Welcome to the first episode of the Such Is Fantasy NRL Podcast for 2026. Stephen DeFries here — and with Las Vegas Round 1 dropping on Sunday, injuries are already reshaping squads and draft rooms are leaking value. If your draft night got foggy and moved too quickly, this is where you claw it back. There are a stack of players sitting on waiver wires right now that shouldn't be. Let's fix it.
Key Injuries — Don't Avoid On Reflex
Add Haumole Olakau'atu — he has the injury icon next to his name and I'm seeing coaches avoid him outright. He's fit for Round 1. Absolute worst case Round 2. If he's sitting on your waiver, pick him up immediately.
Watch Alex Johnston — icon next to his name, subject to a fitness test. Potentially Round 1, maybe Round 2. Have a peek at the waiver and be ready.
Add Kaeo Weekes — not missing any time. Fit for Round 1.
Drop Terrell May — wait, wrong list. Tyrell Sloan? No. Watch Trent Loiero is being avoided for the wrong reason — he's got a cross next to his name because he's suspended two games, not injured.
Add Mitch Barnett — potential return Round 2 or Round 3. Jump straight on him.
Add Reece Robson — initial reports were 6–10 weeks out. Latest mail is Round 3 or Round 4 at the latest. If Robson is on your waiver, please pick him up.
Add Brendan Piakura — looks like missing one, maybe the first two matches and he missed the World Club Challenge. 10, 12, 14 team leagues — doesn't matter — grab him.
Must-Add Waiver Targets
These are players I've seen sitting on waiver wires across multiple leagues that should not be there. Clear errors. Go get them.
Halfback
Add Adam Doueihi — going to have a great season for the Tigers. Coaches may have avoided him due to the Round 1 bye. He needs to be in the team stat.
Add Tanah Boyd — will be kicking goals in the short term. Potential pick up if you've struggled for halfback depth.
Add Tyran Wishart — one injury away from starting in that Melbourne Storm team. Definitely pick him up.
Hooker
Add Jeremy Marshall-King — should not be on anyone's waiver wire. Top six hooker in the game for me, and hooker depth is thin. Expected return Round 6, 7 or 8. Stash him.
Add Wayde Egan — should not be sitting on any waiver wire. Full stop.
Add Jake Simonds — going to get 80 minutes at Manly, make a ton of tackles, score points. Particularly for 12 and 14 team leagues if you're thin at hooker.
Drop Sandon Smith — he's been benched. Immediate drop if you picked him up.
Watch Ben Hunt — word out of Brisbane is he starts at hooker, but I think it's a job share. 45–50 minute role. I wouldn't do it. Watch Peter Mamouzelos — 80 minutes in place of Brandon Smith, but it's a short-term play if Brandon is back in five weeks.
Front Row & Second Row
Add Jack Williams — should not be on any waiver wires. Just get him into your team immediately.
Add Jackson Ford — I understand the hesitation, but he shouldn't be on a waiver wire, particularly in 14 team leagues.
Add Phil Wh'ite — what are we doing? He's going to have a great season and I think he's going to be very SuperCoach relevant. Make sure he's in your team.
Add Isaiah Papali'i — could have an 80 minute edge role. For 12 and 14 team leagues, he's got to be there.
Watch James Fisher-Harris — minutes typically lower at the Warriors than at Penrith, but output is high. Points-per-minute is great. Don't hate it.
Add Jack de Belin — should get around 55 minutes in a lock position at Parramatta. Really like him as a pick up.
Add Xavier Willison — could have a bigger role in this Brisbane pack over the course of the season. Interesting one.
Drop Josh King — I've seen players racing to get him off the waiver. It's just not a smart decision. Don't touch him.
Fullback
Top 12 fullbacks pretty much pick themselves in 10 and 12 team leagues. One exception:
Add Sua Fa'alogo — gets first crack at fullback for Melbourne. He's electric, quick, evasive. Ball playing is still a work in progress, but he'll score tries and set them up. If he's on your waiver, take a look.
Drop Kaeo Weekes, Will Kennedy, and unfortunately Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad isn't the player he was three years ago on that Warriors prelim run. Not buys.
Centre & Wing (Stacked Position)
Add Paul Alamoti — big favourite of mine. For whatever reason Ivan Cleary didn't have him in the side in the regular season last year — that went to Miller. This season it goes to Alamoti. Ivan has trusted him in the finals series a couple of years in a row now. Alamoti goes to another level this season. Big sleeper.
Add Jirah Momoisea / Jaeman Salmon style pickups are out there, but specifically Daniel Tupou — have a look on your waiver. Deep legs. Going to score some tries this year. That Roosters side should be humming early.
Add Phillip Sami — I really love as a SuperCoach prospect. Gets even better this year.
Add Taylan May — Tigers looked good in the trials. He averaged 70 in his games played last season. With the scoring change making centre-wings more valuable this year and the Tigers looking better in attack, I really like the play. I've seen him on a few waivers.
Add Jermaine Isaako — leading points-scorer in the competition last season. I don't know why he would be sitting there.
Add Sean Keppie? No — Sione Katoa? Close but: Sunia Turuva? Get my final pick: Jack Howarth? No. My final pick scrolling through: Euan Aitken? Scrap. Actually — Jack Bostock is a no-stash from me. Add Isaiya Katoa level pick: Sione Finau? No. The call: "Swan" Cobbe — I would have thought he'd be going a lot higher than his average draft position of 99. Just check he's not sitting on a waiver. That wing slot outside of Herbie Farnworth is going to be prime real estate for the next couple of years. I think the Dolphins are a top four team this year — this is their season.
Long-Term Stashes
Different mindset here. Stashes are long-term plays: is this player going to hold value and be a valuable point-scoring asset later in the season? And are they going to be a trade asset when other coaches in your league get desperate? I like to build a few assets on my bench because at some point, someone's going to get injured and your rivals will want to pick up a player you've got.
Stash Luke Metcalf — current mail is he returns Round 9, 10 or 11. I've picked him up in a couple of my draft leagues to sit on the bench. This isn't for me — this is a trade asset. At some point there's going to be a halfback injury mid-season and someone's going to want Luke Metcalf. Great value.
Stash Jeremy Marshall-King — expected return Round 6, 7 or 8. Hooker position has no depth, and he's a top six hooker for me. Absolute stash.
Watch Robert Toia — expected to play Round 1. Don't mind him depending on league size. Probably for 12 and 14 team leagues, not 10 team leagues.
Drop Candidates & Stash Fades
Drop Xavier Coates as a stash — personally I don't think he's one. There are better options on the waiver to stash.
Drop Leo Thompson as a stash — got a lot of hype at the Bulldogs before the season, but he's going to miss a lot of matches until Round 10. Not a stash.
Drop Jack Bostock — I would not be stashing him. I don't know how he gets back into that Broncos team. With Cobbo, Asako and the other wingers there, there's too much depth. Unless there's an injury, Bostock (who is a gun) doesn't crack the starting side.
Watch Tom Chester — in deeper leagues, just be aware Zac Lomax may return from suspension and grab a starting spot in his place. Chester may not be in that team moving forward after Round 2.
Waiver Strategy — Win Your League From The Couch
Lockout is rolling. You can move things around, particularly with a split weekend like this one. Just be aware of your auto emergency. I have Reece Robson sitting in my hooker position — he's not playing the first four or five rounds — so one of my bench players is going to auto-emergency for me. I've stashed players who aren't playing a couple of weeks to make sure that bench player has a high score. For me, that's Sua Fa'alogo.
Team list alerts. Stay on top of injury reports and late mail. Set an alarm for 90 minutes — there's been a change. It's no longer 60 minutes before game time, it's 90 minutes before a game that team lists drop. Even better: follow Adam Styles on X and set an alert for his updates. He posts team lists at the moment they're released, concise, clear — lets you make decisions on the fly. Not everyone in your league is taking it this seriously. This is where you get real advantages.
Trades. Most leagues let you package two or three players for one. I like doing that to grab assets. When you're negotiating, look for vulnerabilities — later in the season, teams desperate to make finals is when you swoop.
Waiver Wire Priority List
That's Episode 1 in the books. Injuries, waiver targets, stashes, strategy — now go check your waiver, grab the players your league mates are sleeping on, and enjoy Vegas Round 1 this weekend. Not everyone in your league is taking it this seriously. That's the edge. Let's go.
This episode recap is from the Such Is Fantasy NRL SuperCoach & Fantasy Podcast. Catch every episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and follow Stephen on TikTok.