Another (slightly truncated again I’m afraid as the Fantasy Rugby Geek is again on “day job duties”) of our weekly pre-match updates where we analyse the weekend’s lineups, crunch the stats and see what the bookies are thinking to help you optimise your lineups for peak performance this weekend!
Potential mismatches
As we creep up to the halfway point of the regular season, Round 10 offers up some exciting opportunities for fantasy managers as the big international names return to domestic duty.
Kingsholm he been a hard place to visit in recent times, with Gloucester unbeaten at home all season, and with an out-of-sorts London Irish visiting, in the eyes of the bookies Gloucester are expected to fill their boots. Elsewhere, Exeter are expected to keep up recent momentum when they host Bath, and Saracens are expected to put an end to their recent woeful form as they welcome back Itoje, Farrell and co for a visit to The Stoop.
In Paddy Power’s eyes the most nailed on games this weekend with a projected winning margin greater than 10 is…
- Gloucester to beat London Irish with a margin of 13 points
- Exeter to beat Bath with a margin of 10 points
- Saracens to beat Harlequins with a margin of 10 points
Elsewhere, Northampton are expected to have a relatively comfortable home win against Newcastle. While Wasps v Leicester and Worcester v Sale are expected to be cagey affairs that are too close to call.
Expected to go well
*Players who are starting favourably out of position (i.e. Hooker in back row, Centre on wing, etc.)
Recommended captain pick in bold
FRONT ROW
John Afoa (Gloucester)
Jamie George (Saracens)
James Hanson (Gloucester)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Harry Williams (Exeter)
Vincent Koch (Saracens)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter)
Alex Waller (Northampton)
LOCKS
Maro Itoje* (Saracens)
Don Armand* (Exeter)
Valentino Mapapalangi* (Leicester)
Jeremy Thrush (Gloucester)
Sam Skinner (Exeter)
Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)
Calum Green (Newcastle)
BACK ROW
Jackson Wray (Saracens)
Ruan Ackermann (Gloucester)
Lewis Ludlow (Gloucester)
Thomas Waldrom (Exeter)
Jamie Gibson (Northampton)
Mark Wilson (Newcastle)
SCRUM-HALF
Dan Robson (Wasps)
Nic White (Exeter)
Willi Heinz (Gloucester)
Faf De Klerk (Sale)
FLY HALF
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
Billy Burns (Gloucester)
Gareth Steenson (Exeter)
CENTRES
Elliott Daly* (Wasps)
Jimmy Gopperth* (Wasps)
Sam Hill (Exeter)
Phil Dollman* (Exeter)
Brad Barritt (Saracens)
Harry Mallinder* (Northampton)
Rohan Janse Van Rensburg (Sale)
OUTSIDE BACKS
Olly Woodburn (Exeter)
Olly Thorley (Gloucester)
Henry Purdy (Gloucester)
James Short (Exeter)
Seam Maitland (Saracens)
Christian Wade (Wasps)
Josh Adams (Worcester)
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If you want some more sources to help you finalise your decisions, go to our resources page where you’ll find all this year’s Aviva Premiership fantasy games, all the stats sources, injury news, team news, fantasy relevant rugby betting odds and tons of other useful information.
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