In NRL Supercoach, the fastest way to climb the ranks or score a win in your head-to-head league is to nail the big bye rounds.
Now that we’re already at Round 18, it is coaches’ last opportunity to take advantage of this for the 2025 season — and it is a must if you take your Supercoach seriously!
For argument’s sake, we’re going to leave off the players most competitive SuperCoaches already own — think Terrell May (60% ownership), Ryan Papenhuyzen (50% ownership), and Reuben Garrick (47% ownership).
So without further ado, these are the players you need in your SuperCoach team this week.
James Tedesco – $828,200
Tedesco isn’t just the best player to have this week — he is actually the best player in the game this season, with a league-leading 89.4 points per game in 2025.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but at just 33.8% ownership, the Roosters fullback is still grossly underowned heading into Round 18.
The Roosters also have a dream matchup against the Wests Tigers, who are not only on a six-game losing streak but will also be without several key players including Jarome Luai, Jahream Bula, and Api Koroisau.
With a three-round average of 98 points and a career 83-point average against the Tigers (his 5th best career opposition average out of 17 teams), Tedesco does not just shape up as a must-have option, but also the number one captaincy choice this week.
MORE: NRL injury list updated
Scott Drinkwater – $690,500
The Cowboys number one is coming off the best score of Round 17, with a scintillating two-try performance worth 134 Supercoach points.
Remarkably, despite being the 7th-best averaging player of the season and extremely affordable, Drinkwater is only in 25.9% of Supercoach teams heading into this week’s games.
A third of Drinkwater’s games this season have resulted in 100+ scores, and he is coming up against a Storm side making the long trek to Townsville without their Origin stars.
Despite having tougher opposition this week, Drinkwater has also proven relatively matchup-proof this year, with 11 of 15 matches seeing him score 70+ points.
Jahrome Hughes – $682,100
This season has been below the lofty standards Hughes has set, with 69 points per game being his worst average in three years.
Despite that, he is now coming off scores of 113 and 136 in two of his last three games, and looks primed for a big finish to the season.
To kick off 2025, the Storm maestro seemed to struggle with his attack, but has again found his running game, scoring four tries in the last three matches.
At just over 20% ownership, and up against a Cowboys side prone to defensive lapses, this selection seems like an easy one to make.
However, one of the reasons Hughes is so valuable this week is that many coaches will not be able to fit him into their halfback slot, making the opportunity even better if you can trade him in.
There are a lot of ways to dominate this week’s bye round in Supercoach, but having players who can score 100+ is key.
While the above names are not point-of-difference (POD) ownership levels, they are priorities for success in what is always an interesting yet challenging week for SuperCoaches.