NRL Fantasy: Top 5 Scorers of the Round – Are We Seeing a New Payne Haas?

Round 1 is in the books, and if you managed to dodge all the chaos and land on a few of these top scorers, you’re off to a flyer. This week saw some absolute fantasy explosions, with a couple of familiar faces, a breakout forward (who I hope you all own), and one of the wildest rookie performances you’ll see.

Let’s get into the Top 5 Fantasy Scorers of the Round!

1st – Payne Haas (81 points)

📍 Roosters 14 – Broncos 50, Allianz Stadium

Payne Haas doing Payne Haas things… or is he? Yes, he still punched out 81 points, but here’s the real story—he only played 49 minutes. In previous years, Haas has been a high-minute workhorse, but this game looked different. He went full intensity for shorter bursts, racking up 22 tackles (0 missed), nine tackle busts, four offloads, 165 running metres, and even a try assist.

If this is his new role—lower minutes, higher impact—we need to throw out all previous data on him. This is unprecedented for Haas, and while the blowout might have played a part, it’s something we need to monitor. He’s still a beast, but is he still an automatic captain if he’s not playing 65+ minutes?

2nd – Daly Cherry-Evans (78 points)

📍 Sea Eagles 42 – Cowboys 12, 4 Pines Park

The king of hot-and-cold fantasy scores, Daly Cherry-Evans, was in one of his “on” weeks, delivering 78 points in Manly’s dominant win. He put up a try, two try assists, 133 running metres, and four tackle busts, pulling the strings as Manly cruised past the Cowboys.

DCE is a streaky weapon—when he’s feeling it, he can put up these monster games, but he’s also prone to disappearing. If Manly keeps rolling, he’s gold. If not… well, we’ve all been burned before. Enjoy the ride while it lasts!

3rd – Terrell May (76 points)

📍 Wests Tigers 8 – Knights 10, Campbelltown Sports Stadium

I HOPE YOU ALL OWN TERRELL MAY. I do, and I’m absolutely buzzing about it. 76 points, 65 minutes, 34 tackles (0 missed), five offloads, 189 running metres. Insane numbers.

This was a low-scoring grind, and yet May still found ways to stack fantasy stats. If he keeps getting these minutes, he’s an elite middle option, simple as that. This kind of output in a close loss is exactly what you want—he’s going to be relevant no matter the game script.

4th – Jamie Humphreys (75 points)

📍 Rabbitohs 16 – Dolphins 14, CommBank Stadium

If you don’t already own Jamie Humphreys, you might want to start figuring out how to get him in. The Rabbitohs half came out of nowhere and put up 75 points, thanks to 30 tackles (0 missed), 732 kick metres, a try assist, and goal-kicking duties.

He’s a must-have… but with one big warning. Lewis Dodd comes back next week, and if he takes a chunk of those kick metres, Humphreys’ ceiling will take a hit. If he keeps the bulk of the kicking, though, he’s still great value. Just don’t go in blind—there’s a chance his role shrinks.

5th – Christian Tuipulotu (74 points)

📍 Dragons 20 – Bulldogs 28, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium

A Dragons winger in the top five Fantasy scorers? You don’t see that often, but Christian Tuipulotu made it happen with a hat-trick, three line breaks, nine tackle busts, and 176 running metres. The dude was unstoppable on the left edge.

Now, here’s the thing—outside of Val Holmes, he could be a wild POD to run if you’re brave. If you like playing with fire and swinging for upside, he could be your guy. But personally? I’m not targeting him. Wingers in inconsistent teams are a rollercoaster, and I don’t need that kind of stress in my life.

Final Thoughts

The big talking points from Round 1—Haas’ new role is something we need to track, DCE is doing his usual hot-and-cold thing, Terrell May is an absolute king, Humphreys is a must-have but carries some risk, and Tuipulotu is for the braver Fantasy coaches out there.

Did you own any of these guys? Who’s on your radar for Round 2? Let me know in the comments!

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