Our 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.
Make sure you come back every weekend before finalising your lineups!
Potential mismatches
Now moving to the business end of the season with just 7 rounds left of the regular season, every little point counts. Some tight looking matchups this week and the general expectations for the match results from the bookies are as follows…
- Saracens to beat Northampton by 9 points
- Bath to beat Harlequins by 7 points
- Newcastle to beat Worcester by 4 points
- Gloucester to beat Bristol by 4 points
- Exeter to beat Sale by 3 points
- Leicester to beat Wasps by 2 points
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
Please note that these picks have been published before lineups were announced, so some of these picks may not be playing. Please double check the starting XV before you commit to your teams, or check back here at 1pm BST.
FRONT ROW
- Josh Hohneck (Gloucester)
- Dan Cole (Leicester)
- Richard Barrington (Saracens)
- Harry Thacker (Bristol)
- Jack Yeandle (Exeter)
- Jack Singleton (Worcester)
LOCKS
- Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)*
- Will Rowlands (Wasps)
- Franco Mostert (Gloucester)
- David Ribbans (Northampton)
BACK ROW
- Thomas Young (Wasps)
- Zach Mercer (Bath)
- Ben Morgan (Gloucester)
- Jaco Kriel (Gloucester)
- Nizaam Carr (Wasps)
SCRUM-HALF
- Ben Spencer (Saracens)
- Willi Heinz (Gloucester)
- Sonatane Takalua (Newcastle)
FLY HALF
- Callum Sheedy (Bristol)
- James Lang (Harlequins)
- Rhys Priestland (Bath)
CENTRES
- Joe Marchant (Harlequins)
- Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester)
- Rory Hutchinson (Northampton)
- Nick Tompkins (Saracens)
OUTSIDE BACKS
- Olly Woodburn (Exeter)
- Ollie Thorley (Gloucester)
- Sinoti Sinoti (Newcastle)
- Charles Piutau (Bristol)
- Sean Maitland (Saracens)
Value FRD 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!
- Ross Chisholm – OB – Harlequins
- Gareth Owen – FH – Leicester
- George Worth – OB – Leicester
- Zach Kibirige – OB – Newcastle
- Marcus Watson – OB – Wasps
- Jackson Wray – LF – Saracens
- Ben Earl – LF – Saracens
- Andy Uren – SH – Bristol
- James Lang – FH – Harlequins
- Rob Miller – OB – Wasps
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.
Looking for more Fantasy Rugby insight and Resources?
New for the 2018/19 season, we are proud to present the The Fantasy Rugby Geek Guide to Fantasy Rugby. An exhaustive collection of wisdom and experience gained from over a decade of fantasy rugby playing. Primarily aimed at less experienced players but with enough nuggets of wisdom and insight for even the most grizzled fantasy rugby veteran. There is something here for all players. The eBook is available to download now for £3.99 on Gumroad as a PDF and on Amazon in Kindle format – check it out!
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 Gallagher Premiership fantasy games, all the stats sources, injury news, team news, fantasy relevant rugby betting odds and tons of other useful information.
Found this interesting or useful and looking for more Fantasy Rugby news, tips and advice? Follow @frugbygeek on Twitter, Like us on Facebook or sign up to the newsletter below to get fantasy rugby news delivered straight to you!
SUBSCRIBE HERE FOR FANTASY RUGBY NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX
Love Stash???
In addition to stocking all of the kit for the new season, Lovell Rugby are currently running some great weekly deals, where there are some amazing bargains to be had, as well as the remainder of their end of season sale with up 80% off all kinds of great kit including rugby boots, international & club rugby shirts, protection, coaching, training, nutrition and rugby leisurewear. Don’t sleep on these amazing deals and get over to Lovell Rugby!