To help make your final selection decisions, in this post we look at the six squads in detail to identify the top fantasy assets, the value options, and the "under the radar" bolters who may just come from nowhere to give your fantasy team the edge.
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ITALY
First up we have Italy. Italy had a strong campaign in 2024, where they beat both Wales and Scotland and drew with France, so they had every right to feel hard done by their 5th place finish. This year they have three home games, so they will be looking to spend another year off the bottom rung of the Championship and potentially go even better than last year.
Despite being the perpetual underdogs, Italy have plenty of talent likely to rack up the fantasy points. While the likes of Ange Capuozzo, Monty Ioane and the tackling king, Michele Lamaro, are always valuable picks, their top fantasy option has to be Tommaso Menoncello (15 stars). A versatile option who is equally comfortable playing wing or centre, he has been in hot form throughout the last 12 months. He followed up his 2024 Six Nations player of the tournament award with a great Autumn where he was the second highest fantasy scoring Centre for the Autumn Nations Series fantasy game with 110 points in just 3 games.
Elsewhere there is plenty of value to be had, none more so than Menoncello's Centre partner Juan Ignacio Brex (14 stars). Playing every minute of Italy's 2023 and 2024 Six Nations campaign, Brex once again got on the scoresheet in Italy's 2024 campaign, and recorded TWO player of the match awards, where he ended up the second highest scoring Centre in the fantasy game, behind only Gaël Fickou.
Finally, looking a bit deeper into the pricing, Italy and Exeter Chiefs’ explosive number 8, Ross Vintcent (12 stars) is great value. A hard carrier with burning pace, Vintcent should rack up the metre points, the tackles and will be a try threat, and with 15 points available for try-scoring forwards, he's well worth considering adding into your team.
WALES
Next up is last year's last place finishers, Wales. Wales ended up with a clean sweep of defeats in last year’s tournament. This was followed by a very tough Autumn Nations Series, and now Wales are on a 12-match losing streak and they find themselves as the lowest on the World Rugby Men's World Rankings out of all the Six Nations teams, currently ranked at 11th. This may well again be a tough campaign for Wales, who also find themselves on the road for 3 of their 5 games, but despite this, the fantasy talent is most definitely there...
Wales' back row has always delivered the fantasy points, and none more so is this evident than in the man they call "Tommy Turnover", Tommy Reffell (17 stars). With 8 turnovers won last year, comfortably the highest of any player, and with the third highest overall tackle count of 78, he was constantly topping the fantasy scoring, with an average score of 29 fantasy points per match. This made him the second highest scoring forward in the game, and despite the hefty price tag, he's well worth investing.
Elsewhere in the back row, Jac Morgan is relatively decent value comparatively at 16 stars. In just 7 URC appearances this season he has a try, 123m carried, 14 defenders beaten, 7 turnovers won, 112 tackles and 6 offloads. Having missed the entire 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, the Wales skipper will be itching to get into the action. He's an exceptional talent, likely to get through a lot of work and deliver big fantasy points.
Looking a bit deeper into the squad, at just 11 stars is Dan Edwards. Uncapped but a phenomenal talent and on several occasions with the Ospreys throughout his short career he has demonstrated an unerring ability to perform under pressure. He's in a contest with Ben Thomas for the 10 shirt, but if he starts, then he's capable of turning in performances that translate to fantasy returns.
SCOTLAND
Last year saw Scotland finish in 4th place, with Scotland playing an exhilarating brand of attacking rugby in an attack spearheaded by the magical Finn Russell. Hopes are high for 2025, however they have suffered the cruelest of injuries to their captain Sione Tuipulotu, who is now out for the entire Six Nations. Out of the Six Nations, they have the 3rd highest Men's World Rankings currently being ranked at 6th, and if they want to go one better than last year, then the match-up vs England at Twickenham on the 22nd February will be a huge factor into the final standings. There is no question that they are stacked with fantasy talent, and here are some of the standout options.
In terms of Scotland’s top fantasy talent, both Huw Jones and Darcy Graham are close contenders, but Scotland's outstanding fantasy option remains Duhan Van Der Merwe (19 stars). Van Der Merwe had another outstanding Six Nations in 2024, including a memorable hat-trick against England. He finished the Championship as joint top try scorer with 5 tries (alongside Dan Sheehan) and carried for 355m, made 6 line breaks, beat 15 defenders, made 3 offloads and 17 tackles. Kicking off his Six Nations campaign against Italy, Van Der Merwe is always a safe choice
Bringing value at his price tag is one the consistent outliers in his position, Pierre Schoeman (13 stars). In 2024 he was once again the highest scoring Prop in the fantasy game, with 18.2 average points per game. This included 2 tries, and he also recorded more tackles than any other prop in the game, with 62 in total.
Looking into the deeper price brackets, possibly stepping in to cover the injured Tuipulotu is Stafford McDowall. McDowall is brilliant value at just 8 stars, one of the cheapest players in the game. An imposing and powerful runner, McDowall’s appearances have been limited for Glasgow this season, but in 4 appearances this season he has still recorded 2 assists, 4 turnovers won, 29 tackles and 3 offloads. In the past he has demonstrated a great tryscoring ability, including 9 tries in 19 matches for Glasgow in 22/23 season and also has 2 international tries to his name in 8 appearances for Scotland.
ENGLAND
Last year saw England finish 3rd place in an inconsistent campaign that had the high point of a home win against the eventual champions Ireland. Hopes were high after this victory, but England then had an ultimately disappointing Autumn Nations Series, after defeats to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. After the Autumn, England have also fallen to 7th in the Men's World Rugby rankings (4th highest of the Six Nations). Despite this, England have one of the most richly talented squads in the Championship, with enormous fantasy potential.
England’s top Fantasy Pick really is a flip between Ben Earl (20 stars) and Marcus Smith (17 stars).
Earl was the top scorer in the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations fantasy game (and the highest scoring forward in the 2024 ANS fantasy game), hence his price tag, which has him as the equal most expensive player in the game. In the 2024 Six Nations, he beat the most defenders of any forward (24), and carried for 419 metres, scored 2 tries and made 63 tackles.
Marcus Smith was the highest scoring player in the Autumn Nations Series fantasy game, delivering in every round, including 48 points against New Zealand, 50 points against Australia, 34 points against South Africa and 43 points against Japan. Smith's kicking in the Autumn obviously brought in plenty of fantasy points with 13 conversions and 9 penalties, but it was his all-round game, including his ability to beat players and create try-scoring opportunities that set his fantasy scoring apart from the rest of the pack.
Elsewhere, there is plenty of value to be had in the English team, including Tom Willis (10 stars). While he has just one England cap to his name, Willis has been immense for Saracens in Premiership Rugby this season. In just 8 starts Willis has carried this season for 530 metres, scored 3 tries, made 2 try assists, beaten 51 defenders, won 8 turnovers, made 135 tackles and made 15 offloads. A bargain if he is selected. Another budget England option with a very high fantasy potential is Cadan Murley (10 stars). Murley appeared twice in 2024 for the England A team and scored 5 tries in just 2 games for them. At club level for Harlequins, this season has seen his best form yet with 10 tries in just 12 appearances, so he’s another budget-friendly option well worth monitoring.
FRANCE
Last year saw Les Bleus finish in 2nd place, and despite not having home advantage in their match this year against the other massive title contenders in Ireland, there will be high expectations to go one step further in 2025. This is particularly following the return of Antoine Dupont to Six Nations action after his Olympics heroics. France will spend most of the tournament on the road, with three away trips, book-ended by the opening and closing matches of the Championship at the Stade De France, but despite this, they will be highly backed in all matches, and they are absolutely stacked with fantasy talent.
With Damian Penaud an injury threat and likely to miss the opener against Wales, their top fantasy talent is Thomas Ramos (19 stars). Likely slotting in at full back after playing fly half during the Autumn, he will deliver points from tries, metres carried, defenders beaten and goals kicked. A truly world class goal kicker, Ramos topped the points scored at the 2023 and 2024 Six Nations. It is his kicking points that truly sets him apart. Last year amongst all Back Three players, despite not scoring a try all tournament, Thomas Ramos scored the highest number of fantasy points, more than Damian Penaud, James Lowe and even the joint top tryscorer Duhan Van Der Merwe. An essential pick.
Slightly less pricey is Louis Bielle-Biarrey (15 stars). LBB had an outstanding Autumn, kicking off with an impressive Player of The Match performance against Japan that resulted in 68 fantasy points, he went on to score 4 tries, carry for 227 metres and beat 12 defenders over the course of the campaign. With 7 tries in 9 matches for Union Bordeaux Bègles in the Top 14 this season, he’s in hot form, and is well worth backing from the off.
Finally, deeper in the value options is Émilien Gailleton (11 stars). Primarily a Centre, Gailleton has great versatility, and after the injury to Damian Penaud for France’s opener against Wales, Gailleton has been spotted in training playing on the wing. With 3 tries to his name from the Centres for Section Paloise in the Top 14 this season and a try for France in the Autumn, he’s a genuine attacking danger and if selected, Gailleton could be a great differential option in the Centres.
IRELAND
Ireland enter the 2025 tournament as reigning champions for a second year and they will be desperate to achieve a rare three-peat. A huge amount will depend on the outcome of the Round 4 match-up, with Ireland facing France at home. With home advantage on their side, Ireland will be feeling confident, and as expected with a side ranked 2nd in the World Rugby rankings, they have team that is filled with world class fantasy talent throughout.
While there are obvious options such as James Lowe, Bundee Aki, Josh Van Der Flier and Caelan Doris, Ireland have one player who is a true outlier in his position; Tadhg Beirne (17 stars). In the 2024 Six Nations, Beirne was the highest scoring Second Row by a considerable margin, where he averaged 28.8 points per game. He outscored his closest second row challenger, Dafydd Jenkins by over 10 points per game. Beirne ranked number 1 amongst second rows for metres carried (159m), lineout steals (3), breakdown steals (2) and tries (2), as well as 2nd for defenders beaten (6).
Ireland also have some notable value options. One of the breakout talents of the 2024 Six Nations was the fly half Jack Crowley. Crowley scored highly in 2024, but in 2025 he has a genuine threat to his position in Sam Prendergast (12 stars). An outstanding kicker, if Prendergast gets the nod in the 10 shirt, he’s a bargain route into the Ireland back line.
Another Irish back who could be massive value if selected is Calvin Nash (12 stars). In good form, in particular with an impressive recent showing for Munster against Northampton in which he crossed over for two tries. While James Lowe has one wing spot sown up, the other is wide open, and if Nash beats Mack Hansen to it, he’s well worth investing in.
All six squads are stacked with experienced talent and new faces set to make a huge impact, and this should make this year’s Six Nations fantasy game one of the hardest to call yet. Some big selection decisions to be made in the lead-up to Round 1, so stay tuned for more fantasy tips in the lead up to the opening night on Friday 31st of January!
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