Four defeats from five for Leeds leaves Brian McDermott's side in trouble, but can they get back to form against St Helens on Friday?
Saints have four wins from five and are looking to keep pace with the sides at the top of Super League.
Here are the key battles that could decide the game at Headingley...
Beau Falloon v James Roby
There could be an intriguing match-up at hooker on Friday night, where one of Super League's new boys goes up against one of its stalwarts.
The Rhinos fans finally got their first taste of Falloon against Wigan, five games into the new season. A broken toe has kept the man from the Gold Coast Titans out until then and he'll have been frustrated watching his new team-mates struggle in his absence. Now Falloon is fit, he'll be looking to kick on, starting with St Helens on Friday.
He showed what he'll bring to the side in his stint on the pitch last week. Twenty-five tackles is just seven less than the man who has played hooker all season - Rob Burrow. Falloon also carried the ball 11 times, making seven runs from dummy half.
Leeds should expect to see their defence shored up through the middle with Falloon's presence and they'll hope he can snipe round the fringes to good effect. He should be able to swap in and out with Burrow to give opposition defences plenty to think about, so expect Falloon to start upping his game now with that extra match fitness.
The away team's No 9 needs no introduction. Roby is one of England's superstars and consistently turns in top performances week after week. It's no surprise St Helens' only defeat of the season, a 44-10 hammering against Salford, came with Roby absent through injury.
In his four games, he's already recorded 44 runs from dummy half, the most in Super League. He's also made 386 metres (fourth in the St Helens rankings) at an average gain of 7.28m and made 99 tackles. Consistently impressive figures then, while Roby also knows his way to the try line. He's crossed twice this season and Leeds will have bad memories of Roby's last performance at Headingley, which included a stunning individual score. Watch out for those trademark runs from dummy half and don't bet against him popping up with a game-changing moment at some point on Friday night.
Adam Cuthbertson v Alex Walmsley
There is a big clash in the front row between two of Super League's best players in 2015.
One of Leeds' star performers in their treble-winning campaign was Cuthbertson. He brought a different dimension to the Rhinos attack, throwing the most offloads in Super League (125) and making the eighth most metres in the competition (3238m).
Fast forward to 2016 and you can see Cuthbertson's offloading game is still strong, his 14 being the third most in the league. With 601 metres he's still ranking 11th in the competition, topping the Rhinos charts, as well as making the second most tackles in Blue and Amber (170) - good numbers for the Australian, especially considering his side's poor start to the season.
Where Brian McDermott uses him is still up for debate. He's started four out of five games so far, coming off the bench against Catalans Dragons. Last season, he was utilised not only in the front row, but also at No 13 and off the interchange bench, including in the Grand Final. Wherever he plays, expect Cuthbertson to provide plenty of go-forward and watch out for him getting those arms free in the tackle and setting a team-mate away.
As for St Helens, Walmsley is so often the ace in the pack. Super League's highest metre maker in 2015 (4092m), he's putting in similar graft in 2016, notching up an impressive 596m in the five games so far, just behind fellow prop Kyle Amor.
But Keiron Cunningham chose to start Walmsley off the bench in the first two games before promoting him into the starting line-up against Hull KR. After off-season ankle and shoulder surgery, you could have forgiven the 2015 Man of Steel contender for a slow start. But he's come out of the traps strongly again this season, making the highest average gain of any Saints forward (7.64m), the joint-most tackle busts (13) and the third-most carries (78). The other starting prop in the Red Vee, Amor, has been equally effective, and together they form a massive front row that Leeds will have to stop in their tracks to stand any chance of winning on Friday.
Expect Walmsley to put in a strong showing at Headingley against the Rhinos pair of Cuthbertson and Keith Galloway.
Brad Singleton v Jon Wilkin
There could be an intriguing match-up in the loose forward position depending on how the two coaches choose to play.
For Leeds, Singleton has started the last two games at loose forward. It's been an impressive start to the season for the Cumbrian-born 23-year-old despite Leeds' disappointing results so far. He started the first two matches of 2016 on the bench, but recently McDermott has utilised Singleton from the back of the pack as he looks to beef up his side through the middle.
The coach has been rewarded with hard yards - 438 metres made this season, with an average gain of 6.95m the best of any Leeds forward with over 50 carries. Singleton has also proved he can defend through the middle, making 145 tackles so far. But with 13 misses, the third most in the Leeds side, there's clearly still work to be done there.
However, Singleton adds aggression and passion to the Leeds forwards, something badly needed in this horror run of form and he was instrumental in their only win of the season so far, against Huddersfield. He's a valuable option for McDermott, whether he chooses to use him at loose forward, in his more natural position of prop, or off the interchange bench. But with Leeds coming up against a monster St Helens pack, expect to see Singleton adding extra grunt from the No 13 position.
Keiron Cunningham also has a decision over who to play at loose forward. He chose to use captain Jon Wilkin there in the win over Wakefield but Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook has started three of the five Super League games so far in that role. McCarthy-Scarsbrook adds extra grunt, but in a pack led by two monster props in Walmsley and Amor, St Helens could use the guile of Wilkin in the loose forward position.
He's provided four try assists so far, the second best in the team, and crossed the whitewash for two of his own. Wilkin also provides a dangerous kicking option, putting in 10 attacking kicks so far, second behind Luke Walsh. But it's not just in attack where the captain is important. He's the top St Helens tackler so far in 2016, making 177 hits, a whole 50 more than any of his teammates.
No one can guarantee where Cunningham will play Wilkin though. Versatility has always been one of Wilkin's strong points, and he's already played this season at loose forward, second row and at stand-off in the World Club Series against Sydney Roosters. In his second year as captain, Wilkin would love to get his hands on some silverware. Can he help keep the Saints in touch at the top by leading them to victory over Leeds?
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