Getting off to a fantasy flyer is absolutely key, so a strong selection from the beginning is needed. But where are you best placed to invest your precious 230-star budget? Here are 5 names that are well worth looking at as fantasy assets that will get you off to a strong start in your fantasy points-scoring.
We start with one man who has been the picture of consistency at international level for the last two years, Thomas Ramos (19 stars). With the return to fitness of Romain Ntamack, Ramos will likely be starting for France at fullback for the Guinness Men's Six Nations. From 15 he is a genuine triple threat for tries, attacking metrics and goals kicked. A truly world-class goal kicker, Ramos topped the points scored at the 2023 and 2024 Six Nations (63 and 84 respectively) and scored the highest number of conversions at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The 2024 Men’s Six Nations fantasy game showed us that kickers were key to fantasy success. In the 2024 tournament, 4 of the top 10 average scorers with 4 or more appearances were kickers (Paolo Garbisi on 29.4 points a game; Finn Russell on 29.2 points a game; Thomas Ramos on 28.8 points per game; and Jack Crowley on 27.6 points per game). In fact, in the Back Three, Thomas Ramos had the highest average score of any player, more than Damian Penaud, James Lowe and even Duhan van der Merwe! And this was without him even scoring a single try.
This is not to downplay Ramos' attacking and defensive abilities: he’s also a threat with ball in hand, carrying for 274m with 17 defenders beaten, 23 tackles and 4 offloads. This outstanding form continued in the Autumn Nations Series, where Ramos scored 52 points against Japan in Round 1, 60 points in a Player of The Match performance against New Zealand in Round 2, and 34 points in Round 3 against Argentina. Amongst many other impressive stats in that campaign, he also recorded 3 try assists and 2 50-22s. He’s got the ability to score points through multiple actions so, for me, when he plays, he has to be selected. In general, if you find a kicker outside of the fly-half spot, like Ramos, then get them in. It’s a no-brainer.
Next up is a teammate of Thomas Ramos, and a firm favourite of the fantasy game: the prolific try-scorer Damian Penaud (19 stars). Penaud is coming into the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations in the hottest of form. At the time of writing, in his last two games for Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the Champions Cup, Penaud has scored a total of NINE tries, carried for 351 metres, made 4 try assists, made 12 line breaks, beat 12 defenders and made 4 offloads.
While he had a subdued 2024 Championship by his lofty standards, with just 1 try to his name, Penaud still finished the tournament with the highest number of defenders beaten of any player with 27, made 3 try assists and carried for a huge 420 metres. He also missed the whole of the Autumn Nations Series with illness, so will be desperate to get back to the pace of international rugby. In his current form, it would take a very brave person not to slot Penaud straight into their Back Three.
Another Back Three player who has delivered again and again in the Six Nations, and should do more of the same in 2025, is Duhan van der Merwe (19 stars). Van der Merwe had another outstanding Six Nations campaign in 2024, finishing the Championship as joint-top try-scorer (on 5) alongside Dan Sheehan. Van der Merwe’s try tally in 2024 was the joint-most by a Scotland player in a campaign, along with the five he scored in 2021.
Van der Merwe’s fantasy points hauls in 2024 were not just as a result of his tries: he also generated points from the huge volume of work he achieved around the field including 355m carried, 6 line breaks, 15 defenders beaten, 3 offloads and 17 tackles. He’s been performing solidly for Edinburgh in the URC this season with 4 tries and is currently 4th in the URC for line breaks (12), 4th for defenders beaten (30) and 4th for metres carried (464m), and always raises his game for the Six Nations (especially against England, with six tries in total against them). Kicking off his Six Nations campaign against Italy, Van der Merwe is a safe choice.
Moving into the forwards, and one name that can not be ignored is the top scorer from the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations fantasy game: Ben Earl (20 stars). In every round in 2024 Earl delivered a huge volume of points, peaking in Round 4 when he scored a monumental 72 in England’s defeat of Ireland. Earl made the most carries (73) of any player in the Six Nations in 2024 and beat the most defenders of any forward (24). In fact, Billy Vunipola is the only forward from any nation to make more in a single campaign (25 in 2016).
Over the course of the entire campaign, Earl carried for 419 metres, scored 2 tries and made 63 tackles. The Saracen was also the highest fantasy-scoring forward in last year's Autumn Nations Series, where he carried in total for 276 metres and beat 9 defenders (no other forward got close to this volume of carrying). In the ANS, he also got a try, a try assist, 2 offloads, 2 breakdown steals and 59 tackles.
A point to note is that with Earl’s club teammate Tom Willis also called up, Earl may move from number 8 to an openside flanker role, matching how they operate at Saracens. This may impact his style of play, but nonetheless, with the points scoring updated to now be 15 points a try for a forward, Earl should always go well and should also usually be a safe captain pick.
Also likely to line up for England is the highest-scoring fantasy player from the Autumn Nations Series: Marcus Smith (17 stars). Smith delivered the fantasy points in all 4 games he played in that campaign. Scoring 48 points in Round 0 against New Zealand, 50 points in Round 1 against Australia, 34 points in Round 2 against South Africa and 43 points in Round 3 against Japan, Smith was the most fixture-proof “set it and forget it” option in the fantasy game. His kicking obviously brought in plenty of 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.
Smith only played a bit part for England in the 2024 Six Nations, with just 2 appearances off the bench, but his showings in the ANS would have solidified his position, and with the flexibility to play at both fly-half and fullback, he will surely again prove to be a valuable fantasy asset.
As the clock ticks down to the opening weekend of the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, the time to lock in your fantasy team is fast approaching. Whether you’re banking on consistent performers like Ramos and Earl, or backing explosive game-changers like Penaud, Van der Merwe, and Smith, these five players offer a mix of reliability and high-scoring potential.
Remember, a well-balanced squad and a strong start can set the tone for your entire fantasy campaign. So, dive into the stats, make those final tweaks, and get ready to chase fantasy glory!
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