will be going hard on their attacking players.

GUNS

James Tedesco

You’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t have Teddy for this one. At $16k I think he gets in reasonably affordable for the numbers he’s expected to produce. He’s fresh after missing last week’s clash and will be in everything.

STARS TO AVOID

Victor Radley

There aren’t too many stars to avoid to be honest as all Roosters players have attacking upside in the encounter, while Canterbury and filled with gun fantasy players as such. At Almost $15k I’m happy to leave Radley out in the hope he doesn’t add any attacking stats to his workrate, and he also may get an early shower if the Roosters get out to a lead.

VALUE

Luke Keary

Keary is relishing being the dominant half and has been tremendous since the competition resumed. Like Teddy, he’ll feature heavily in all attacking raids and could go big here. At just $11,660 he looks a good call, while Kyle Flanagan is another option at $13,300 as he should amass plenty of conversions.

Daniel Tupou

The Roosters are strongest on their left edge, and Tupou reaps the rewards on the end of the backline. Along with his obvious try-scoring potential, his workload with ball in hand has been solid in 2020 too. At $9,270 he looks a great prospect.

Raymond Faitala-Mariner

RFM has returned to an 80 minute edge role recently and looks undervalued at $8,940 as a result.

Will Hopoate

Hopoate offers so much more at fullback rather than centre and is a far superior Draftstars player as a result. Attacking stats will be very low against the Roosters, but he should still have onwards of 25 runs and will score well at $10,580.

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COMBINATIONS

James Tedesco and Daniel Tupou

It’s hard to go past these two. I can see Bulldogs defenders being gassed and caught tight around the ruck, leaving big overlaps on either edge at different stages. Tedesco sweeping out wide to an unmarked Tupou could happening on various occasions.

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Stat	Points value
Try	8
Try-assist	5
Field goal	5
Linebreak	4
Tackle break	3
Goal	2
Linebreak assist	2
Offload	2
Tackle	1
Run metre gained	0.1
Kick metre gained	0.05
Error	-2
Missed tackle	0.05

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