Into Round 18 and thankfully with a week’s gap between matches there appears to be a little bit more normality in this week’s team selections. For those new to FRG, the weekly pre-match tips are 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.
Make sure you come back every weekend before finalising your lineups!
Expected to go well on Fantasy Rugby Draft and The Rugby Magazine
*Players who are starting favourably out of position (i.e. Hooker in back row, Centre on wing, etc.)
Recommended The Rugby Magazine captain pick in bold
FRONT ROW
- Kyle Sinckler (Bristol)
- Francois Van Wyk (Northampton)
- Ellis Genge (Leicester)
- Beno Obano (Bath)
- Franco Marais (Gloucester)
- Akker Van Der Merwe (Sale)
- Jamie George (Saracens)
LOCKS
- Chris Vui (Bristol)
- Sam Skinner (Exeter)
- Dave Ribbans (Northampton)
- Courtney Lawes (Northampton)*
- Albert Tuisue (London Irish)*
- Maro Itoje (Saracens)
BACK ROW
- Nathan Hughes (Bristol)
- Teimana Harrison (Northampton)
- Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
- Jake Polledri (Gloucester)
- Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
SCRUM-HALF
- Harry Randall (Bristol)
- Aled Davies (Saracens)
- Stephen Varney (Gloucester)
FLY HALF
- Dan Biggar (Northampton)
- Callum Sheedy (Bristol)
- Owen Farrell (Saracens)
CENTRES
- Henry Purdy (Bristol)*
- Luke James (Sale)*
- Semi Radradra (Bristol)
- Joe Marchant (Harlequins)
- Rory Hutchison (Northampton)
- Elliot Daly (Saracens)
OUTSIDE BACKS
- Luke Morahan (Bristol)
- Olly Thorley (Gloucester)
- Charles Piutau (Bristol)
- Josh Hodge (Exeter)
- George Furbank (Northampton)
- Alex Goode (Saracens)
- Jonny May (Gloucester)
- Alex Lewington (Saracens)
Value Fantasy Rugby Draft Free Agent Pick-ups
Please note that not all of these players may be available as free agents in your leagues, but if they are, then move quickly!
- Josh Hodge – OB – Exeter
- Tom Hendrickson – OB – Exeter
- Bett Herron – FH – Harlequins
- Lloyd Evans – FH – Gloucester
- Jimmy Gopperth – FH – Wasps
- Rob Miller – OB – Wasps
- Tom Willis – LF – Wasps
- Matt Scott – M – Leicester
- Gareth Steenson – FH – Exeter
- Taulupe Faletau – LF – Bath
Premiership Rugby Injury News
Gaining reliable Injury news for the Premiership is extremely difficult, and while we don’t have a database of the latest injuries at Fantasy Rugby Geek, we would highly recommend The Rugby Magazine’s injuries page which remains the most exhaustive source of Premiership injury news that can be found. Details of this and many other useful Fantasy Rugby resources can be found at our Resources page.
Come and join the FRG league!
If you back your Fantasy Rugby skills to lead you to Fantasy Premiership glory and win you some stash while you are at it, then join our public fantasy league on The Rugby Magazine fantasy game, where a Fantasy Rugby Geek Trucker Hat, and a signed paperback copy of the Fantasy Rugby Handbook will be on offer for the winner of the league. To join, Sign up to the game here & go to Leaderboards > Public Leagues and join “Fantasy Rugby Geek”. Good luck!
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