NRL SuperCoach Draft rankings 2024: Best fantasy players at every position, top picks

Round One may already be underway, but its not to late to assemble your league and get drafting! This is your ultimate guide to the best players at every position and who you should chase early in 2024.

SuperCoach is back and while Round One may have already come and gone, its still not too late to to gather your mates and get ready to start DRAFTING.

With the split opening week for the Las Vegas extravaganza, some draft players will be holding off to do their drafts until Round 2 to avoid the extended round... and have the certainty of round one teams at their disposal.

While some SuperCoaches are stressing over their salary cap and cheapies, Draft players only care about who they’re taking with their early picks and which sleepers to target late.

Classic SuperCoach is all about nailing your cheapies and making decent cash, but in Draft you just want to assemble the best team you can, filling your spine positions early and looking for value late.

And unlike Classic, every Draft team will look radically different since every player can only be on one team, so not everyone has the option to get a guaranteed gun like Nathan Cleary, Nicho Hynes or Harry Grant.

Just like in previous years there are some new rules for Draft that are sure to throw a spanner in the works. Draft leagues now have the option to activate a Flex position on your team, where you can add an extra starting player from any position.

And even more importantly, waivers have been overhauled to make the one-day waiver time period clear the following morning (as opposed to following morning +24 hours in previous years).

With all that in mind, I’ve gone ahead and ranked the best Draft players at every position. Be sure to keep an eye on this page, as rankings will be updated as the pre-season goes on, trial matches play out and inevitable injuries/suspensions strike.

POST-VEGAS & ROUND 1 TEAMS UPDATES

-Haumole Olakau’atu moved up

-Ben Trbojevic moved up

-Richard Kennar added to the rankings

-Taniela Paseka moved down

-Jason Saab moved down (injured)

-Jesse Arthars moved up

-Victor Radley moved up

-Terrell May moved up

-Sitili Tupouniua moved down

-Jordan Riki moved up

-Coen Hess removed from the list

-Ethan Strange moved up

-Kaeo Weekes moved down

-Danny Levi moved up

-Bronson Xerri moved down

-Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad moved down

-Taine Tuaupiki added to the list

-Helium Luki moved up

-Luciano Leilua moved down

-Jaeman Salman moved up

-Thomas Jenkins moved down

-Spencer Leniu removed from the list

PRE-SEASON TRIAL WEEK ONE UPDATES

-Bronson Xerri moved up

-Dylan Lucas moved up

-Apisai Koroisau moved up

-Blake Taafe moved up

-Drew Hutchison moved up

-Corey Jensen added to the rankings and Fletcher Baker moves down

-Jarden Campbell moved down

-Tyrone Munro’s injury see’s him drop out of the rankings

-Sua Faalogo moved down

-Brendan Piakura moved up despite an injury blow

-Sean Keppie moved up

-David Fifita holds firm despite injury news

-Beau Fermor moved up the rankings

-Samuel Hughes moved up

-Ben Trbojevic moved up

-Taniela Paseka moved up

-Tesi Niu moved up

-Angus Crichton, Siua Wong moved down

-Alex Seyfarth added to list

-Kayal Iro moved down

-Josh Curran moved down

-Chevy Stewart moved down

HOOKER

For our rankings, we’ll start with the key spine positions, given the extreme lack of depth there. Hooker is probably the most alarming position in terms of SuperCoach pedigree, given there is realistically only a few hookers who you can rely on for 80 minutes each week, with the majority playing around 50-65 minutes a week, while some are just bench players averaging less than 40 minutes a game.

Storm star Harry Grant is hands-down the best option at hooker. Picture: Getty Images

That said there are still some value options here if you miss out on one of the guns early … just definitely don’t leave it too long or could be stuck with a battler. I would have no hesitation taking Harry Grant in the first round (or Damien Cook in the second) and not having to worry about filling this position later.

HALFBACK

While halfback depth is not as dire as hooker, it is still one of the skinniest positions in terms of depth and one of the most important positions to finalise early. If you have one of the first overall picks I’d lock in the likes of Nathan Cleary or Nicho Hynes early, and if you miss out you almost have to grab someone like Daly Cherry-Evans or Jahrome Hughes in the second or third rounds.

Nathan Cleary finished behind Nicho Hynes in average points in 2023, but I’d still take him with the first pick of the draft. Picture: Adam Head

All that being said, halfback depth is better than usual this year, with at least seven halfbacks I’d be extremely comfortable having. So if you’re in a 10 person draft league you can possibly afford to leave it for a while … just don’t wait too long.

FIVE-EIGHTH

While hooker is the most dire position in terms of depth, five-eighth isn’t far behind, with just two standout guns and not really any contenders for guys to take in the first round.

Despite missing a handful of games in 2023, Dylan Brown was still arguably the best option at five-eighth. Picture: Getty Images

By now you should realise that, while you want to take the best guy available, you should prioritise trying to land ideally at least two guns at either hooker, halfback or five-eighth with your first three draft picks.

FULLBACK

Now while you might be tempted to take a gun fullback in the early rounds, like Kalyn Ponga or Reece Walsh, I’d like to point out that, unlike the other spine positions, fullback is actually stacked for talent, and depending on your league size, there is more than enough to go around.

The fullback position is stacked in 2024, but the reigning Dally M winner Kalyn Ponga is the best of the bunch. Picture: NRL Photos

If you are in a 10-person league, I’m confident that everyone in your league can get a decent starter. In fact, going by rankings there are at least nine fullbacks I’d be extremely happy with as my starter (there are 12 players here who averaged 60+ in 2023), as well as a handful of players from other positions who have dual position. So it may be an decent option to let your league mates take the gun fullbacks early, while you focus on filling your other spine positions.

FRONT ROW

FRF is one of the hardest positions to gauge how early in the draft you should look to fill it. While some of the best props in the game can prove to be league winners, you are often taking them at the expense of filling your crucial spine positions.

If you can get good value off someone like Payne Haas in the early rounds lock him in. But don’t jump on him too early. Picture: NRL Photos

While in most leagues you will need to draft two of these guys, there are very few props that a) play big minutes and b) score big points consistently. So if you can get value out of someone like Payne Haas or Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, then sure you have to take them. But if, for example, your league mates are all taking hookers and you have to choose between the last good hooker or a gun FRF, you have to take the hooker. However since you do need two of them, if possible try to land at least one mid-high tier guy to get some consistent base points for your team.

SECOND ROW

Outside of your spine positions, the back row is the real engine room for your KFC SuperCoach Draft team, boasting some of the most consistent and high-upside point scorers. And unlike other positions however, in most leagues you will need at least THREE second rowers in your starting side, so you’ll want to land at least one gun backrower in your team and focus on filling this spot during the early-mid stages of your draft.

With a handy dual-position status, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui is arguably the most valuable forward in your draft. Picture: Getty Images

If you can pair one or two key spine players with an elite 2RF, you’ll be cheering most weeks. However, one thing to note compared to last year is the ton of great mid-range 2RFs in 2024, so you can definitely afford to wait slightly longer than previous seasons.

CTW

While historically I have urged SuperCoaches to leave filling your CTW positions last, I think it’s now important to land at least two mid-high tier CTWs than completing your forward pack early. Especially if you’re in a league that requires you to start four CTWs each week … you can manage with one or two dud backs usually, but not four!

You need at least two mid-high tier CTWs, so if you can land a gun like Jamayne Isaako in the early mid-rounds, go for it! Picture: NRL Photos

While it is still the most unpredictable and inconsistent position in the game, it is also one of the positions with the highest ceiling. Especially if you can land a starter for one of the NRL’s better attacking teams, a goal kicker or one of the guys with solid base stats

Like 2RF there are some great mid-range options who you can afford to wait on for a while, but I think the game has changed in a way where you can’t afford to not have at least one gun CTW.

Good luck with your drafts in 2024 SuperCoaches! Remember not to do them too early, but also don’t leave it too late! Sometime after trials, but before the season launch would be ideal.

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach Draft rankings 2024: Best fantasy players at every position, top picks