NRL SuperCoach debate: Who’s the best replacement for injured Tiger James Tedesco?

LIVE CHAT: Our gurus disagree on the best replacement for injured Tiger James Tedesco. Join the debate here.

SUPERCOACHES face another injury conundrum this week, with James Tedesco ruled out for six to nine weeks with an ankle injury.

But thankfully, SuperCoaches are spoilt for choice when it comes to replacements.

Rikki-Lee Arnold and Tom Sangster analyse the best choices (below) and debate the topic live from 2pm.

News_Module: NRL SuperCoach debate: Replacing Tedesco

Rikki-Lee Arnold - Perfect timing for Inglis trade

JAMES Tedesco was shaping up to be one of the great fullback buys for the year.

Now he is facing six to nine weeks on the sideline after undergoing surgery for ankle syndesmosis.

So a lot of us SuperCoaches are heading back to square one.

Who out there can replace Tedesco?

News_Image_File: James Tedesco is out for a maximum of nine weeks. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Well, it’s almost as if his injury has come at an opportune time.

One of the better SuperCoach backs in Greg Inglis has dropped $34,000 off his starting price but according to SuperCoach Gold he is ready to make most of that money back in just one week.

If you don’t already have him, he could be the perfect replacement for Tedesco while he’s at this price low.

He also has one of the better averages so far of 72.8.

Anthony Milford is also averaging the same amount of points and is a possible keeper for the season ahead, especially if he is not selected for State of Origin.

News_Image_File: Greg Inglis is set to surge in price after this week. Picture: Gregg Porteous

A couple of other promising options include Parramatta’s Jarryd Hayne who is on a great bounce back after a slow start while Penrith’s Josh Mansour has an average of 90.7 points over three games.

The only risk that comes with Mansour is the same problem we have just experienced with Tedesco – a tendency to fall victim to injury.

The risky Mansour has already missed two games this year, but if he does not get sidelined again he could be a great fullback buy.

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Tom Sangster - Mansour’s the man

SO another gun has gone down and SuperCoaches are once again forced to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get ready for the next hit-up.

James Tedesco has been ruled out for six to nine weeks and is therefore a must-sell, no matter if you’re an overall or head-to-head player.

Thankfully, there are plenty of great replacements.

Josh Mansour is top of the pile. He is still affordable after a huge price rise last week, has averaged 91 points (51 in base stats), misses just one of the tough bye weeks (provided he is not named for Origin) and is set to rise another $24,000 after this week, according to SuperCoach Gold.

News_Image_File: Josh Mansour congratulated after scoring last weekend.

Greg Inglis is also a great purchase this round, with his price having finally adjusted from a zero a few weeks back.

Discounting that injury-affected score, his stats – incredibly - are identical to Mansour’s, having also averaged 91 points and 51 in base stats.

He costs $34,000 less and is expected to see a $30,000 rise, although he will miss a competition high five games over Origin and is therefore more of a head-to-head buy.

Jarryd Hayne has also hit form in recent weeks, and despite averaging almost 20 less than Inglis so far this year and costing $35,000 more, he has the better SuperCoach pedigree given he is statistically the best back in SuperCoach history.

Further, he has the best possible bye schedule for an Origin player, set to miss just three games.

Billy Slater, the best fullback in SuperCoach last year, has fallen to a very affordable $293,000 and also misses just three rounds over Origin.

For those worried about the byes, form star Anthony Milford offers a great alternative given he should miss only two tough rounds over Origin and is free for the all-important round 11 (provided he misses Origin selection, which is a fair assumption while Daly Cherry-Evans remains fit).

Ben Barba is the smokey. The former SuperCoach gun is yet to notch a linebreak or try this year - a record that won’t last much longer.

News_Image_File: Ben Barba trains with the Broncos last week. Picture: Annette Dew

He costs just $185,600 (he started last year at $360,000), misses only two tough weeks over Origin and is free for round 11.

In the cheapie department, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is a must-have for this week or next and can be traded for Tedesco by switching a player like Gerard Beale to fullback during the trade.

Tedesco’s replacement at the Tigers, young gun Kurtis Rowe, could also emerge as a great cheapie over the coming weeks.