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The Crows are preparing for a future without classy small forward Eddie Betts with the inclusion of former Tiger Tyson Stengle. Ty’s an exciting small forward forward who has speed to burn, is composed in tight traffic and adds class and goal sense. 

Under the mentoring of Eddie, Crows fans should have plenty to be excited about because at under 18 level, VFL and his few AFL games he’s shown plenty of spark. However, he faces tough competition from Shane McAdam and also Lachie Murphy for the final spot available in the Crows forward line this season.

From a fantasy perspective he’s yet to score above 50 in any format from his 2 AFL games, so for me he’s unlikely to to be a big scorer even if he can crack the side. That said, he’ll likely be a higher priced ‘rookie’ in range and if he can get into the side and if we lack forward options he may then make some coaches shortlists. 

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Depending on what fantasy footy communities you are part of you may already have landed at a decision on the hyphen.  Some believe he could be one of the underpriced breakout stars of next year who’ll take the opportunity and be massive for us, while others believe he’ll continue to plod along, and while be serviceable for the Suns he posses little to no fantasy relevance at his new home. 

For me i’m more in the later camp on George Horlin-Smith but am very open to being proved wrong. The reason being is that while he’s been a quality person and player at the cats, he’s never really shown fantasy chops, even at VFL level. Over the past 5 years in the VFL  he’s never averaged more than 26 disposals a game, and at least in AFLFantasy has never averaged over 100. Since 2012 at the elite level he’s only averaged over 70 once across each format at that was in 2017. As yet, he’s yet to consistently put it all together (from a fantasy perspective) in multiple consecutive games. As I said, i’m open to him changing my mid over the preseason, but at his price point I see great scoring value from some other cheaper midfield options. 

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The former draft top 10 pick is a developing rebounding defender who is a classy ball user with a reliable left foot. He brings some fantastic agility for a player over 190cm and makes good decisions with ball in hand and is clean in the marking contest. 

While his few seasons at the Suns have only netted him just the 4 career AFL games, Scrimshaw was always going to be more of a project player that while he showed some fantastic under 18 moments he was going to need time to develop his game.

At Hawthorn he’ll get this both in a development in a time sense but also in opportunities. While he might not be ready right now, in time he’s going to be a fantastic replacement for someone like Grant Birchall who’s starting to come towards the end of his career. 

Whenever he does get games, he will be basement priced as a rookie but at this stage I  don’t see him cracking into the Hawks side early in the year. He also hasn’t set the world on fire just yet in the NEAFL averaging just the 19 disposals and 4 marks a game. In time, he could develop into a very fine player. I’m unlikely to have him in my starting squad calculations at this stage, but given the preseason is yet to begin that could very well change. 

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While North Melbourne missed out on the big free agency fish in Andrew Gaff you’ve got to give some credit to the list management team. They identified several key issues and targeted players who could add some speed, outside run and carry and some class finishing and the inclusion of Aaron Hall will certainly help in some of those areas.

It was in the final few months of 2015 were saw the fantasy footy emergence of Hall, prior to this point he’d be a handy half forward who added some goal sense but was largely fantasy irrelevant. However, a forced move into the midfield meant in his final 7 games of the year he averaged 112 in SuperCoach and 106 in AFLFantasy. The trend continued on in 2016 where from his 17 games he averaged 95 in SuperCoach and a fantastic 105 in AFLFantasy. 2017 was still solid all be it a small step backwards in scores with his 19 games returning a SuperCoach average of 92 and AFLFantasy 98.  Last year the wheels fell off, a mixture of form, low defensive pressure and injury ruined his season leaving him to play just the 6 games and average in the 70’s across all formats.

When Aaron is at his best, he’s using his speed and dare to break open the game from stoppages and congestion and also being used as a link up runner. If he can get back to his best, and if he’s given the midfield opportunities then Hall presents potentially huge value on investment as he’s likely 20-35 points per game underpriced. 

My big question mark isn’t so much on his fantasy scoring potential, but on what impact does his inclusion along with Polec and Tyson into the midfield have on the Roos midfield synergy? Multiple new and experienced faces coming into the same side and at the same time, we saw this play a big factor in Port Adelaide last year, and it will take time for this new midfield group to gel and find a rhythm. Does this impact Hall’s fantasy scoring? I’m not sure, but I will be watching the preseason closely. 

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I (MJ) normally like to take plenty of time on players and evaluate their potential fantasy footy relevance and not just quickly dismiss them. However, for Sam Lloyd I won’t be spending much time on him. Across his 5 year career at Richmond he’s never averaged over 70. Outside of his first season where he was rookie priced scores and averages sub 70 are never worth ever considering in drafts or salary cap formats. 

Yes, he’ll add some goal sense, forward pressure and a extra dynamic for their Bulldogs forward line, however, for Fantasy coaches he’s irrelevant. 

PASS!

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Depending on which side of the fence you sit on you think this trade is a massive win for either the Blues or Giants. As a former top 5 draft pick at the cost of a future 2nd round pick and 3rd round pick this could be a HUGE win for the Blues if he can deliver on his talent. However, you can easily see the other side of the fence, and see a player who ‘yes’ posses massive potential but has seen that been crushed by injury for multiple seasons in a row.  

In his first game at the elite level he scored 70 in AFLFantasy and 63 in SuperCoach, his second and last (at current) game saw him score in the 20’s but was a score impacted by a concussion. 

Regardless of whether he holds MID/FWD DPP or is just a midfielder only, in salary caps (and arguably deep keeper leagues too) he’s going to be massively relevant due to a) his starting price and b) the fact that he walks straight into the Blues best 22. While scoring ceiling for cash cows IS an important factor, job security could arguably be even more so. No point being able to average 80+ in a game if you can’t stay in the side for 6-8 weeks in a row. Will when he does debut for the club will stay in the side, and I expect as a basement priced rookie he’ll be in most squads for the more serious fantasy coach. 

Coming back from an ACL injury means we do need to temper our scoring expectations on him, that said by the time the season rolls around it will have been over 13 months since the initial injury. 

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This isn’t the first time I (MJ) have penned a trade article about Dom Tyson. After spending 2 seasons and playing 13 games at GWS, Tyson was traded to Melbourne. 

In his first year at Melbourne (2014) he was incredibly fantasy relevant, in part due to his pricing that year which was a fully fattened priced rookie but he rewarded coaches as he played all 22 games and averaged 90+ in SuperCoach and AFLFantasy. 

It’s not the only season Tyson has averaged over 90, back in 2016 he hit that mark for both SuperCoach and AFLFantasy. While these are not premium numbers they are draft  and daily fantasy relevant. 

At North Melbourne he (along with Aaron Hall & Jared Polec) will add some depth and experience to a midfield group that needs in. Most notably for Dom his strength is in winning clearances and his inclusion in the side will take less of the dependance off Ben Cunnington and Shaun Higgins who for most parts have been the lone rangers in the Kangaroos midfield. 

Despite some solid fantasy seasons and multiple 90+ seasonal averages, I don’t have the confidence that despite him being priced 10-15 points per game under his potential I don’t think that’s enough ‘value’ to jump on him as a mid priced option. Potentially he’s worth a spot in AFLFantasy if you believe he could average 95+ over the first 5-8 weeks and then quickly sideways trade him, but even then I think we’ll get better value return on other players. 

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Some trades just don’t make sense, and not just from a biased SuperCoach or AFLFantasy footy perspective. For the past few year Braydon Preuss aka The Prius has been the replacement in waiting for Todd Goldstein and with Goldy turning 31 midway through the upcoming season his time as the #1 ruck at the Kangaroos looked to be fast approaching. 

However, despite clubs like Adelaide, West Coast and even GWS all looking to replenish their weakened ruck stocks Braydon was traded to the club of his choice, Melbourne, a side that has arguably the leagues best ruck in Max Gawn who (for the record) will have just turned 27 as the 2019 season rolls around. 

With Gawn in the side, The Prius will not be a sole ruck, a role that he’s enjoyed and scored well at AFL when given the opportunity. The only way the he was going to be relevant (especially in salary cap formats) was to play the #1 ruck role, something he will not hold at his new club.

The big question is, does he play in the side and as such, impact the ruck times of Big Max? As yet the club are yet to publicly comment on how they plan to structure up in 2019, however, with Tom McDonald more than a capable relief ruck option I believe Simon Goodwin will not use Braydon as anything more than insurance for Gawn. As such, he’s only relevant if Max suffers an injury or in draft leagues where you can handcuff him with Gawn. 

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Dean Kent is an astute pick up for the club and will add some speed and also some defensive pressure inside forward 50, something St Kilda will need with the delisting of Mav Weller, but how much will we see him on the park? Last year (2018) he played just the 5 games at AFL level, and only 5 in the VFL. The year prior it was a combined 14 games across AFL/VFL.  If he can get his body right he’s certainly shown he can score well enough when given the chance, but his injury history is not the only concern. 

In his first 2 games of the year he scored 86 & 93 in AFLFantasy while in SuperCoach he scored 113 & 105. As positive as those 2 games are in terms of potential, if you look over his 6 seasons in the AFL he’s never averaged over 71 across any format. Added to this, only once has played more than 15 games in a year, which certainly doesn’t lend itself to his injury history giving you confidence he’ll get through a full season. 

Given his role at the Demons, his midfield minutes were limited, and while this could change at St Kilda I’d need to see something drastic to consider him in the salary cap versions of the game. 

Potentially a viable Daily Fantasy Sports option if he gets the right match up (Saints do play the Suns in round 1) and worth a late round pick up in your draft if your needing someone to fill a squad bench spot.

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Much has been made over the injury history of this once former premium midfielder. He’s fallen far from the dizzy heights of his 2015 & 2016 where he averaged 110 & 108 in AFLFantasy and 113 both seasons in SuperCoach. 

Ever since injury ended Grand Final back in 2016 we’ve sadly not seen the best of Dan Hannebery due to a lower leg injury and then a groin injury the impeded his ability to run and cover the ground, something that’s one of his key weapons when at the peak of his powers.  

You may look at his previous seasons and automatically lock up Dan as a walk up starter across all formats, and while he does present potential value of 30-40 points per game on his average he does come with potential risks, most notably his body.  Before you ‘throw away the key’ I’d be wanting to see him get through and do a vast majority of the preseason at St Kilda. 

Will he be a ‘keeper’ and bounce back to his 110+ seasons? Unlikely, so in DreamTeam & SuperCoach he’ll either transition to your M9 emergency or be someone you save a trade and look to upgrade. This is a common approach and strategy for coaches who look to the mid-price option. While in AFLFantasy, I can see him highly popular starting option where the risks are considerably more minimised with the 2 trades per week. 

I’ll be watching his pre-season with great interest and won’t lock him in or out out my plans until I see the prices and positions released in December. 

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