FULLBACK
JAMES TEDESCO
WFB $777K (53 BE)
Teddy is a must have staple in any final team, but as a rule we know that the Roosters almost always start slow. That said, new hooker Brandon Smith only knows one speed – and it isn’t slow. It will be interesting to see how the Roosters change with their new addition, as there is potential for a very exciting brand of footy.
PROJECTION: 52-57 PPG
WINGER
JAXSON PAULO
CTR/WFB $395K (27 BE)
Playing outside Manu on the right wing should yield fantasy success for Paulo, but probably not enough to warrant selection.
PROJECTION: 27-32 PPG
CENTRE
JOSEPH MANU
CTR/WFB $730K (50 BE)
At the time of writing, Manu is in 16%+ of teams, which feels ridiculous. Manu has only averaged over 40 in his career at centre once, last year – where he averaged 47. He starts the year at a 50 average – make the ownership make sense.
PROJECTION: 45-49 PPG
CENTRE
JOSEPH SUAALI’I
WFB/(CTR?) $498K (34 BE)
Without the #1 on his back, it is hard to see Suaali’i reaching much higher than last season in his fantasy relevance. His stats in the centres to date are dreadful, so he would need a big step up to even preserve his average from 2022.
PROJECTION: 36-38 PPG
WINGER
DANIEL TUPOU
WFB $509K (35 BE)
An elite NRL winger, but more or less a mid 30s factory from a Fantasy perspective.
PROJECTION: 34-38 PPG
FIVE-EIGHTH
LUKE KEARY
HFL $567K (39 BE)
The rise of Sam Walker follows the fall of Luke Keary, who finished last season with an inconsistent display after losing about half his kicking base.
PROJECTION: 37-42 PPG
HALFBACK
SAM WALKER
HLF $638K (45 BE)
Walker finished the 2022 season on fire, averaging 51.3 from his last 9 performances. With the addition of attacking spark Brandon Smith, we could see that rise even further as the Roosters surge to the top of the ladder. Will it be enough to drag him out of “trap” status?
PROJECTION: 45-50 PPG
PROP
JARED WAEREA-HARGREAVES
MID $479K (34 BE)
At this stage in his career, Jared likely has nothing to offer the fantasy community.
PROJECTION: 31-36 PPG
PROP
LINDSAY COLLINS
MID $536K (38 BE)
Collins showed us a false flag in 2021, averaging 52.6 in 5 games before injuring his ACL. The other 23 appearances across the 2020-22 span show a consistent average in the low 40s, which is where we need to project Collins.
PROJECTION: 40-44 PPG
LOCK
VICTOR RADLEY
MID $576K (40 BE)
Look, at this point, just don’t do it to yourself.
PROJECTION: 44-49 PPG
EDGE
NAT BUTCHER
MID/EDG $691K (47 BE)
Coming off a huge breakout in 2022, Butcher looks set to cement the edge role opposite Crichton and be a borderline gun, with Tupouniua reverting to an impact middle forward coming off his ACL injury.
PROJECTION: 50-55 PPG
EDGE
EGAN BUTCHER
EDG $561K (38 BE)
With Angus Crichton missing in the early rounds, the Butcher Brothers look to team up on the Roosters edges. Egan has a very limited sample size on the edge due to his young age and role off the bench, but signs are good for him to grow into a quality player and a strong scorer.
PROJECTION: 45-50 PPG
HOOKER
BRANDON SMITH
HOK/MID $585K (40 BE)
Finally, the man himself Brandon Smith, who will probably be the single biggest impact to a team from 2022-23 (with all due respect to Tigers signings). Smith looks set to finally earn that big minute hooker role (not 80 minute), and bring his attacking flair to a team that can capitalise to devastating effect if it all clicks.
PROJECTION: 48-53 PPG
THE BENCH
PROP
MATT LODGE
CURRENTLY TRAIN AND TRIAL!
Assume it is only a matter of time until this deal gets done, at which point we re-evaluate.
PROJECTION: 32-37 PPG
PROP
FLETCHER BAKER
MID $365K (25 BE)
Too many minutes in this pack for Baker to have any fantasy value.
PROJECTION: 22-26 PPG
UTILITY
JAKE TURPIN
HOK/HLF $391K (27 BE)
An impact role off the bench is not what we are looking for in a fantasy option.
PROJECTION: 10-15 PPG
ON THE BENCH DUE TO INJURY OR SUSPENSION
EDGE
ANGUS CRICHTON
EDG $798K (56 BE)
Definitely a gun forward, but limited to no value to start the year – look to pick him up towards the end of the year.
PROJECTION: 55-60 PPG
FORWARD AVERAGE MINUTES PROJECTIONS
| PLAYER | MID | EDG | HOK |
| RADLEY | 65 | ||
| COLLINS | 50 | ||
| WAEREA-HARGREAVES | 40 | ||
| BUTCHER | 80 | ||
| BUTCHER | 80 | ||
| SMITH | 65 | ||
| LODGE | 40 | ||
| BAKER | 25 | ||
| MAY | 20 | ||
| TURPIN | 15 |
Amateurs Fantasy Sports 
When’s the Egan butcher arcticle coming out?
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