SuperCoach NRL Draft: Sleepers that are better than their ADP

The key to winning your SuperCoach NRL Draft league is getting great players later than they deserve to go. Resident Draft expert Wilson Smith who are much better than their ADP.

• CHEAPIE BIBLE: The rookies set to shine in 2019

• WACKO’S WHISPERS: NRL pre-season mail

While cheapies are the secret to winning SuperCoach Classic, these guys usually won’t help you out in Draft! One of the secrets to winning your Draft league is getting great players later than they deserve to go, by picking out undervalued players that have slipped down the pre-draft rankings.

They may have fallen down because of bad form or maybe they struggled with injury, have never played in the NRL or have just returned from overseas. You’ll want to identify these players (called sleepers) before the draft and target them late, or have as a backup plan.

Everyone will have at least a few guns, but if you can also fill your team with some of these underrated or great low ranked players, you’ll be in with a great chance to win your league.

LISTEN! Resident SuperCoach experts Tom Sangster and Tim Williams have the lowdown on the players to target and avoid in 2019.

For this list I’ll be looking at those players who are that are outside the top 100 in the pre-draft rankings. These are the players that will be hidden down the list for most of the draft, and are mostly out of sight, out of mind. But those who know what they’re looking for can still spot these guys and wait them.

HOK

Best value players: Elijah Taylor (141), Victor Radley (179)

Honestly there aren’t really any hookers you can wait on, so I would strongly recommend targeting one of the gun hookers earlier on. If you can get someone like Josh Hodgson in the 4th round or Cameron McInnes in the 5th or 6th round then that’s great value. But if you do miss out on one of the best hookers you can go for Elijah Taylor or Victor Radley in the later rounds. Both these guys will actually play mostly backrow, but they do both have decent base, while Radley could see more minutes in 2019.

Roosters big man Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is slipping in drafts: Picture: Getty Images

FRF

Best value players: James Fisher-Harris (113), Nelson Asofa-Solomona (120), Leeson Ah Mau (128), Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (142), Dale Finucane (147)

So pretty much here, you want to just pick up a Kiwi forward, especially if they have a two-pronged last name. Or Dale Finucane. Combine these guys with a gun prop like Marty Taupau and you’ll have some consistent points coming from your FRF. There are also guys like Aiden Tolman or Jarrod Wallace, who are in the top 100 players, but far enough down to still wait on.

2RF

Best value players: Isaiah Papalii (103), Cameron Murray (111), Matt Gillett (146), John Bateman (180), Joe Stimson (224), Kurt Capewell (238)

While 2RF is probably the most stacked position for talent, and you will be tempted to draft guns early, there are a tonne of sleepers if you do decide to wait. The best value 2RF is probably Matt Gillett with his pre-draft ranking of 146, after his season ending neck injury last year. While only averaging 51 in his 5 games last year, in the 3 years prior he averaged 66, 57 and 57, so he has a lot of value if you get him late. Isaiah Papalii should see more work with Simon Mannering retiring, while Cameron Murray looks to see more minutes if he starts at lock. John Bateman is an interesting option who you can play at CTW, while Joe Stimson and Kurt Capewell should start and see bigger minutes.

Michael Morgan is a bargain at either position in the halves. Picture: Alix Sweeney

HFB

Best value players: Mitchell Pearce (102), Moses Mbye (107), Luke Brooks (123), Michael Morgan (170)

The top 3 halfbacks in Shaun Johnson, Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans will all go quickly, and then there are a few tiers breaks. As people fill other positions, you can wait on one of these guys if you miss out on a gun half early, with Michael Morgan probably the best value pick with a pre-draft ranking of 170! He is probably one of the best Sleepers of 2019, so if your league mates don’t know what they’re doing, you can wait on Morgan for a long time.

FIVE-EIGHTH

Best value players: Alexander Brimson (105), Luke Keary (109), Corey Norman (127), Michael Morgan (170)

Like halfback, there are some decent sleepers you can wait on at 5/8, with Michael Morgan again being the best value pick, as you don’t have to use much draft capital to get a quality player. If AJ Brimson plays at fullback and scores like he did in 2018, he could be a decent option, while Corey Norman will surely do better at the Dragons than at Parramatta. Clive Churchill medallist Luke Keary is also a surprisingly good value pick for his pre-draft ranking (I rank him as the eighth best 5/8 and you can get him late).

CTW

Best value players: Josh Mansour (110), Elliot Whitehead (114), Tyrone Peachey (121), Clint Gutherson (137), James Roberts (143), Joseph Manu (168), Suliasi Vunivalu (175), Jack Bird (253)

Given the low depth of other positions and the fact that there are so few CTW guns, most Draft players should probably be focusing elsewhere before turning their attention to CTW’s. Because of this, looking for value at this position is arguably more important than other positions, especially if your drafting 2 or even 3 CTW’s towards the end of your draft. Josh Mansour and James Roberts are down the pre-draft rankings because of injury interrupted seasons and are probably the CTW sleepers that will go first, so you can’t wait too long on them. Jack Bird’s pre-draft ranking is 253, but he looks set to start at left centre for the Broncos, so if he can get anywhere near his 2016 average of 48 he could be one of the best sleepers. Suliasi Vunivalu is another I’m looking at for a bounce back year, after his average dropped from 60 in 2017 to 48 last year.

FLB

Best value players: Alexander Brimson (105), Moses Mbye (107)

So Originally Ben Barba was my standout value pick for Draft, given his pre-draft ranking of 100, but given he will likely never play NRL again, he should obviously now be avoided. There really aren’t too many standouts here, which just goes to show how few options SuperCoaches really have. Moses Mbye is still an interesting pick here, especially with his unique dual position of HFB and FLB. He was pretty inconsistent in 2018, but with a full pre-season at fullback for the Tigers under Michael McGuire, he should be much better off this season. Also Dylan Edwards is just inside the top 100, but if he does get the number one jersey back at Penrith I back him as another sleeper option. With Barba gone, the vacant Cowboys fullback position could also be interesting to watch if Te Maire Martin gets the nod to start there.

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