The latest instalment 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! By the time you finish this article you should have all the insight you need to score big fantasy points this weekend. A reduced report this week due to the Fantasy Rugby Geek’s day job duties!
Potential mismatches
Into the final round of the regular season, and while the Fantasy Rugby Draft season may be done and dusted (make sure you check out our interview with the overall winner, Bryn Williams), for players of the Rugby Magazine game, a big weekend lies ahead with one final big opportunity to really make ground on the league leaders. Round 22 offers up another set of great opportunities for some big scores, with several matches having a combination of some teams having everything to play for and others who seem to be very much on the beach on their summer holidays (:cough: Quins). In the eyes of the bookies, one way traffic is expected in several of the games…
In Paddy Power’s eyes the most nailed on games this weekend with a projected winning margin greater than 10 is…
- Bath to beat London Irish with a margin of 21 points
- Saracens to beat Gloucester with a margin of 20 points
Elsewhere, the bookies have been very generous to Quins, only offering a 9 point handicap against Exeter, and if the last time they faced up at The Stoop in an end of season clash (with an outgoing DOR!) in 2016 is anything to go by, when Exeter put 60+ points on them in Conor O’Shea’s final game, it could well be a try fest. Newcastle v Wasps at Kingston Park is too close to call, with no advantage being given to either side. Northampton are expected to comfortably deal with Worcester at home and Sale are expected to squeeze past Leicester at the AJ Bell.
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
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter)
Alex Waller (Northampton)
Tom Dunn (Bath)
Anthony Perenise (Bath)
Richard Barrington (Saracens)
Schalk Brits (Saracens)
Ben Moon (Exeter)
LOCKS
Don Armand* (Exeter)
Bryn Evans (Sale)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Matt Garvey (Bath)
Jonny Hill (Exeter)
BACK ROW
Taulupe Faletau (Bath)
Thomas Young (Wasps)
Jackson Wray (Saracens)
Dave Ewers (Exter)
Francois Louw (Bath)
Thomas Waldrom (Exeter)
SCRUM-HALF
Nic White (Exeter)
Faf De Klerk (Sale)
Kahn Fotuali’i (Bath)
FLY HALF
Joe Simmonds (Exeter)
Rhys Priestland (Bath)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
CENTRES
Sam Hill (Exeter)
Brad Barritt (Saracens)
James Wilson (Bath)
Bryron McGuigan* (Sale)
Phil Dollman* (Exeter)
OUTSIDE BACKS
Liam Williams (Saracens)
Josh Adams (Worcester)
Telusa Veianu (Leicester)
Cooper Vuna (Bath)
Olly Woodburn (Exeter)
Tom Homer (Bath)
Alex Goode (Saracens)
Love Stash???
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Looking for more Fantasy Rugby insight and Resources?
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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