How good was Friday night! The start of the round. Another weekend of SuperCoach for us. And to top it off, Tommy Highmore makes it back into the team! A late in for the Saints and a big win for plenty of coaches, a number of whom were no longer having to contemplate a donut in their defence.
Geelong got the win as expected, with the usual suspects of Cam Guthrie and Mitch Duncan performing well. I’m just annoyed I have neither of them in my team even after having an eye on them for so long.
As the Swans took the points over the Pies Tom Hickey continued to reward coaches. If you’ve had him since the start of the season you’d be a very happy coach. Not only is he making cash but he’s making plenty of precious points in the ruck line. He top scored for the match, which at 118 doesn’t really speak well of the rest of the players on the field.
In their first win for the season North toppled the Hawks and Jy Simpkin reminded us of his high ceiling. Remember him from last season? A score of 164 rewarded the 1.9% of coaches that own him and was the highest score across all lines. Others, like Goldstein, Cunnington, and Hall all scored well for North too. For the Hawks they had a few tons, but nothing to really change our plans. In the tale of the Tommy’s, Tom Mitchell only just got over his BE for the round and is still a very good price at 532k.
Brisbane annihilated Gold Coast through the likes of Dayne Zorko, Jarryd Lyons, and Hugh McCluggage. Every one of these players is worth having in your side, particularly with Neale out. Over and over again they score tons and often high ones and that. I think we’ll just move past the Suns this week.
A great comeback from the Tigers saw them get up over GWS. There were plenty of points going around in this game, and particularly pleasing were the scores for Josh Kelly and Matt Flynn owners. Toby Greene is now out for a month though, so more pain for coaches hoping to finalise their forward lines. The Tigers had Baker and Martin top their team scores, but what is also important for cash generation is Collier-Dawkins’ 88. He spent considerable time in the midfield and around the ball. He’ll be earning good cash in coming weeks with the amount of injuries Richmond are dealing with.
The Doggies, headed by Marcus Bontempelli, Jackson Macrae, and Caleb Daniel, had a good win over Port. Wines and Boak did their things for their coaches, but it is the long injury list that has caused havoc for many.
Darcy Parish, Nick Hind, and Jordan Ridley all had good games for the Bombers win over Freo. Ridley is about as low as you’ll get him so it might be time to pounce and shore up your defence. Sean Darcy continues to put up good scores for the 2% of teams that have him and Andrew Brayshaw rewarded the 21,000 coaches that have him.
Melbourne keep rolling on, causing all sorts of confusion for their fans and fans in general. The confusion surrounds them actually winning games, which now looks like they can actually do it with consistency, but also for their members who have to decide when they should duck off up to the winter chalet for that well deserved mini-break. I digress.
There were some excellent scores from some of the families faces–Clayton Oliver, Tom McDonald, Max Gawn, Christian Salem, and Christian Petracca. Gawn may not have had the score we wanted, particularly as a captain’s choice, but James Jordon will continue making cash for us over the upcoming bye rounds. For Carlton, the two Sam’s–Docherty and Walsh–kept their end up (for Supercoach at least). And after the debacle of a presser by their coach this week it seems they replicated his form on the field.
The final game of the round saw the Eagles beat the Crows. West Coast have many players worth considering for our teams–Tim Kelly, Nic Nat, and Alex Witherden to suggest a few. They all scored well and showed their value this week. Witherden particularly, at 428k, is a D6 possibility.
All in all another solid round with a few positives and challenges along the way. All the best for the coming weekend.
As Monty Python’s “The Life Brian” reminds us, we’ve always got to look on the bright side of life. For despite another round of carnage for many coaches there were plenty of positives to take away from this weekend’s games. Let’s at least name some of these before moving to the more critical issues many have to deal with.
Nine tons from the Eagles meant there were plenty of coaches happy with some of their selections. Liam Duggan top scored and Alex Witherden had a great debut. There’s a couple of possible options in an already packed defensive line.
The Bulldogs do what the Bulldogs do and have such great midfield depth that plenty get on the scoreboard. Josh Dunkley, Jackson Macrae, and Marcus Bontempelli were all exceptional for our teams. Even when Bont goes forward he still manages to grab the points we want him to, it’s just a beautiful thing right now.
Surely we all want Lance Franklin to reach 1000 goals in his career. If that’s the case then we may see more scores like that on Saturday. It was a tough loss in the end for the Swans, mind you, all us Matt Flynn owners are possibly in for a tough few weeks still as Shane Mumford and his 669 owners continue to celebrate. He was the highest scorer and only ton for GWS.
Port Adelaide did a number on Carlton and also had plenty of 100’s. Sam Walsh the only consolation for Blues fans with a terrific 144.
Lachie Neale did what all his owners have wanted him to do all season. He showed what he’s capable of and the high ceiling he has. His fellow midfielder, Hugh McCluggage was also impressive and is perhaps one to keep an eye on. Zach Merrett the only positive for the Dons.
There were some good scores in the Crows–Dockers game. David Mundy keeps going, Liam Ryan another good option for us in the backline, Nat Fyfe and Andrew Brayshaw all in the mix as well.
Reilly O’Brien looks like a genuine upgrade target for those, like me, having to deal with a disastrous ruck situation. Locking him in alongside Max Gawn, who absolutely dominated and is now the number one scorer not only in his position but overall, would be a consistent combo.
Geelong didn’t have to do too much to beat North, but Tom Stewart and Sam Menegola certainly provided a helpful lift for some coaches. Jack Ziebell continues on with his excellent scoring and is currently the third best forward in the game.
See, there are plenty of positives to talk about. But, yes, you’re right. There are issues galore as well. One way to look at this past weekend is to see it through the tale of the Jordan’s.
Friday night didn’t go well for any Pies supporters or Jordan De Goey coaches. Having to deal with a score of 4 just makes it a tough round, having him drop by $57.6k is salt into the wounds, and then the fact that he’ll miss next week as well. I don’t know what that is, death by a 100 papercuts? Coaches will have to decide though, is it an easy sell or a gutsy hold?
The other Jordan is old mate Jordan Ridley. Off with concussion saw his score stand at 31 and he’ll also miss the ANZAC Day clash. What made this one worse for many coaches was the decision to offload Caleb Daniel to upgrade to him. That is the definition of carnage.
And the final Jordan worth mentioning here is Jordan Clark. These rolling team selections are causing issues every weekend and this week over 50% of teams were impacted by his omission from the Cats squad.
There’s more we could speak of here too; Mumford taking Flynn’s spot in the ruck, breakevens creeping higher and higher for a number of our rookies, and the few downgrade options coming through.
Whatever weekend you had, I hope you make decisions you’re happy with in the coming days. After all, we’ve got to look on the bright side don’t we?
After a big day of footy, MJ & Rids shared the duty to review the mini WA derby. Here’s the lads review of the AAMI Community series review.
Andrew Gaff
Did Andrew Gaff things. He ran a lot. Hw found the ball a lot. He got booed a lot. If you like him then he did everything he needed
Liam Duggan
Played through the midfield and looked right at home. if you were bullish on him as a breakout defender then tonight’s clash should have only furthered that resolve.
Shannon Hurn
He’s not done with yet. Had 24 disposals, 8 marks, and was one of only 3 players with over 450 metres gained in the game. He’s not a ‘classic’ format selection, but still very worthwhile in a draft.
Alex Witherden
Played a fantasy footy friendly role off half back. ‘Witho’ had 15 kicks from his 16 disposals and linked up nicely with the other Eagles defenders with plenty of marks. Like Hurn above, he’s more draft relevant than classic relevant. But I (MJ) wouldn’t talk anyone out of him if they were bullish on him. He has that role across the backline now that Duggan is a midfielder.
The 2020 break out star appears to be ready to break into the top elite mids of the comp. He is very fantasy and nothing in this game says he won’t take another jump this year.
Minairo Frederick
Ok this is a surprise. Never thought I would be writing about this guy. Truth is though he sat out on a wing and ran and ran and ran. He has a crazy good leap on him and his hands are clean. Not sure salary cap option (stranger things have happened) but might be worth looking at him as a last pick in the draft formats. Very speculative but he impressed me
Nathan Fyfe
Gun. Played a lot of mid then a lot of fwd. Biggest thing though was he moved very well after copping a knock early. SC All day option.
Hayden Young
Loves to get ball then run quickly then kick. Nicely priced across all formats. Always love my fantasy guys to use hands to mark the ball and tackle opposition. It is called football after all Young likes kicking.
Lloyd Meek
Really surprised by his leap. Kid can play. Lobb injury will mean Meek should play whether Darcy is available or not. He is the perfect r3 option as Darcy is likely to be injured again in the next month judging by history
Ethan Hughes
Cracking game by Hughes. Was a part of every Freo drive from the backline. He really has popped into rd 1 contention for teams with his game. Luke Ryan wasn’t playing, so unsure whether Ryan’s exclusion drove Hughes to be so prolific.
We asked the Coaches Panel members to tell us who they believe are the best keeper league targets for every AFL club aged 22 and under. Here are their responses.
First up, you can tune into the podcast episode where every pick is discussed and why.
A handful of seasons ago Alex Witherden was the ‘next big thing in fantasy football.’ However, over the past few seasons, he’s been in no man’s land. Now at the West Coast Eagles, will he reclaim his title?
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Alex Witherden Age: 22 Club: West Coast Eagles Position: Defender
2020 Highest Score: 93 Vs Essendon (AFLFantasy) 170 Vs Essendon (SuperCoach)
Career Highest Score: 138 Vs Adelaide | AFLFantasy (2018) 170 Vs Essendon | SuperCoach (2020)
After being clearly in the Lions best 22 since his debut in 2017, 2020 didn’t go to plan for Alex Witherden. A combination of three things prevented him from playing more than just 6 games.
Firstly, The recruitment of Grant Birchall, second another strong season from Daniel Rich and lastly Witherden’s increasing ability to make costly turnovers. However, when he did fore his way back into the Lions side (round 9-13) , he reminded us that he can score.
Across his six games, he finished the AFLFantasy/DreamTeam season averaging Avg 77.8 (adjusted 97) it included 3 scores of 89 or above. It might only be a small sample size of games but based on averages that have him ranked 5th in this game format.
While in SuperCoach he averaged 94.3 and that included him scoring 3 tons one of those was a career high 170. He didn’t play much across 2020, but from the games he did, he showcased why over many years he’s been heralded as a long term fantasy footy premium.
After making his debut in round 14 against the Giants in 2017, he didn’t miss a game playing nine games consecutively and scoring above 70 for AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and averaged 88. While in SuperCoach he posted 2 tons and didn’t score below 69 and averaged 87.
Then the following season (2018) he continued where his debut year left off. He played 21 games, posted 5 AFLFantasy/DreamTeam scores over 100 of those triple-figure scores his lowest was 116, a ceiling that not too many premium defenders can match. For SuperCoach he averaged 83 across the season with six matches him posting a century, and 4 of those were above 110. These averages include an injury-affected score of 15 in AFLFantasy & 13 in SuperCoach.
Over his final ten full games, his AFLFantasy/DreamTeam average was 99.6 while in SuperCoach it was 93.6.
2019 was a year of regression as some of the cracks in his game started to appear. In AFLFantasy and DreamTeam he averaged 75, posted three tons plus an additional 3 scores in the ’90s. Having seven scored beneath 70 really burned plenty of coaches.
It wasn’t much better in SuperCoach, an average of 72 that featured just one ton, it also had 6 scores between 90-99 and a further 6 scores below 60. 2019 was far from an ideal season. And after battling his way into and then consequently losing his spot, it didn’t look good for his long term fantasy relevance.
Thankfully a trade to West Coast will hopefully be the reinvigoration he needs to get back to being the top 10 defenders everyone believes he would be.
The trade of Alex Witherden to West Coast Eagles is a match made in heaven for fantasy football coaches. This is for a multitude of reasons.
Predominantly, it’s because the Eagles game style suits him perfectly. They love to maintain possession of the ball across the back flanks and wings with a kick/mark game style. Over the past 27 games of AFL, Alex has a kick to handball ratio of 4:1, making him the ideal player to sit into this style.
The other reason is the Eagles web defence can help safeguard against some of his defensives weaknesses. West Coast has some of the current greats at being able to swarm opposition forwards and turn any forward 50 entry into a battle.
Both of these things sound great in theory, but one core thing must happen for this to turn into him delivering premium fantasy scores. He’s got to force his way into the best 22.
The Eagles defensive unit is elite. Barrass, Shepherd, Cole, Duggan, Hurn, McGovern + Rotham and Nelson are among the most formidable and versatile units. He’s facing an uphill battle to crack through, but if he can, then he’ll provide us with one of the best scoring premium options available in our backlines.
You can’t just select Alex Witherden based on his historical scoring numbers or that he’s at a new side. I believe you need to see something from him in that Eagles preseason to select him in starting squad. That could be injuries to currently established talent—coaches reaffirming his safety in the lineup or overwhelming performances in the AAMI Community Series.
There are more ‘if’s’ involved that I normally like for a player at his price point, especially for one nearing an average of 100 points per game. I’ve got him firmly on the preseason watchlist. He’s certainly an upgrade target, and if he has a strong preseason, I might roll the dice and start with him.
DRAFT DECISION
Based on rankings by average he’s ranked 5th in AFLFantasy and 19th in SuperCoach. In SC, I couldn’t draft him at that point. I have more faith in the likes of Dane Rampe, Sam Docherty, Harris Andrews and Zac Williams who are ranked below him. That said, I think a D3 is the earliest I’d feel comfortable selecting him.
In AFLFantasy scoring formats, someone is going to draft based off last seasons averages. So I do see a world wherein some leagues he goes as someones D1. For me, anything higher than D3 feels too risky, but given that, I don’t think I’d end up owning him.
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Sunday evening, it was the news a significant portion of the fantasy football community didn’t want to hear. Hawthorn star James Sicily has injured his knee and will likely not be seen for the remainder of the season, if not longer. The Hawks have since confirmed the injury has resulted in an ACL meaning the club will be without their star defender for the remainder of 2020 and most of 2021. Regardless of the fantasy football format, he is now a forced trade.
Let’s take a look at some of the best potential trade targets in SuperCoach, AFLFantasy & DreamTeam for James Sicily.
It’s easy to say; however, hindsight now says you’ve should have traded him two weeks ago when he was priced over $600,000 as Kane suggested on a recent podcast. However, if your one of the 26% there that still own him is no benefit on thinking about moves you could have made. Now it’s time to look forward as to the best replacement targets.
It’ll cost you cash to get them, but the prominent two premiums defenders that have had their bye are Jake Lloyd and Nic Haynes. The later will be even cheaper in a few weeks due to his 67 last week.
Speaking of players who are bye free don’t discount the season of Callum Mills. He’s currently in 3% of teams, has scored five tons and will still leave you with some much-needed cash over in a trade. Another of the NSW teams is Zac Williams. His previous three scores have been 112, 105 & 111. The injury history in the body is the only concern, but you can still get him cheaper than his starting price. I know Jackson Thurlow has scored well during the last few weeks but in good conscience, I couldn’t advocate trading someone you thought was a top 6-10 ranked defender (in Sicily) to Thurlow.
Other players that won’t be impacted by a future bye round include Jordan Ridley. He’s been one of the best breakout buys of the year. Round 12’s score of 77 was his lowest for the year, beyond that his three lowest scores of the year have been 88, 92 and 94. While the value has well and truly gone, he’s been sublime this year. My only caution is that he’s been playing sore the last few weeks. Fingers crossed he won’t need to be managed soon.
West Coast Eagles pair Shannon Hurn and Brad Sheppard both have shown over the years they can get on hot streaks and score well. Both scored over 95 last round; however, the week prior both failed to score 70. If you choose either player, it appears to be a little bit of a rollercoaster.
The last of the bye free options to consider are Fremantle Docker trio Luke Ryan, Connor Blakely and Adam Cerra. Plenty of coaches will have seen the 162 delivered from Luke Ryan and given less than 6,000 coaches own him (3%) don’t be surprised to see that number more than double this week. What current owners will know is that he’s now scored seven consecutive hundreds with four of those have been 118 or above. Sorry current owners, but your unique premium is about to get alot more popular.
If you want a unique, then Blakely and Cerra both have shown they have the ceiling about them. As long as they keep getting this midfield time, they’ll score well. Will it be enough to average 95+ over the coming month? I’m not sure, but if you like a left-field option, then both are candidates.
This time last week coaches were clamouring over Rory Laird given he’d posted a 185. However, a 77 has seen coaches enthusiasm dampen somewhat. Irrespective of it he’s still a reasonable pick. An average in the high 90’s and a season-low of 72 shows he’s still a decent scoring option. Honestly, I couldn’t trade him in this week knowing that he’d miss the following week with a bye round.
It’s the same for Alex Witherden, in the last four weeks he’s scored 170, 85, 100 and 101. In just 3% of teams and looks to have locked himself back into the Lions back six. Indeed, he’s scoring well, but it’s always filled with risk to trade a player in when you know they’ll miss the following week with a bye. Throw in Brodie Smith in this category too. Scoring well, but not playing round 14.
Finally, regular scoring good options in Brayden Maynard, Caleb Daniel and Tom Stewart are all perfectly capable options which are yet to have a bye. If I were to bring it one this week of the trio, it’d be Stewart, given he comes up against the Crows who are bleeding points in every position. One player I wouldn’t chase is Jayden Short, the Tigers have already confirmed that BacharHouli will play in round 13. I’d want to see how (if at all) Houli’s return impacts his scoring before committing to that move.
The freedom of options is endless for AFLFantasy coaches, unlike DreamTeam and SuperCoach players where you still have to navigate a potential round free of scoring. In this format, coaches are awarded the players seasonal average when they are on a bye round. Meaning, no player is off-limits due to team bye structures.
Because of that, players who have had their bye aren’t as structurally important as the other two formats. Jake Lloyd is priced now over $800,000. Still, with three tons in his last five outings, he’s the only defensive premium I could feel ‘safe’ with investing significant amounts of dollars. Beyond him, there are only three other players set to play next round that are averaging over 80. They are Bachar Houli, Alex Witherden and Jackson Thurlow. I’d be nervous about going anywhere near Houli this week given it was back in round five when he last played. Given it’s more than $100,000 to upgrade up to him via Sicily, my encouragement is to save yourself some cash and go elsewhere.
On the topic of $100,000, that’s about the amount Alex Witherden has gone up since breaking back into the Lions side in round 9. Just 7.6% of coaches own him, and 78 is his lowest score in the last month. What might further tempt coaches is that in round 14 when the Lions have a week off, he’ll be awarded his average which is currently sitting just shy of 82. In a year where getting secure defensive premium scores is tricky, it might just be enough to tempt coaches.
If you need a player who could score 80 & make you a little bit of cash, then Jackson Thurlow does come into contention. But he isn’t someone I’d have confidence is scoring well weekly. Over his career, Thurlow has tempted us with his potential but has never fully seen it realised. Maybe it happens for him in 2020. I’m happy for someone else to have that win and steer for clearer waters.
If you want a unique option then Luke McDonald and Bailey Williams in this format are the perfect picks. In the case of Williams, his last five scores are: 71, 75, 79, 80 & 90 making him one of the form defenders of late. Similarly, McDonald’s fantasy resurgence has continued the last fortnight with scores of 123 and 88. Even though his price is starting to get near $700k a matchup against Collingwood who bleed points to opposition defenders might just sway you to spend the extra cash.
The two players you can have confidence in are Tom Stewart and Callum Mills. Both have shown this year, and over seasons past they have a fantasy game, but besides this their scoring deviation this year is much tighter than many of their counterparts. Not far behind would be Luke Ryan who only one score below 83 in his last five including a 102.
If your looking for a player that is capable of a 90+ score then Jordan Ridley, Brodie Smith and Zac Bailey have all shown the potential to deliver scores in this range.
Fingers crossed that tonight AFLFantasy award us a new DPP defender that we can bank an 80+ score from weekly.
The one line I dislikes the available premium options in 2020 is the backline. The core reason being is weekly we have the smallest deviation of scoring between cash cows and premiums. An example of this is last round where Will Day scored 75 and yet premium players in Tom Stewart, Callum Mills and Luke Ryan all scored within 12 points. This isn’t just a ‘once-off’ but a weekly occurrence where popular cows are regularly scoring within a dozen of the so-called premiums in the line.
Beyond Jake Lloyd, I have zero confidence in any player on any week. He’s the only defender that is scoring well (and by that I mean 80+) most weeks. But if you already own him or don’t have the funds available there are still some options that offer to score some decent consistency. On current form, Bailey Williams (83 in last 3) looks a reasonable unique pick with only 2% of coaches in the competition on board. A 90 against the Crows is a nice scoring boost, but even before that, he had the lowest score of 71 in his previous four outings. Just remember he’ll have the week off in round 15, so plan accordingly.
I like the recent form of Luke Ryan. An average of 85 in his last five weeks including in it a ton. A scoring range many of our backs have struggled to obtain in 2020. On current form his ranked 9th for defenders in the last five weeks. With just 2% of coaches on board, he could be the player for you. Don’t forget he’s bye round free for the rest of the year.
If you have confidence in the recent scoring form of Alex Witherden then normally he’d be the prime target, but he along with Adelaide’s Brodie Smith and Rory Laird will miss round 14 with the bye. All three are currently inside the top 10 for averages in the last three weeks but can your structure afford to trade them in this week only to not aid your team next week? If you’re prepared to carry them through then all three are worthy of consideration all be it, not cheap.
If you need a play that won’t be affected by the multi bye rounds between 14-16, then it’s probably down to either of Callum Mills or Jordan Ridley. Both are averaging mid 70’s for the year and are inside the top 10 for both averages. Two other players who usually are highly consistent to consider but both are still to have a bye are Tom Stewart and Jack Crisp. Last rounds 54 for Crisp was his lowest score in six weeks and only his second under 73 since round six. While for Stewart, he’s averaging 75 in his last five and is coming up against the winless Crows this weekend. If you want a likely immediate scoring bump from a premium defender then his matchup this week should allow it.
Are you looking for a low ownership AFLFantasy player that’s on fire? Lewy and Checkers from Lane Kicking have selected six hidden gems that might help your side.
Lane Kicking’s Gems #1 Sam Menegola – 0.75% Ownership
We were very hot on this guy late last year and he copped a feature in our pre-season document “The List” with Tim Kelly leaving the Cattery and extra midfield minutes opening up. Unfortunately (probably fortunately) our jets cooked a little as a he battled a knee complaint through the pre-season and saw just 70% TOG in the first 3 games for an average of 54. Since then he has averaged 90.4, including a 95 average over the last 4 weeks where he has taken over a major role in the engine room averaging 25 disposals, 6 marks and 89% TOG.
A little bit of a late bloomer, Menegola is now 28 years old and playing the best footy of his career. He had a red hot start to his fantasy career averaging 98 in his first 50 games and now we are seeing him go at an average of 119 BCV. While we aren’t sure if he can keep up the 95 average, he definitely should finish out the year in that 85-90 bracket which would see him in that top tier of fantasy midfielders. Geelong are also currently averaging the 2nd most disposals of any club and are starting to make a push for another Top 4 finish. In just 0.75% of teams, Menegola could be a real handy POD and help you jump up the rankings as everyone starts to fill out their sides and we see a lot of coaches carrying very similar players and very similar midfields. Plenty of green ticks here ✅
Lane Kicking’s Gems #2 Luke McDonald – 0.71% Ownership
McDonald will head into Round 12 with a ridiculously low breakeven after a 3 game rolling average of 101. Mopping up plenty in the Kangas back half he is averaging 29 disposals the last few weeks with 82% of them uncontested. The kid-prodigy, Luke McDonald was linked to a high draft pick for a large part of his junior career and spent his draft year playing VFL with Kangaroos affiliate side Werribee and training at the club 1 day a week. Averaged 25 touches in the VFL that year and we all thought he was going to be a bit of a fantasy guru of the future but other than averaging 85 in 2017 he has been a little lack lustre. With the Kangaroos now playing a more fantasy friendly brand of football under Rhyce Shaw, at 25 years of age is this the breakout we have all been waiting for
Just beware his two tons this year have come against Adelaide and Melbourne who are the two bottom ranked sides for efficiency in their forward 50, with McDonald capitalising on the turnovers and rebounds out of defence. Next week he plays Brisbane who are first for efficiency inside 50 so things might be slightly tougher. The big positive to take away is he will head into Round 12 with a very low breakeven meaning if things do start to go pear shaped he will still be making you cash and be very easy to offload to another premium defender
Lane Kicking’s Gems #3 Alex Witherden – 5.05% Ownership
The young defender who averaged 88 in his first two seasons of AFL fell out of favour at the Lions and spent 7 weeks in the dark during the front end of this season. Some injuries freed up a spot for him in the Lions back 6 just 3 weeks ago and he has taken it with both hands scoring 93, 89 and 91 for a 3 game average of 91 or 114 BCV.
Often tasked with taking the kick ins he will be a popular trade in this week with Daniel Rich set to miss again. There is some obvious fantasy potential in Witho when he is given the right role and while it might mean keeping a very close eye on him and where he is playing week to week, right now he is in red hot form and it would almost be silly not to ride that wave
Lane Kicking’s Gems #4 Matt Crouch – 1.1% Ownership
A sloppy start to the year averaging just 64 in his first 3 games, Matt was dropped in Round 4 by new coach Matthew Nicks. He seems to have responded to it really well averaging 84 since then and bouncing back to the usual high disposal form we are used to from both the Crouch boys.
There isn’t a whole deal going right for the Crows at the moment so no extraordinary reasons to jump on Crouch, but for a bloke that has averaged 105+ across the last 3 seasons and is currently going at 105 BCV since being dropped in Round 4, you are picking up a very consistent fantasy midfielder who should be in a lot more teams than 1.1%. One that will definitely slide under the radar a little.
Lane Kicking’s Hidden Gems #5 Nat Fyfe – 6.85% Ownership
Paying $1.01 to be the most traded in player of the next week after the announcement he will see FWD status added to his name at the Round 12 DPP changes. Has had a little bit of an interrupted season but a 95 against the Hawks has shown he is over his hamstring niggles and has Carlton and Sydney in his next 2. Almost a must have this week or next.
Lane Kicking’s Gems #6 Luke Davies-Uniacke – 0.79% Ownership
Has had his injury troubles but a 78 followed by a 71 (equivalent of 98 and 89 BCV) has sparked our interest as a low 400k forward. A big bodied midfielder who was heavily touted as a potential number 1 Pick, he averaged 24 disposals in the TAC Cup and 21 at the U18 champs but he has struggled to make an impact so far playing just 24 games in his first 3 seasons. Rhyce Shaw’s new gameplan is definitely more fantasy friendly for the Roos and we have seen names like Simpkin, McDonald, Anderson and Dumont become semi-fantasy relevant. Could LDU now running free in the Roos midfield become relevant and join that list as a hidden gem up in our fantasy forward lines
The Blues
took on the Lions in a scrappy affair at Ikon Park with both sides keen to snag
a win after falling short last time out. It was a tale of two halves with
Carlton looking exceptional for most of the first half before running out of
steam and being completely overrun by Brisbane who went on to post a handsome
45 point win. It was a modest game fantasy wise with Cripps the only player on
the ground to have more than 25 disposals. But there’s still plenty to unpack
as we start finalising our squads for round 1.
Patrick
Cripps: Started on
fire with 11 touches in the first quarter and was in the thick of it throughout
but didn’t look his usual dynamic self. To really elevate himself in the
fantasy world (he’s already done it in Supercoach), he needs to straighten up
his kick to handball ratio. This game was a great example of this as he had 30
touches on the night but only 9 kicks. He has another gear to step into and
we’ll see that Thursday night in a couple of weeks against the Tigers.
Sam
Docherty: What did
we need to see? Looks fit, tick. Taking kick ins, tick. Plenty of game time
(81%), tick. Embracing his love of playing kick to kick, tick. I was having
2017 flashbacks at times in that first half when Docherty was +6’ing his way
all over the back half. Finished with 21 touches and 10 marks and is the
biggest lock in the game. Don’t over think it, pick him!
Ed
Curnow: Has been a gutsy
soldier for the Blues for years now and thankfully his days as a forward look
certain to be over under Teague. Was solid early and spent parts of the night
running with Neale. Just 20 disposals but 7 marks and a goal make his fantasy
scores look better. One for Drafts.
Sam
Walsh: I honestly
cannot believe this guy is only 19 years old, the way he moves out there and
how hard he works, you would swear he’s a seasoned veteran. Started hot with 9
touches in the first quarter but went very cold in the second. Finished with
the second most touches on the field with 25 and everything he did looked good.
Maybe won’t become elite in the fantasy world this season but we’re going to
love selecting him over the next 10 years.
Paddy
Dow: Another Carlton
kid that looks excellent whenever he goes near it. He had modest numbers
tonight and is still a mile off fantasy relevance, but he has a huge future.
Jack
Martin: A fantastic
acquisition for the Blues with his class and precision disposal. He had a great
time roaming up and down the flanks all night recording 23 touches with 9 marks
from just 68% game time. Nice unique for the forward line but there’s possibly
better value on offer.
Jack
Newnes: Potentially
another handy pick up for the Blues as he will bring some experience after 8
years at St.Kilda. He tried hard in this game and was involved throughout with
20 touches but there were a lot of bad ones. He also didn’t lay a tackle and
gave away 3 free kicks. I think his disposal was so poor that we won’t see him
in the seniors in round 1.
Marc
Murphy: Did his part
with 5 kicks and 10 handballs from 60% game time. Even though he finished last
season with a bang, I’m expecting his numbers to decline as Carlton continue to
give more responsibility to the kids.
Nic Newman: I didn’t notice him a great deal, but his numbers weren’t terrible with 19 disposals and 8 marks. I didn’t think Docherty’s return would impact him too greatly as they have a shared love of playing kick to kick but I’m not so sure now. He was quiet in Marsh 1 too.
Charlie
Cameron: Touted as
having the potential to become the greatest small forward of all time by
someone who would know, Eddie Betts, Cameron looks like picking up right where
he left off in his breakout season last year. This was a seriously good
performance with a stat line to back it up, 21 touches, 7 marks, 8 tackles and
5 goals. Despite this, the reality is he is a small forward and they scarcely
find themselves in our fantasy squads. Enjoy watching him this year but don’t
pick him.
Dayne
Zorko: A mature
performance from the captain. He was well held for most of the first half but
slowly got himself into the game. He didn’t have huge numbers with 23 disposals,
but they were quality and with his 6 tackles and 2 goals, he was one of the
most prolific players in the game and a huge catalyst for the turnaround on the
scoreboard.
Lachie
Neale: A far cry
from his 47 disposal beast mode game in Marsh 1 but was still important at
times. He had just the 23 touches this time as he dealt with some mild tagging
throughout the night and even spent a little bit of time deep forward. I
wouldn’t stress if you’re an owner though as I think Brisbane were just
experimenting with ways for him to deal with the expected tags he will cop this
year. He ain’t no Dusty or Fyfe though and he’ll be playing pure mid in the
regular season.
Jarrod
Berry: Did some
really nice things and looks to improve again in his 4th season. He
looked really strong over the ball and used his big body well to take some
great marks around the ground. He kicked a couple of goals to help cap a fine
performance.
Hugh
McCluggage: Like
Berry, looks set to improve again in what is also his 4th season. He
was the Lions best player in the first half and arguably kept them in the game
playing wing and around the ball. Had 22 touches and a goal in 74% game time
but his impact was greater than the numbers suggest.
Alex
Witherden: On the
watch list as a potential break out after a surprisingly poor 2019.
Unfortunately, this game and his Marsh series have done nothing to tempt me and
I don’t think you should be tempted either. He was largely unsighted taking
just 2 marks for the game (70% game time) and looked frustrated as teammates
constantly over looked him, denying him any easy touches in the process.
Perhaps his first two seasons were merely a tease. It’s just a shame, that’s
all.
Brandon
Starcevich: There
were hardly any rookies of interest in this game but Starcevich looked
excellent. He only had 11 touches but everything he did was so clean that he must
be a chance for round 1. Like McCluggage, he was important for the Lions early
in the game against the tide. With Brisbane’s list looking very healthy from an
injury perspective, there’s a tight squeeze for spots but Starcevich may have
done enough to get a spot.
Deven
Robertson: Not sure
he gets a gig in round 1 but he looked good when he got his chance with 11
touches and 5 tackles from 63% game time.
Grant
Birchall: The wily
veteran should have a similarly strong impact at the Lions as Luke Hodge did
and is at an extremely tantalising price. He had 15 touches and kicked a
trademark raking long goal, but I don’t think we can trust his body enough for
our fantasy sides this year.
Cam
Rayner: There’s been
murmurings about Rayner bulking up and potentially breaking out this year. It’s
a no from me. The kid just isn’t there yet.
The AFL Trade and Free agency period is well underway, and despite it being months before the prices and positions are revealed at The Coaches Panel we wanted to take a look at a player from each club that we have pencilled onto our 2020 watchlist.
If you do want to read our take on every player movement from the free agency and trade window then you can join our Patreon army.
Adelaide Crows
Ned McHenry | Injuries have stalled any chance of a debut, but the positive means he’ll be basement price for us in 2020. He offers everything the Crows midfield unit lack. High pressure, work rate, skills and is a bundle of excitement.
Brisbane Lions
Alex Witherden | One mans trash is another’s treasure. Sadly Alex has had a drop of about 10 points per game and has burned plenty of fantasy coaches this year. With Luke Hodge hanging up the boots (again), then I think we need to seriously consider the potential value he presents.
Carlton Blues
Charlie Curnow | I might be on my own here, but two seasons ago he was one of the most excited breakout candidates. This year he scored his lowest seasonal average since his debut. On top of this, he may be eligible for a possible small discount due to missing 11 games, and we could have a considerable value pick on our hands. The severity and impact of his basketball-related knee injury have on his preseason will determine whether or not he stays here for long.
Collingwood Magpies
Taylor Adams | Another frustrating season battling injury resulted in just ten games. The one positive for next year is he should get an injury discount of a minimum of 10%. Throw this on top of a low 90’s average, and he could be one of the best-underpriced premiums of 2020.
Essendon Bombers
Devon Smith | It’s low hanging fruit in terms of how noticeable a candidate he is, but with many bombers having minimal fantasy footy relevance he is the one to highlight. Last season he played only seven games before injury which guarantees him to get some form of discount. Whether that’s higher than 10% will be determined by each formats creators. The bonus is he was already averaging 25 points below his 2018 season numbers, meaning the possible value could make him one of the most selected players in 2020 mainly if he retains forward eligibility which I believe he will.
Fremantle Dockers
Andrew Brayshaw | With Ed Langdon and Brad Hill both out the door in the trade period and David Mundy in the twilight of his career the time is right for Andy to emerge and take a key midfield role alongside Nat Fyfe. Priced at 70 in all formats he looms as a ripping breakout candidate if given the opportunity.
Geelong Cats
Sam Menegola | Have you picked up on the theme yet that a lot of this ‘watchlist’ players are premiums from previous seasons but had injury impacted years? Sam’s one of those with injuries limiting him to just nine games, meaning he should qualify for a 10% discount. Added to this he also experienced some inconsistency in midfield minutes which forced his average to drop of 15-20 points.
Gold Coast Suns
Jack Bowes | A broad view may look at his seasonal average around the mid-’70s this year and not think he offers much. Sometimes as a fantasy coach, we need to look a little deeper into the numbers to see the value. In the opening five games of the year, he was going at an average of 92 in AFLFantasy and 99.8 SuperCoach. To top it off with him playing 14 games it might just qualify for injury discount. Fingers crossed.
GWS Giants
Stephen Coniglio | An inconsistent year for Cogs when it came to his body. After playing 22 games last year, he could manage just the 15 in 2019. He dropped 7 points per game in terms of average from the previous year, but coaches need to take the time to analyse for the scoring drop. One of the key reasons behind the fall was due to his round 17 game against the Tigers where he got injured on 0 points, causing chaos for the 20%+ of coaches that owned him. Without that game, his averages look much healthier of 111 in AFLFantasy and 108 in SuperCoach. Missing seven games might mean he misses getting an injury impacted discount on his starting price. The reality is we have one already due to that Richmond game. I’m very keen to start him in 2020, arguably priced 10 points under his scoring potential of 110.
Hawthorn Hawks
Tom Mitchell | He missed 2019 with a broken leg and had he not got injured he would’ve been one of the most selected players in all forms of the game. He’s eligible for a sizeable discount, meaning for many he’s an instant starter. However, I’m more keen to see how he moves and looks through the preseason. With ‘Titch’ even with a hefty discount, he’ll still be among one of the most expensive players in the competition, that’s a lot of money invested in your starting squad, and you must get it right at that price tag.
Melbourne Demons
Angus Brayshaw | Seven months ago the fantasy footy community was ablaze at his potential after storming home last season. He started 2019 and even ended it OK, but during the majority of the season due to a combination of role change and form, we saw his fantasy scores plummet. Gus dropped over 15 points per game avg across all formats and became a serious burn man for many coaches. The positive for us is as we enter into 2020 he will be priced next year in the mid-’80s. His scoring potential can be further 20-25 points per game above pricing. The first step in his fantasy footy resurrection will be the Demons can land some wingman with skills and pace. If they do, it’s a piece of the puzzle that’ll see Angus moved back into the midfield role required to score well.
North Melbourne Kangaroos
Luke Davies-Uniake | If he gains FWD Status then I’m going to consider him. LDU presents seriously huge third-year breakout potential, especially as he needs to start getting the midfield opportunities at Arden street.
Port Adelaide Power
Ryan Burton | Injuries have plagued him over his career, but both at the hawks and now at Port, we’ve seen that a fit Burton holds plenty of fantasy relevance. During a four-week window post-bye, we saw his scoring potential. In SuperCoach he posted scores of 105, 96, 79 & 108 while in AFLFantasy it was 93, 110, 69 & 92. If he can stay fit, then he needs to be on your watchlist.
Richmond Tigers
Dustin Martin | This all depends on if he gains forward eligibility or not. If He’s a MID/FWD, then I’ll find it very difficult to pass on him. His role in the AFL finals may determine whether or not he qualifies as forward eligible.
St Kilda Saints
Dan Hannebery | A frustrating year for the former Swan who only managed to play in 5 games this year. The positive of this is two-fold, firstly he will receive an injury impacted discount due to the number of games he missed. Secondly, when he did play scored well with four of his five games seeing him score 90+ including two hundreds and an average in high 90’s across all formats
He may not present the same value as he did this year, but if Dan gets through the preseason unscathed, he is genuine underpriced premium.
Sydney Swans
Oli Florent | Place him as a breakout candidate, because as this year went on, he just got better and better. Florent possesses line-breaking speed, uses the ball well by foot and is one of the shining lights for the Swans both for now and the future. Three of his final four games in AFLFantasy he scored 91, 113 and 98, while in SuperCoach he scored 82, 102 and 106. He’ll be priced at his seasonal average of 69, but I have confidence that he could well be a stepping stone well worth considering.
West Coast Eagles
Nic Naitanui | Are you considering not starting with a set and forget ruck strategy next year? Then for SuperCoach, you need to consider NicNat seriously. Over the past 18 months, injuries have been cruel to NicNat, but we have seen that when he plays, even in the limited game given this year, he can score well. Last year he averaged low 90’s from just three games, meaning he will be discount eligible. In addition to this, his past three years averages are 96, 105, 103 so Nic could well provide excellent value as a stop-gap to a top tier ruck if you’re looking for a different approach.
Western Bulldogs
Josh Dunkley | After a slow start he was one of the most damaging forward options of the season, and with a likely loss of forward eligibility, his ownership numbers could plummet due to him being a midfielder only. However, with 14 of the last 16 games seeing him score 100+ and many of them captaincy capable scores he could be a sneaky point of difference in your starting side.
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The Hawks sent a very young side up to Morton Bay to take on the Brisbane Lions in hot conditions. For fantasy coaches, we learnt plenty from this match.
With Liam Shiels, Jaeger O’Meara and Isaac Smith missing he (along with Worpel) Cousins was one of the more ‘experienced’ of the Hawks midfield. He picked up 29 touches, the majority of which were uncontested at 79% efficiency. As a slightly inflated cash cow, he does present value and should be someone we watch his scoring and role when the midfield leaders return this week.
James Sicily
Whether it be because they lacked forward options with no Jack Gunston or Jarryd Roughead or Clarko was experimenting we saw James Sicily spend considerable time forward during the game. He was also given time in the midfield and even time in his usual role down back.
Don’t read too much into this just yet; instead, it only causes for concern if in next weeks match with the experienced players he plays multiple roles only then should you consider not starting with him.
James Worpel
Listed with forward eligibility but playing predominantly midfield ‘Worpedo’ gave current owners enough confidence to suggest he’s capable of scoring well as a stepping stone candidate. Like Cousins wait to see his exact role once clear best 22 midfielders return this week, but so far it’s a promising sign for his fantasy relevance.
Jack Scrimshaw
Started slowly but worked his way into the game nicely across half back. His teammates loved getting the ball into his hands especially rebounding from defensive 50. With no Grant Birchall early in the season, he should be given some early opportunities and be a worthy defensive cash cow to consider.
If you were big on Neale before today, then nothing in today’s match should have dinted that confidence in him. Neale was the dominant midfielder in the game, and given the inexperience of the Hawks midfield, he needed to. Earlier in the preseason, I wrote about Lachie Neale, and nothing in the game changed my view that he’s a top 10 midfielder in SuperCoach, but won’t be in AFLFantasy.
Hugh McCluaggage
In time this kid is going to be something special! As a junior, he often was compared to Collingwood Captain Scott Pendlebury, and we saw moments of that evident in this game. Damaging inside the contest and precise on the out ‘Suitcase’ rounds out the Lions midfield perfectly. I’m not sure I could go there in salary cap formats, but it drafts and daily fantasy he’ll present great value early in the season.
Alex Witherden
He’s one of the most hyped defensive premiums of the preseason, and if you were big on him before the JLT, then we saw nothing that should dampen that enthusiasm. Played the same role from his previous seasons and looks set to push into the top 6 averaging defenders of 2019. I wrote about Alex earlier in the preseason here.
Cam Rayner
Noticeably bigger and a full preseason has shown the benefits in his fitness base. We saw him get some limited midfield opportunities, but it was inside 50 he created multiple headaches for the Hawthorn defenders. He’s going to win the Lions 2-3 games this year of his brilliance and certainly bumps his seasonal average up. Whether it’s enough to make him fantasy relevant time will tell.
Archie Smith
Was given the first opportunity to lead the Lions ruck division and ended up being the leading ruckman on the ground in terms of hitouts (25). While the combination of Pittonet/Ceglar isn’t the most dominant to come up against Archie more than held his own, for those looking for a cheap R3 he’s certainly one to keep an eye on if he can keep holding Stefan Martin at bay.
Young likes kicking.
