Draft night; an absolute minefield of statistics, brinkmanship, psychology and sheer panic. 2 hours seem to fly by in a blur, and no matter what, all logic seems to go out of the window when you see your all-time favourite but injury ridden centre appear on the draft window, after all, this could be his year!
On so many occasions, preparation and planning seems to go out of the window after that first round; as the old saying goes, “no plan survives first contact”. But I want to help, I really do, and with Aviva Premiership draft nights starting to gather pace on Fantasy Rugby Draft ahead of the season kick-off on Friday 1st September, I want to share my thoughts on the busts, sleepers and deep sleepers on the Fantasy Rugby Draft rankings to help you pick up some genuine value picks as well as dodging some players who on paper look like brilliant picks but in reality could cause you some serious headaches throughout the season.
So, without further ado…
Sleepers
Mike Haley – OB – SAL – FRD Rank: 49
Mike Haley produced some absolutely huge points hauls last season, scoring 20+ on three occasions (including a massive 44 points in week 7). Beats defenders and breaks lines for fun, he’s a guaranteed points machine.
Willie Le Roux – OB – WAS – FRD Rank: 54
A ranking of 54 is about 20 positions too low, a true class act who, after 6 months in England under his belt will be looking to really kick on. Get him in early.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nllq1uauEdw
Tommy Bell – OB – LIR – FRD Rank: 42
A fullback on kicking duty. Metres ran points, penalty kick points, conversion points, defenders beaten points. It’s a no brainer in Fantasy Rugby Draft terms; if he’s there in the 3rd round, pick him up.
Sonatane Takulua – SH – NEW – FRD Rank: 55
Another player on kicking duty who isn’t a FH (these guys are worth their weight in gold). Kicking points, coupled with a sniping scrum half with a great nose for the tryline make Takulua well worth an earlier round pick-up.
Harry Mallinder – MID – NOR – FRD Rank: 66
Yep, another non-FH kicker, not guaranteed game time (and with the arrival of Piers Francis his kicking time may be diminished), but his potential is huge and he is most definitely due a breakout season. One to watch for sure.
Josh Bassett – OB – WAS – FRD Rank: 77
Despite being surrounded by stars in that Wasps backline, he always gets game time and is always a reliable performer surrounded by a hugely creative backline who will always provide him with opportunities to dot down.
DTH Van Der Merwe – OB – NEW – FRD Rank: 83
Oh DTH. The man is made for Fantasy Rugby. Seeing him on the hard tracks of Kingston Park will be a true joy. He will bag try after try and will beat defender after defender on his way there. Don’t take my word for it, check this out.
Will Addison – MID – SAL – FRD Rank: 114
Unlucky to see his brilliant season sharply curtailed by injury; an out of position MID, who generally lined up in the outside backs, occasionally kicks sticks, and scored over 19 points on 5 occasions last season. Should certainly be ranked in the Top 100 (although may find gametime curtailed with the arrival of JOC)
Deep Sleepers
Charlie Sharples – OB – GLO – FRD Rank: 128
A ranking of 128 really doesn’t do justice to a proven Premiership try machine. He bagged 9 tries last season, as well as racking up some impressive metre stats and even more impressive tackles stats. If you are still looking for a starting OB in the 7th/8th round, you could do a lot worse.
Sam James – MID – SAL – FRD Rank: 131
An enormously consistent centre who contributed tries, assists, metres gained, defenders beaten and offloads all season as well as being a consistent starter. Flying under the radar with a rank 131. Well worth a pick up.
Adam Thompstone – OB – LEI – FRD Rank: 138
Leicester look to be on the up and in Thompstone you have a player who will be a regular (he was involved in every game last season) as well as a consistent points scorer
Matt Kvesic – LF – EXE – FRD Rank: 147
Will make turnovers, and these will rack you up points in Fantasy Rugby Draft. Has suffered some bad injuries and fallen into a rut in recent times at Gloucester but will hopefully gain a new lease of life at the Chiefs.
Danny Care – SH – HAR – FRD Rank: 157
Will potentially be missing during the Six Nations and Autumn Internationals, hence his low rank. However, a rank of 157 is wayyyy too low for a guy who when he does play, is a hugely creative attacking force, who always finds a way to the tryline.
Bryn Evans – FH – LEI – FRD Rank: 170
The top second row in the game (Honourable mention to Don Armand); gets tries, doesn’t give away penalties, good attacking and defensive stats. A must.
Deep Deep Deeeeep Sleepers
Callum Green – L – NEW – FRD Rank: N/A
Ever present last season, makes metres and tackles in equal measure. Great value pick.
Tom Savage – L – GLO – FRD Rank: N/A
Only missed two games last season, always a big tackle count, under pressure with the arrival of Slater but worth a punt
Charlie Ewels – L – BAT – FRD Rank: N/A
In the game as a lock, but is equally likely to be found starting in the back row. Had a great breakthrough season last year and is on the fringes of the England squad and will be expected to kick on even further this year.
Dave Denton – LF – WOR – FRD Rank: N/A
When he burst onto the scene for Scotland and Edinburgh, he looked to be a Lions number 8 in the making with a hugely impressive all-round game. Seems to have lost his way in the intervening years, but will be a big fish at Worcester who they will be looking to make a huge contribution.
Jack Clifford – LF – HAR – FRD Rank: N/A
Bags of potential and if he does anything like this try against Wales, he will be raking in the points…
Busts
George Ford – FH – LEI – FRD Rank: 9
When he plays he will bring in the points, but as first round pick you want guaranteed points and guaranteed starts, and with his England commitments, these just won’t happen. Don’t waste a first round pick on George, but if he’s still there in Round 4 bag him.
Liam Williams – OB – SAR – FRD Rank: 11
I love Liam Williams, even more so after his role in “that try”. When he plays he has potential for some huge hauls, although with Alex Goode as the incumbent at 15, he may find himself pushed onto the wing. He will also be a key member of Wales’ AI and 6N Campaigns so will also be missing for large portions of the season, so best to give him a miss in rounds 1 and 2. Oh you want to see “that try”? Any excuse…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLIV4EQ4c4k
Owen Farrell – FH – SAR – FRD Rank: 14
What I said about George Ford repeated…
Manu Tuilagi – MID – LEI – FRD Rank: 25
I would love it if Manu could string together a good few months of matches injury free, but it’s been so long since this has happened that you just would not want to risk it. Please prove me wrong Manu, but in the meantime, avoid at all costs.
Henry Slade – MID – EXE – FRD Rank: 27
If he was guaranteed a start and kicking duties then he would be one of the first choices in my team; however, he is prone to rotation in a hugely competitive Chief backline and at times his defensive frailties can eat into his points greatly (he missed 4+ tackles a game on 2 occasions last season, which greatly reduced his points total). There are far better options in the early rounds.
So there you go! Mark these guys on your draft lists and best of luck with your draft nights!