Fantasy League: Salford Red Devils
5 Mar 2021
The Red Devils have a new coach at the helm in 2021 - Richard Marshall joins the club after a successful stint as St Helens assistant coach. He is joined by several new signings who will look to fill the void left by the clubs off season departures, as they look to build on their recent success in the past two seasons.
Top performers
Krisnan Inu
2020 points: 455
Inu finished 2020 emphatically - his end of season form earning him a place in Super League’s Dream Team. He made just 1 appearance before the enforced break and that game ended prematurely - leaving the field after 10 minutes with a match ending knee injury. His following 9 appearances late on in the year were nothing short of superb – 10 tries, 53 tackle bust and 11 clean breaks all contributing to Inu’s 45.5 average points total.
His goal-kicking also proved valuable as he finished the year with an impressive 91.4% kick efficiency rate – missing just 3 of his 35 goal kicks in 2020. Salford have a lot of fire power in their backline which should equate to plenty of tries in 2021. And if Inu has his kicking boots with him – he’ll be sure to score well with the boot and in fantasy too.
Sit back and enjoy Krisnan Inu's tries from the 2020 season ???
Some class finishes from the @SalfordDevils winger 💪#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/3PVH1WrH7z
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) February 2, 2021
Dan Sarginson
2020 points: 470
The versatile Sarginson filled in at full-back as well as playing in his recognised centre role during a strong 2020. Sarginson’s game is built around effort and he is always front and centre in the action. He averaged 20 carries and over 140 metres a game with his attacking prowess a real asset to his fantasy scoring credentials.
Sarginson also has a skill set to match his work rate – he finished with 5 try assists, 37 tackle busts and 16 offloads last season. His versatility should ensure he plays big minutes despite Salford’s competitive back line – and he should earn points through sheer effort alone – along with the potential to score and set up tries as well.
Tui Lolohea
2020 points: 810
The Tongan international has become the linchpin of the Red Devils spine over the past 18 months. After the loss of Jackson Hastings at the end of 2019, Lolohea quickly became Salford's go to half back - and his fantasy points reflect that. Lolohea made 16 appearances in 2020 and was the focal point of Salford’s attack – particularly with his halves partner Kevin Brown playing limited minutes during the year.
That added responsibility meant Lolohea had more time with the ball – his attacking kicks (89), tries (8), try assists (10) and tackles busts (50) all significantly contributing to his 50.6 average in 2020. As far as half backs go, Lolohea is a safe bet to score well in fantasy - his ownership of Salford's in play kicking and his all-round running threat - mean that he will score points whether he is involved in try scoring plays or not.
Those assists ??✨
2020 round 8, Lolohea running riot with 2 tries and 3 assists for @SalfordDevils #SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/S2AtP6nKBw
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) February 18, 2021
Seb Ikahihifo
2020 points: 664
Ikahihifo will spend 2021 on loan at Salford after a successful spell last year. The prop forward enjoyed a solid season with the Red Devils and looks to be getting back to his best – it wasn’t too long ago that Ikahihifo was selected in the Super League Dream Team.
He averaged 47.4 points in last years fantasy league. A robust ball carrier, Ikahihifo scored well in attack – he made 1213 metres from 159 carries, along with 58 tackle busts. He’s been handed the number 10 shirt for 2021 and with the departure of Gil Dudson, will take on more responsibility in the front row. If he improves on his 41 minutes of average game time from 2020, he should be an improved scorer in fantasy.
Andy Ackers
2020 points: 627
Ackers could be a big mover in 2021 following the departure of Joey Lussick in the off season. He spent just over 40 minutes on the pitch during his 14 appearances in 2020 – something he is likely to improve on this season as he takes over the reins at dummy half.
He averaged 44.7 points last year which equates to just over 1 point per minute on the field. Assessing Lussick’s game time in 2020 (63 minutes average per game), Ackers should be on course to score in the 60’s during 2021 if he replicates the role Lussick had at Salford - and will probably be priced at a lower cost than many of his high scoring rivals in the number 9 jersey.
One to watch
Josh Johnson
2020 points: 173
A premature end to Johnson’s year finished with just 4 appearances in 2020. He had shown signs of real promise before his season was cut short after injury in September - averaging 43.2 fantasy points last year, Johnson scored well in the front row - especially as he spent less than 35 minutes per game on the field.
And with the departure of forwards Gil Dudson and Luke Yates – both big minute players in 2020 – there is a chance for Johnson to step up in the Salford pack and improve on his game time from last year. He has proven he can score well in fantasy when given the opportunity, so could be hot property in 2021.
