Draft Breakdown: Waiver-wire + trade targets, Rd 14

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Every week I will be looking at players still available in 65% of leagues. There may be better options still available in your league, but this article will be focusing on the players that are likely to be available in most leagues.

If you have Origin players this week make sure you have backups as there will be a number of Origin stars that are named but are late withdrawals.

NRL teams will be able to name extended benches and there could be some last minute reshuffles.

This also means there are opportunities for other players if these Origin players don’t back up.

Let’s have a look at the options this week.

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WAIVER OPTIONS

Benji Marshall (HFB/5-8)

Marshall could benefit if Souths rest Latrell any games over the Origin period, particularly with the great draw they have coming up playing the Knights, Broncos Tigers and Cowboys.

In the five games he has played 80 minutes this year, he is averaging 67PPG and he could average well above that with the opposition he faces and threats he has outside him.

Murray Taulagi (CTW)

Taulagi is averaging a modest 56PPG for the year but has looked great recently with the Cowboys recent form and left-hand dominance outside Drinkwater and Holmes.

He has a 3RA of 76PPG and 5RA of 70PPG helped by a monster 145 score against Newcastle.

His base stats are pretty average, but he will always see plenty of attacking opportunities on the left and plays Manly, Sharks and Knights in the next three games.

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Karl Lawton (HOK/2RF)

Lawton is filling in at left back-row whilst Foran’s injury causes a reshuffle to Manly’s side.

He is averaging 74PPG so far and looks very handy after a long break due to injury and also is providing decent base stats.

Manly play the Cowboys, Titans, Bulldogs and Raiders who could all provide great opportunities for Lawton, especially if Turbo backs up.

Waqa Blake (CTW)

Blake scored 106 points against the Knights on the weekend and looked hungry.

His defence is horrible, but he is a decent play in deeper leagues against the Tigers and Bulldogs in the upcoming weeks.

The Fergo dropping and the shift to the left hand side has ignited Blake as he was looking for the ball on the weekend and getting through the hard work.

If he keeps up the base stats he won’t be so at risk of producing the single digit scores he has in the past.

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TRADE TARGETS

These are the under or overperforming players you may be able to pick up in a trade cheaply, or sell while peaking in SuperCoach form.

Joseph Manu (CTW)

Since Keary has been injured and Sam Walker has come into the halves, Manu has produced some poor scores with limited attacking opportunities.

There are rumours that he will shift into the halves after a great performance against the Raiders where he scored 82 points and looked like a huge threat every time he touched the ball.

At the very least he will play fullback whilst Teddy is on Origin duties and Robbo has acknowledged he wants him to roam more.

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Jack Bird (2RF/CTW)

Bird shifted into the second-row against a weak Broncos side and didn’t look out of place.

Obviously the Dragons have a lot of troops to come back into the side that will likely shift Bird back to the centres, but Griffin was really impressed with his efforts after the game and the lines he ran.

Don’t trade the world for him but he will still be a decent option at centre if the second-row experiment doesn’t work out, and if it does work out you have a great reliable CTW that will have a floor of 45 points.