NRL SuperCoach R16 preview, top trades & best buys

Round 16 is the second major bye week for the 2023 NRL Premiership season, where SuperCoaches aiming for overall glory should have plans for 13 active players to take the field this weekend. It presents an incredible opportunity for SuperCoaches to make bold trades that could see them move quickly up overall ladders and separate themselves from the pack.

TRADE OUT

Payne Haas (FRF), Cody Walker (5/8), Damien Cook (HOK), Reece Walsh (FLB) and Pat Carrigan (2RF) all sit inside the top 30 most owned players in NRL SuperCoach. Four of these players have been selected for State of Origin and are expected to play in games two and three, while Walker is out indefinitely with a quad injury.

With both the Broncos and Rabbitohs yet to have all three byes in the NRL Premiership season, these five are too valuable in both price and point-scoring output to have sit out of sides for an unknown amount of games over the next month. SuperCoaches should look to move all five players on, with an emphasis on having players covering the byes in rounds 16 and 19.

Jeremy Marshall-King (HOK)
Jeremy Marshall-King left the field against the Sea Eagles after 41 minutes with a shoulder injury and is yet to have a set return date to the Dolphins starting side. Marshall-King has already become the most traded-out player in SuperCoach, and the existing 12,000+ owners should also look to move him on. The value of the Dolphins hooker has plummeted in the last three weeks more than $60k with tough matchups and high break-evens coming up against the Eels, Broncos and Panthers.

TRADE IN

Kalyn Ponga (FLB, 5/8)
Kalyn Ponga’s return to the Knights fullback position has been phenomenal, bringing a victory over the Sea Eagles and a narrow loss to the Broncos in Brisbane. Although it has been a small sample size, Ponga averages over 80PPG from fullback. In even more promising news, he has ruled himself out of Maroons selection for the remainder of the State of Origin series. With matchups against a struggling Roosters side, an injured Panthers side likely to rest Origin stars, as well as the Bulldogs and Tigers, Ponga is a brilliant choice in the five-eighth of fullback position.

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (FRF/2RF)
On rare occasions, SuperCoaches should look to bring players into their sides while they are playing throughout the State of Origin representative period. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is one of the rare exceptions to this based on his most recent form. The Maroons forward backed up from Origin one to score 103 points against the Rabbitohs in a losing side, and 93 against the Tigers last weekend. The Titans have already had two byes this season, and considering the fact the front-row enforcer is prepared to back up for his club by playing big minutes, SuperCoaches should bring Fa’asuamaleaui into their side now as a long-term play for the back end of the season.

Scott Drinkwater (FLB)
Scott Drinkwater has emerged as an enormous point-of-difference play for SuperCoaches in the fullback position over the last two matches he has played. With scores in excess of 100 points in those last two matches, and a four-round average of almost 98, the Cowboys fullback has returned to his best form on the field. With upcoming matches against injured, struggling sides like the Rabbitohs and Tigers, Drinkwater should continue this hot form, living up to his big price tag.

Semi Valemei (CTW)
Semi Valemei is a left-field option for SuperCoaches in the CTW position, but very valuable for a few reasons. The former Raider scored a hattrick on debut against the Storm, he will take on a depleted Panthers side this weekend and is likely to play in round 20 against the Sea Eagles who will likely be without Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic. SuperCoaches can opt to bring Valemei into their sides now to free up salary cap space in hopes of Valemei’s price increasing in round 20 to make further trades ahead of the finals.

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