Fantasy impact from Round 2

It was a disappointing result for Wests Tigers on field in Round 2 with the Newcastle Knights piling on the points to emerge with a big win from Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.

Despite the result, there were still a number of strong NRL Fantasy performers for Michael Maguire's side, with Fantasy coaches eyeing off some big decisions over the next few weeks in regards to which players to bring in.

Here's what we learned from Round 2 and how it impacts your NRL Fantasy side moving forward...

Luciano Leilua settling in to right edge role

For the second straight week since joining Wests Tigers, Luciano Leilua has found himself playing 80 minutes outside Benji Marshall and piling on the Fantasy points as a result. The Samoan international has scored tries in each of his first two games, and backed up a 52 in Round 1 with a 59 on the weekend — leading to a $44K price rise off the back of a $22K rise in Round 1.

With Michael Chee Kam and Chris Lawrence both coming on in middle roles, Leilua looks locked in for big minutes each week at the moment and is definitely a Fantasy option worth jumping on — even if you have missed the initial price rises. An 80-minute role on a dangerous attacking right edge is a great place to be for Leilua and, at $569K, he's still priced reasonably well for some more price rises to come.

Alex Twal is a bonafide keeper

Easily his side's best on Sunday, Alex Twal's 59 tackles without a miss led him to a game-high score of 65 points for Wests Tigers and further consolidated his status as a bonafide keeper for Fantasy coaches. Only Luke Brooks ($747K) comes with a higher price tag than Twal at Wests Tigers, but his $735K is still reasonably good value for a set-and-forget player who you know will churn out points each week.

Twal has already risen in price by $52K this season so it's getting to the more expensive side of his price scale, but it's hard to see his minutes or numbers dropping at all — particularly given the injury to interchange prop Thomas Mikaele.

Billy Walters impresses, but is it time to sell?

Having risen by $87K already this year, Billy Walters has certainly done his job for Fantasy coaches as a cheapie with scores of 50 and 33 so far, and he's also done the job for Wests Tigers on field as a makeshift hooker in the middle.

Playing big minutes with Josh Reynolds in the halves, Walters has been ideal for Fantasy coaches in the early rounds and his popularity in the game confirms as such, but it might be time to start thinking about a sell.

Melbourne hooker Harry Grant has officially joined the club for the remainder of the year and will likely take big minutes at hooker now, while Moses Mbye (knee) is expected to return from injury this week which could push the likes of Adam Doueihi or Reynolds in to a more utility role if needed. Luke Brooks is also closing in on a return in the next few weeks too which will only complicate that further, so it might be time to take the cash made on Walters and run before it drops at all.

It's not too late to sign up for your official NRL Fantasy team in 2020 — visit fantasy.nrl.com to pick your team for the year ahead!