Captain’s Challenge: Round 9 skipper options

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

Last week we saw a few popular captain options in Ponga, Cleary and even Matterson produce disappointing scores.

Teddy proved he is the best captain option each week no matter the opposition.

Let’s check out the options for Round 9.

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Safety first

James Tedesco (FLB)

Teddy is a no brainer this week against the Cowboys and will be the most popular captain choice with good reason.

He scored 108 last week against the Storm with no tries or try-assists and in a game filled with errors.

The game will be played in Townsville and should be a dry track with showers clearing at midday.

Teddy’s biggest score against the Cowboys is 82 points and I’ll eat my hat if he doesn’t beat it.

Angus Crichton (2RF)

Crichton has great base with great attacking upside and is currently the highest averaging forward in the game.

It looks like Crichton will be playing on the Roosters left edge this week for Cordner, the same edge where the Roosters send most of their attack.

It’s interesting to note that Crichton has been pushing into the middle in defence to give his props a rest and significantly increasing his tackle count.

At under 7% ownership before this week, he will be a good POD captain.

Payne Haas (FRF)

After a few disappointing weeks, Haas pumped out a 90 last week against the Warriors

It should be noted he didn’t play the full 80 minutes, with Seibold again spelling despite the game being on the line.

He isn’t going to let you down drastically, but the reduced minutes is slightly concerning.

NEXT BEST: Taumalolo, Grant

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Risk it for the biscuit

Nathan Cleary (HFB)

Cleary is becoming harder to predict but I like him a lot this week against the Sharks.

The Sharks have been playing well recently but they still aren’t the most defensively sound side.

Without Moylan, the Sharks could fall back into another form slump.

Cleary’s average against the Sharks is 73PPG and he put 139 points on them at the back end of last year.

The Saturday day game benefits the high ceiling captain options, however the forecasted showers might affect how expansive Cleary plays. 

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck  (FLB)

RTS isn’t exactly setting the world on fire in 2020, averaging 46PPG.

However, I really liked what I saw against the Storm scoring a decent 69 points which could have been even larger if his teammates could catch.

Todd Payten’s new game plan may see him becoming more involved in the Warriors attack.

RTS lines up against the Titans this week who are leaking points across the field and who also give up the second most SuperCoach points to fullbacks.

This is a big risk given the form of RTS, but you may need it if you want to make ground.

NEXT BEST: Walker, Nofoaluma

Consensus

Straight up captain Teddy is by far the best approach this week. Don’t bother with the VC, Teddy has proven his floor is extremely high and you don’t need the nightmares of a potential AE.

If you don’t have Teddy, look at Cleary or Crichton and may God have mercy on your soul.

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