Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has thrown a massive spanner in the works for a huge portion of Fantasy coaches by resting most of his squad for Round 26, while there are key players missing for the Storm as well this week.
With most head-to-head leagues playing either an elimination final or grand final this week, and overall coaches bracing for a final couple of efforts to climb the rankings, it's a huge round to be dealing with mass red dots.
Here is everything you need to know from a wild Team List Tuesday on the NRL Fantast front.
NRL Fantasy teams analysis: Round 26
Bulldogs v Panthers, Thursday at Accor Stadium
Bulldogs: There's no Viliame Kikau this week as the EDG battles a skin infection, so $449k DPP Josh Curran starts in his place. Harry Hayes is also out long-term with a hamstring injury. Jacob Kiraz (CTR/WFB, $624k) comes off a last up score of 56 which was his best since Round 21. Matt Burton and Lachlan Galvin both got back to more like their season averages last week and they could be set for a night out against an inexperienced Penrith side.
Panthers: Where to start? An absolute disaster for Fantasy coaches. with a Round 27-style resting spree arriving a week early for the Panthers. Sixteen of Ivan Cleary's frontline group are rested, and yes, that includes all of the Fantasy relevant ones. If there is a silver lining (and it's a stretch to find even the suggestion of one) it's that HLF Jack Cole, who still sits in over five percent of teams, gets a start, while there are free agent value pickups galore for those in Draft leagues.
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Warriors v Eels, Friday at Go Media Stadium
Warriors: A two-try showing propelled Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (CTR/WFB, $545k) to a season-best 69 against the Titans, while there was some joy for owners of cheapie forward Eddie Ieremia-Toeava as well, with a try and increased minutes seeing him hit 52. A move back to the bench really hurt popular EDG Leka Halasima, with just 18 points scored in 26 minutes on the field, and owners should keep him away from the scoring 17 if possible this week. HOK Wayde Egan, who still sits in over six percent of teams, was used for only 50 minutes and had a disappointing 34 points.
Eels: DPP forward J'maine Hopgood is enjoying a decent finish to the season, with a 59 in Round 25 taking him to a last three game average of 56.3. HLF Mitchell Moses also managed 50 points, which remarkably is his best score since back in Round 11, before his injury during the Origin period. Parramatta's four highest owned players all hit under 30 last week, with Joash Papalii (15.28 percent ownership) again showing that he's not a player to be relied on in a Fantasy sense during his rookie season.
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Storm v Roosters, Friday at AAMI Park
Storm: The restings have begun in Melbourne, but it's nowhere near as dire as the Penrith situation for Fantasy coaches. Of the frontline players who have been put on ice, only EDG Eliesa Katoa is super relevant to owners, although Xavier Coates (6.5 percent ownership) had been tracking well on the wing as well. With Harry Grant out suspended, Bronson Garlick (HOK/MID, $402k) takes over at dummy half and can be a consideration in Draft leagues. Trent Loiero and Cameron Munster both comes off 60-point effort in Round 25.
Roosters: Hugo Savala owners can possibly expect a slight uptick in his scoring in the absence of Sam Walker (concussion), with the $592k HLF already travelling nicely with a L3 average of 48. Mark Nawaqanitawase ended a six-game run of <60 scores with a busy outing that ended in a 61. The Roosters' most-owned player, James Tedesco, had an off day which really hurt many of the 21 percent who owned him in Round 25.
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Raiders v Wests Tigers, Saturday at GIO Stadium
Raiders: Early-season gun WFB/CTR Savelio Tamale returns from an injury layoff on the wing. He's a good pickup if you can grab him as a free agent in Draft leagues, but there's not much point in bringing him back into your Classic team at this stage. Joseph Tapine stole the show with a dominant performance that ended in 85 points against the Panthers, while popular forward Corey Horsburgh (70 points) and Zac Hosking (66 points) continued to deliver for owners.
Wests Tigers: The May brothers both impressed last week, with Terrell managing 67 as a heavily captained player and Taylan just a point behind him. While there were much better options as skipper in Round 25, Terrell was far from a disaster and will remain a popular choice this week against a tough Raiders pack. High-performing DPP Adam Doueihi is out though after suffering a facial fracture in the loss to the Cowboys. CTR Starford To'a, who averages 40.1 across the season, returns in the backline.
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Dragons v Sea Eagles, Saturday at Jubilee Stadium
Dragons: HOKs led the way for the Dragons in an ugly defeat last week, with Jacob Liddle top on 67, ahead of Damien Cook on 61. Rookie EDG Jacob Halangahu ($312k) has emerged as a nice end-of-season cash down and looks like being a player to target for 2026 after consecutive scores of 49 and 57. Early season cash cow Lyhkan King-Togia finished on 32 last week, which wasn't bad considering his team failed to score a single point.
Sea Eagles: Round 25 was a massive week for Manly players in Fantasy, with Lehi Hopoate, Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic all finishing on over 90 points. Of that trio, Trbojevic's 92 was the most significant score, with the $582k WFB/CTR owned by almost 14 percent of teams. DPP back Tolutau Koula is travelling well with a L3 average of 57.7.
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Cowboys v Broncos, Saturday at Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Cowboys: On the back of his round-topping 102 in Round 24, Scott Drinkwater had 61 against the Wests Tigers and is rewarding owners who have endured his mostly inconsistent 2025 season. Braidon Burns (CTR/WFB, $612k) continues to perform well beyond what we have come to expect of a player who is owned by less than one percent of teams, with a 58 last week giving him a L3 average of 57. Even with scoring a try, North Queensland's most popular player, Jaxon Purdue, still managed only 34.
Broncos: Reece Walsh went big last week and ended up with 91 points to his name. He's a decent bet to go well again against a Cowboys side who have a poor defensive record. Payne Haas delivered for those who captained him, with a 78-point effort that put him just ahead of fellow forward Jordan Riki (76). Kotoni Staggs is emerging as a point of difference option at CTR, with his 60 last week enjoyed by just over four percent of teams.
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Sharks v Knights, Sunday at Sharks Stadium
Sharks: Gun CTR KL Iro returns from a three-month layoff and is a great player to pick up in Draft leagues if you can find him in the free agent list. $322k MID Jesse Colquhoun gets a start at lock in place of the injured Cameron McInnes. Nicho Hynes (56.7 L3 average) and Blayke Brailey (56.7 L3 average) are the form players for Cronulla.
Knights: In-form EDG Kai Pearce-Paul topped the Newcastle scorers with a 57 last week. with CTR Bradman Best the next best on 45. Powerhouse wing Greg Marzhew is listed as 18th man after being a late withdrawal last week with a back injury, so for the time being Fletcher Hunt remains on the flank.
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Dolphins v Titans, Sunday at Suncorp Stadium
Dolphins: After a 72-point haul last week which ranked him second among EDGs, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki is out with an ankle injury and replaced by Connelly Lemuelu. After a strong run of Fantasy form, HLF/HOK Kurt Donoghoe had his second <50 score in three games against the Sea Eagles, while the Dolphins' most-owned player, Isaiya Katoa, managed only 49 as well.
Titans: Last week Sam Verrills was a strong performer once again on the Fantasy front, with a 58-point effort which marked a fifth-straight game in which he's scored over 55 points. Despite that form, Verrills (HOK, $693k) is still owned by under one percent of teams. Jayden Campbell sits in almost 29 percent of teams and hasn't scored under 58 since back in Round 20.
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