The star-studded premiers will have some big NRL Fantasy scorers once again this season, led by their superstar fullback and a couple of big names who could improve on their 2019 numbers.
James Tedesco
Winger/fullback, $870,000
Tedesco's 2019 campaign was one of the great Fantasy seasons for a fullback, eclipsing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's monster 2015 campaign with the Roosters and going close to matching Jarryd Hayne's superhuman 62 points a game for Parramatta in 2014. Tedesco scored 59.6 points per game, even after starting the season with just 18 points against the Rabbitohs (from that point on he averaged 61.7). He managed to shine in a superstar Tricolours outfit – at the end of the season he had scored 18 tries and added 13 try assists, while leading the league for run metres, tackle breaks and line breaks. He's a must-have player at some stage in 2020, the only question is whether you buy him at the start of the year or find the cash to afford him later on.
Jake Friend
Hooker, $612,000
Here's a quick rundown of Jake Friend's Fantasy season last year. He kicked off the season with a sensational 92-point effort against Souths, featuring a try and 68 tackles. Then missed round two, was injured in round three (scoring 17 in 33 minutes), returned in round seven with 66 points, another injury lay-off, returned in round 17 with 73 points including another try, then scored six points in eight minutes before being injured again in round 18.
That chaotic season resulted in a season average of 50.8 – the kind of score you can generally expect from a hooker who makes close to 50 tackles a game – but after playing just five games he'll start 2020 priced as a 42-point player. That would usually make him a bargain buy except for the rise of premiership-winning hooker Sam Verrills at the Roosters last year. Friend needs 80 minutes to post decent Fantasy numbers so if Verrills takes game time off him again his Fantasy prospects will plummet.
Angus Crichton
Second-rower, $695,000
He was the club's star recruit in a premiership-winning season, but Crichton's first year at the Roosters was a little quieter than expected. He still produced good numbers – scoring 47 points a game – but it wasn't on the same level as his destructive performances for South Sydney in the previous two years. In 2017 and 2018 Crichton averaged 60 and 55 respectively, scoring 10 tries across those seasons as an 80-minute edge forward, while last season he came off the bench six times in the regular season and was used at times in the middle. It means he has upside if he gets back to his destructive best – or at least keep an 80-minute edge role all season – and he can certainly improve on the two tries he scored in 2019.
Roosters starting prices in 2020
| James Tedesco | $870,000 | WFB |
| Angus Crichton | $695,000 | 2RF |
| Siosiua Taukeiaho | $677,000 | FRF |
| Nat Butcher | $674,000 | 2RF |
| Boyd Cordner | $613,000 | 2RF |
| Jake Friend | $612,000 | HOK |
| Jared Waerea-Hargreaves | $607,000 | FRF |
| Luke Keary | $589,000 | HLF |
| Victor Radley | $546,000 | HOK, 2RF |
| Kyle Flanagan | $533,000 | HLF |
| Isaac Liu | $524,000 | FRF, 2RF |
| Joseph Manu | $503,000 | CTR |
| Mitchell Aubusson | $501,000 | 2RF, CTR |
| Daniel Tupou | $496,000 | WFB |
| Sam Verrills | $479,000 | HOK |
| Brett Morris | $464,000 | WFB |
| Ryan Hall | $450,000 | WFB |
| Billy Smith | $425,000 | CTR |
| Drew Hutchison | $417,000 | HLF |
| Matt Ikuvalu | $392,000 | WFB, CTR |
| Sitili Tupouniua | $356,000 | 2RF |
| Lindsay Collins | $275,000 | FRF |
| Poasa Faamausili | $246,000 | FRF |
| Lachlan Lam | $246,000 | HLF |
| Asu Kepaoa | $228,000 | WFB |
| Fletcher Baker | $228,000 | 2RF |
| Max Bailey | $228,000 | 2RF |
| Daniel Fifita | $228,000 | FRF |
| Egan Butcher | $228,000 | 2RF |
