Captain’s Challenge: Skipper options to target

• FINAL WORD: Round 6 trade and tactical advice
• CHAMPION PODS: Unique players to find you an edge

Last week I went with the POD option of bringing in Latrell to captain him.

I was pretty happy with the choice until Teddy went ballistic and now I’m just another one of the tragics that didn’t have Teddy.

This week the high ceiling options aren’t as obvious with the usual suspects having some tough matchups.

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Safety first

Payne Haas (FRF)

Expect a standard 80 points as per usual from the big fella.

Newcastle are unlikely to give up anything more than that.

Jason Taumalolo (2RF)

Lolo returned last week for a handy 86 points in only 62 minutes.

He got a lot of his points last week through an increase in tackles.

The bone bruising is a slight concern, but more concerning was the Tigers efforts in defence last week.

There is never a wrong moment to captain Lolo, but not for me this week.

Cameron McInnes (HOK)

McInnes is likely to be a captaincy option all year, averaging 94PPG with 73BPG.

The move to lock means he is adding more work in the form of hit-ups, on top of the bucket load of tackles he makes.

He was able to jag a try last week and there is every chance he could get another one against the Titans.

He is one of the clear choices for the armband this week.

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Cameron Smith (HOK)

Smith put on a massive 115 points last week and has not scored under 70 all year.

Smith only averages 67PPG against the Panthers and the last three games he has only averaged 56PPG.

However, Smith is a big game player and is still owned by under 13% of players so he’s worth a look.

Damien Cook (HOK)

Cook’s scores have definitely improved since the COVID-19 break, but I haven’t seen anything yet for him to warrant wearing the captain’s armband.

Having said that, he won’t score anything less than 50 and the Warriors could let in some points.

Last year he played the Warriors twice for scores of 115 and 57.

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Risk it for the biscuit

Kalyn Ponga (FLB)

After a massive 159 point game against the Raiders two weeks ago, Ponga followed it up with 67 points against the Storm.

Ponga still looked dangerous, nearly scoring at one point and blowing a try-assist late in the game.

Ponga has only played one game against the Broncos in his career, scoring 69 points.

Lachlan Fitzgibbon returns as the Knight’s left back-rower this week.

Fitzy is Ponga’s original partner in crime and watch out for the short pass to him this week.

He’s a great option for those that own him and I believe he is the clear high ceiling choice.

James Tedesco (FLB)

Can he really go big again after last week? Most definitely.

Last year he was able to put 133 points on the Eels and 180 points in 2018.

The Eels are a very different team defensively this year, conceding the least amount of SuperCoach points across a number of categories including fullback.

However, Teddy is Teddy and he looks more involved than ever at the Roosters.

Tom Trbojevic (FLB)

Turbo is a tough one this week against the Raiders.

Last year the Raiders did a great job on him, only allowing him to score 23 points.

However, the Raiders did allow Ponga to get 159 points against them and Turbo can go big against anyone.

The Raiders should be right up for this one as they have developed a bit of a rivalry and have a tight recent history of contests with Manly.

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Cameron Munster (5/8)

Munster is coming off a below average 48 points against the Knights

He hasn’t scored well in the past against the Panthers but will crack the century randomly against someone.

If you have a gut feel on him, back him.

Latrell Mitchell (CTW/FLB)

Latrell had a great game last week, but the question is can he be consistent throughout the rest of the year? I think he can.

He was involved in everything last week, albeit against the Titans.

His current level of enthusiasm in games should drive him to post a decent score against the Warriors who can leak easy points.

Cody Walker (5/8)

Cody is one for the risk takers scoring a handy 70 points against the Titans in his return from suspension.

He didn’t really do a lot last week for the 70, apart from the one try-assist.

He scores better against the Warriors than anyone else with an 84PPG average, helped by the massive 150 points he put on them last year.

These rules should really suit his game and this could be the round for him.

Consensus

Despite falling behind the rankings last week, I think I will be a bit boring this week.

Cameron McInnes won’t let me down against the Titans and I could see him being one of the highest scoring captains for the round.

Last week it was Teddy if I owned him and this week I would captain Ponga, I hope I can get these blokes in one day soon.