After rounds 3, 6, 9 & 12 the drafting format of Ultimate Footy awards additional player positions to players that have had a role change in the season. As always players are required to have played a minimum of 3 games to be eligible and to be playing the new position as their primary role in the side. Let’s look at who they are and their relevance to your draft sides and leagues.
FINALLY!That’s probably the first PG-rated word owners uttered upon seeing Dayne Zokro confirmed to pick up back status. His scoring has been a little bit hot and cold, but with a season-high score of 145, he’s still got the scoring capacity to be incredibly damaging. By average, he might not be D1, but he certainly could be on historical data. Massive win for his owners, especially if they are light on backs and heavy for midfielders. Being able to flip him into the backline could be a premiership-winning allocation.
Angus Brayshaw | ADD BACK
Like with Zorko, UltimateFooty waited for some more data to confirm the defensive role for Angus Brayshaw. However, the role change is clear, and the DPP allocation was essential. With an average of 93 and his ADP of 221 combined, this new DPP has enhanced that Gus is one draft day steals for coaches.
Brandon Ellis | ADD BACK
Brandon Ellis is probably the third biggest name to pick up an additional position by name and scoring legacy. The wingman has drifted deeper into the backline and is filling the void left by Jack Bowes. A mid 70’s average isn’t list changing, but a mid 70’s back is always ten times better than a centre only.
A seasonal average of 82 and multiple scores of 90+ have seen Errol Gulden become a highly valuable forward and currently inside the top 15 eligible forwards based on total points. Gulden is still spending some time inside forward 50, but his current role has seen him play heavily higher up the ground on the Sydney wings. Therefore, the addition of centre status is a fair and reasonable one.
Darcy Tucker | ADD CENTRE
Like every centre gain, it’s not a relevance bump but a versatility increase. With this extra position, Darcy Tucker is now more flexible in squads for his owners.
For the vast majority of his career, Brad Hill has roamed the wings for his teams. Despite having a game earlier in the year playing across half-forward, he’s been spending a lot of his game time between the arcs. Like any centre gain, it’s not a scoring relevance bump, just one that adds squad flexibility.
Nic Martin| ADD CENTRE
Don’t just look at the CBA data for projecting DPPs; that’s not the whole story. Especially in the case of Nic Martin. His midfield time isn’t at centre bounces but rather on the wing. His relevance in drafts won’t increase, but his value to his owners through flexibility will.
Mason Wood | ADD CENTRE
It’s been interesting to watch the Saints use Mason Wood more as a versatile tall up the ground than as the third-string tall inside forward 50. Of course, an average in the mid-’50s isn’t a huge help either as a forward or centre, but in deeper leagues, it might just save you copping a donut at one stage in the season.
Tanner Bruhn | ADD CENTRE
Over the past four weeks, Tanner Bruhn has averaged about 40% centre bounces plus spending some time playing on the wings. The increase in midfield minutes hasn’t seen his scoring explode yet. But if it does, expect his ownership to jump from the current 59% of leagues that own him.
Historically speaking, the addition of forward status for Shane Edwards would be significant. However, with just one score over 50 from his six games this year, I can’t see many coaches scampering to own him. So it might be worth grabbing out of the player pool if you think he can recapture some of his best form again.
Three scores of 60+ in his last four games isn’t amazing, but it;’s not horrific. Currently, we have 50 forwards averaging 70 or more, so depending on the league’s depth, Will Hoskin-Elliott might be someone worth grabbing as a forward bench option.
Jack Ziebell | ADD FORWARD
Another straightforward add for UltimateFooty. Over the past month, the Kangaroos have deployed Jack Ziebell as forward, and it’s no surprise that the DPP has followed suit.
Alex Davies | ADD FORWARD
This gain might be more helpful for a deeper keeper or dynasty leagues. In a seasonal league of any size, you shouldn’t be looking at players who currently average under 40.
Matt Guelfi | ADD FORWARD
In Matt Guelfi’s last three weeks, he’s scored 66, 73 & 65. It’s not pretty, but given the depth of our forward this year, it’s something to consider. Players that can score 60+ with frequency might end up on our benches. It’s scary, but that’s what 2022 is delivering so far!
Darcy Fort | ADD FORWARD
The former Cat is plugging along ok with a couple of scores of 70+ and a reasonable RUC/FWD split at Brisbane. His scoring isn’t amazing, but many struggles to get decent depth in our forward lines. With Darcy Fort, they could be soon getting some versatility and the potential of looping the odd good score. A potentially more helpful DPP gain than we realise.
Tuesday afternoon, it was the news a significant portion of the fantasy football community didn’t want to hear. Collingwood star Brodie Grundy has injured his knee and will likely not be seen for the next few months. So regardless of the fantasy football format, he is now a forced trade. So let’s look at some of the best potential trade targets in SuperCoach, AFLFantasy & DreamTeam for Brodie Grundy.
The most obvious trade option across formats is a move into Max Gawn. While the trade will cost you some coins, it does enable coaches to grab the form ruckmen of the competition and someone who’s currently clear and supreme as the #1 player in the line. Trading into him might be even more tempting because he comes up against the Hawks this week. Just days ago, Peter Ladhams scored 107 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 164 in SuperCoach. Imagine the carnage Max could deliver on Max Lynch! Sometimes the most obvious trade is the correct one.
I’m not a huge advocate of trading into another ruckman if you already own Max. However, with Sean Darcy missing with a concussion, Tim English still out injured, and Rowan Marshall back to ruck sharing, there’s no other premium I feel confident in making a sideways move.
Just a week ago, coaches were raving about the number of ruck options available to roll through the position with DPP. Sadly the injuries to Jack Hayes, Hugh Dixon and Tim English have dinted some of those flexible options. However, many coaches will have Tristan Xerri sitting in the forward line. That could enable coaches to play a combination of him, Braydon Preuss or cash cow Sam Hayes in the ruck division. Suddenly, that can open up some serious other premiums that have bottomed out and are riped for the picking.
A quick view across teams, and it seems that a high volume of teams doesn’t have any pressing needs for upgrades in the backline. Many are now running a combination of Nick Daicos and or Nathan O’Driscoll at D5/6. However, we do have some options priced nicely for coaches that do need/want to move Grundy into a premium back.
Jake Lloyd and Lachie Whitfield have a long history of being a 100 averaging defenders. And while those days might be past them, they’ve got the pedigree to deliver. It might be brave, given they’ve been patchy at best this year. However, they do tick the box of ‘buy low’ if needing to maximise the cash value of Grundy. If you’re not a Jayden Short or Sam Docherty owner, this could be your chance to snag them. Neither is cheap, but both seem all but destined to be top 3 defenders. Lastly, you could heap towards the reliable Jack Crisp or the more unique pick in Jack Sinclair. Both appear to be safe selections.
Whenever a player has a blinder, coaches immediately are drawn to them. This will certainly be the case for people desiring Clayton Oliver and Callum Mills. Both were amazing last round. Normally I’d advocate for not points chasing and trading into players like this. However, despite both likely giving season-high scores, they are both proven performers who should be in the consideration for top-tier midfielders until the season’s end.
It’s almost the perfect time to jump on Touk Miller. While he might still have a high breakeven, it’s well within his reach based on the scoring levels he displayed in 2021. If you have ‘seller’s remorse’ on Patrick Cripps, I can see a world where people jump straight back to him.
You could probably wait another week on Christian Petracca, but I don’t hate the idea of still playing to get him now. However, if you’re looking for low ownership options, Sam Walsh, Rory Laird, or Zach Merrett are worth considering.
Then depending on the format, it might be the best chance you can get into Bailey Smith, Jack Steele, Jack Macrae or Andrew Brayshaw. All of whom have started the year exceptionally well. Just remember, don’t chase points. It’s not about what they have done to this point but what they’ll do from the moment you own them.
One of the best value targets of the round is Mitch Duncan. Barring his preseason injury setback, many coaches would have entered the season owning him. While he’s yet to set the world on fire, he has the historical pedigree and the fantasy-friendly role in giving me some confidence to leap and select him. He’d be my prime target if I moved Grundy into the forward premiums!
The train has sailed on Josh Dunkley, so I’d be tempted to get some greater value for money and buy low on others as good as he is. Many are desperate to own Tim Taranto, but after a season-low score on the weekend, I believe it’s not the right time to jump on him. Give yourself a few more weeks.
I do like Jordan De Goey, but he hasn’t shown much of a ceiling to burn you if you miss on him. So for me, that makes him as a trade target less important as good as he has been in 2022. In SuperCoach, both Luke Parker and Tom Liberatore are legitimate options, with the latter having his second score over 130 on the weekend.
Connor Rozee has had back-back good scores and does present a nice mid-price ride for the next few weeks. My only cautions around trading into him this week via Grundy would be this. Only do it IFit can enable a secondary premium upgrade and improve your overall team’s performance. For example, it gives you the cash to get Joshua Rachelle up to Mitch Duncan. In addition, the overall points on the field will improve your side.
Secondly, it’s far from ideal if you plan to jump off in the next few weeks with a round 12 bye. But like any good midprice option, if he can bank points like a premium on the field while making money, then it’s something to consider seriously. If it fails, you need a parachute (aka exit strategy) like any midprice move. Just know your plan B if Ken Hinkley decides to send him back into the forward line.
After rounds 3, 6, 9, 12 & 15, the drafting format of Ultimate Footy awards additional player positions to players that have had a role change in the season. On Wednesday, we’ll confirm with you exclusively which players WILL gain a new position, but before then, here are some players we believe would be in consideration for obtaining a new positional status.
The moment Christian Salem went down with an early injury in round one, the Demons deployed Angus Brayshaw as the primary ball mover across halfback. It’s important to note he was already playing in the backline in that game as the Demons had several regular defenders missing. In this role, he’s getting plenty of uncontested marks and possessions. So it’s no surprise that the fantasy points are flowing for him in this role; he’s got history (all be it distant now) of being a genuine proven performer. Surely the gang have seen enough; it must be a formality he gets BACK status.
Dayne Zorko | ADD BACK
Historically, with DPP additions, UltimateFooty is more conservative when handing them out to big-name players like Dayne Zorko. However, there’s no mistake Zorko is playing outside of the midfield and through the Lions backline. After a sample size of three matches, UF opted for more data. But like Brayshaw above, the data is overwhelming now, a must add!
David Swallow | ADD BACK
I’m borderline on whether UltimateFooty allocates this for David Swallow. For the better part of the last six weeks, he’s spent the primary function across the halfback for the Suns. However, he tagged Lachie Neale this round and was a heavy presence for the Suns at centre bounce. I think he’s done enough, but it wouldn’t shock me if last weekend was enough for UF to pump the breaks on a position add.
The Swans star continues to showcase why he’s one of the best fantasy buys of the year. While Isaac Heeney is still spending a ton of time inside forward 50, he’s getting plenty of time up the ground. At first glance, it might not seem relevant, but as the season goes on, squad versatility is everything and can even be a season winning factor. It’s not an exciting ‘gain’ by name, but my functionality it’s huge!
Zak Butters | ADD MID
Cntrl C & Cntrl V! The exact same sentiment for Zak Butters as it is for Heeney.
Nick Martin | ADD MID
Don’t just look at the CBA data for projecting DPPs; that’s not the whole story. Especially in the case of Nic Martin. His midfield time isn’t at centre bounces but rather on the wing. His relevance in drafts won’t increase, but his value to his owners through flexibility will.
The former Cat is plugging along ok with a couple of scores of 70+ and a reasonable RUC/FWD split at Brisbane. His scoring isn’t amazing, but many struggles to get decent depth in our forward lines. With Darcy Fort, they could be soon getting some versatility and the potential of looping the odd good score. A potentially more helpful DPP gain than we realise.
Connor Macdonald | ADD FWD
The Hawks are in rebuild mode, and as a result, some of the future midfield brigades are getting the education of playing multiple roles beyond just centre bounces. The junior ball magnet plays his role both through the midfield and as a small-medium forward.
Buy low, sell high! It’s the age-old motto to succeed in Fantasy football of all formats. Every week we share with you the players with the lowest breakevens across AFLFantasy, SuperCoach & DreamTeam. Here are the players that offer the best breakevens heading into a new round.
Good Friday fantasy footy friends! The round is already underway but there are still plenty of decisions and discussions that need to happen. Here are MJ’s weekly trade priorities.
At the end of this round, the first batch of additional DPP’s hit the game. For AFLFantasy coaches, you’d be well familiar with these inclusions’ game-changing impacts on a season. If you only play SuperCoach & DreamTeam, you are in for a heck of a ride! Earlier in the week, I predicted some of the gains we may get; you can see the list here. As you can see we’ve got some possible game-changers in the backline and forward lines. Be sure you’ve factored in the possible changes that could come into your trading this week. For example, if Nick Daicos does gain DEF status, you’d much prefer him at D6 over a Paddy McCartin. Especially if you could get a stronger on-field midfield cash cow option.
In the decade I’ve been creating fantasy footy content, I’ve never spoken about one player more in three months than Braydon Preuss. Mostly over these past few weeks, the community have vastly misunderstood why the Coaches Panel has been massive advocates for him. Too often, they’ve contrasted Preuss at R2 against the premium ruck like Max Gawn. But that’s an incomplete picture. In a straight one for one position, it should be Gawn winning out handsomely every single week.
However, it’s not the one V one. Instead, it’s Gawn and the cash cow at D/F6 and M8 vs Preuss and the likely premium you’ve been able to afford. So in all likelihood, you should be better off both from points on the field but also from a cash generation point of view.
The out of Preuss this week isn’t ideal. However, owners should have one of Hugh Dixon, Jack Hayes, and both to cover him. Remember, covering money made like Braydon for a week with a cow on the field is easier to digest than a premium like Patrick Cripps. If you play AFLFantasy and own both, maximise the utility position. Play Dixon at R3; if he scores below your par score, flip Preuss into the Utility position and play Hayes at R2. Conversely, if Dixon, who plays Friday night, scores well, you can activate Preuss at R2 as a captaincy loophole option if the VC fires for you.
The biggest discussion point of the week has been for the owners of Patrick Cripps. With Carlton’s cryptic messaging about how serious the hamstring injury is, coaches are torn between whether or not they should trade or hold. Before directing you on what to do, there are a few questions to help you know whether you should trade or hold?
What’s your focus? Is it leagues or rankings? Different focuses require a different trade emphasis from week to week.
Who’s your cover? And can you get a look at their score before deciding to trade?
How many trades have you used? And does making his one improve your side beyond just this week.
They are simple questions, even elementary fantasy footy advice. But I’ve found often that the simplest questions can bring the most clarity. If, after all, you are still unsure, then I’d revert to this rule. When in doubt, trade them out. Just make sure it’s for someone you intend to hold for the season and not just a money-making move.
It might only be round five, but we’ll be working our way through the bye rounds in less than two months. While it might be too early to let the bye structure dictate your moves, it is a tool that can help with the plans and moves you intend to make over the coming weeks. With the fix-up trades of the past few weeks, you may have unintentionally ruined your team’s structure. So use this moment in time to recheck your structure and ensure that the plans you have in place are still right for you.
Buy low, sell high! It’s the age-old motto to succeed in Fantasy football of all formats. Every week we share with you the players with the lowest breakevens across AFLFantasy, SuperCoach & DreamTeam. Here are the players that offer the best breakevens heading into a new round.
Before rounds 6, 12 and 18, the gang at Champion Data add some new DPP into the game. After round 5 concludes on Monday, the first list of names and positions will be released. Historically, players need a minimum of 35% to be considered for a new allocation in a new position. So, we have in-season DPP additions for the first time in SuperCoach & DreamTeam history. For AFLFantasy coaches, you are an old hand at these. So let’s see which players are locks, close or no chance of getting DPP.
In the preseason, a popular (and sometimes inaccurate) data narrative is when people remove a game’s score to tell a greater story of what they score. If you did that for Luke McDonald and his 2022 season while removing the round three, 100 points grubbing game from his average, he’d be averaging 109.6 in SuperCoach and 92.6 in AFLFantasy.
The Kangaroos have redeployed him into the backline, where he had his breakout fantasy scoring of 2020. The addition of DEF status is a formality and one of Champion Data’s easiest decisions. The bigger question facing fantasy coaches is where do you rank him amongst the topline defenders? Your answer will determine how quickly or if you prioritise him as a trade target. L-Mac still presents significant value based on his current price vs scoring output.
Brandon Ellis
For years, Brandon Ellis has been a fantasy-relevant player at both Richmond and Gold Coast. He’s also shown he can score well whether he’s on the wing or back to his current role, which is more a rebounder off half-back. Sadly as much as the DPP of DEF/MID should hit, the Sun’s game style isn’t fantasy footy friendly.
Dayne Zorko
This could be one of the most relevant DPP additions of the entire season. Dayne Zorko has shown his ability to put up 100s and with some serious frequency consistently for multiple years. Coming back from surgery, we’ve seen some of the worst scores and best scores of Zorko. In rounds two and three, he scored 145 & 106 in AFLFanasy and 116 & 105 in SuperCoach. So he’s still got the capacity to go big. The play will be to grab him in a few weeks. By then, last weekends poor score roles out of his price cycle, and he should be nearing full health. Dayne, you are officially on the list!
Angus Brayshaw
The moment Christian Salem went down with an early injury in round one, the Demons deployed Angus Brayshaw as the primary ball mover across halfback. It’s important to note he was already playing in the backline in that game as the Demons had several regular defenders missing. In this role, he’s getting plenty of uncontested marks and possessions. So it’s no surprise that the fantasy points are flowing for him in this role; he’s got history (all be it distant now) of being a genuine proven performer. His DPP addition should be a formality and will add a massive boost to coaches that own him already in drafts.
Jordan Clark
Another good addition for coaches. As a midfielder, only Jordan Clark is only just rosterable for most leagues. However, as a defender, he becomes a genuine on-field option or an emergency in deeper leagues.
Scott Pendlebury
Two weeks ago the incoming DEF status was a near formality, now I’m not 100% convinced we’ll get him. In the opening two rounds, Scott Pendlebury attended under 40% of centre bounces, but in the previous two games, he’s been at 50% & 43%.
Nick Daicos
Like his skipper, Nick Daicos was a certainty a few weeks ago, but he’s been seen more frequently in the front half of the field over the past two weeks. One of the key DPP criteria Champion Data uses is players’ starting position at the centre bounce. For that reason, I’m optimistic that he should still have done enough over the totality of the year so far to pick it up. He’s often starting at half-back and then pushing up the ground.
His addition to our backlines couldn’t come fast enough. With low scoring back cows in Sam DeKoning, Mitch Hinge, Paddy McCartin and Sam Skinner all dominating our D6-8, it could be the perfect on-field scoring boost we need.
Josh Battle
Another one for draft coaches to get excited by. While Josh Battle’s relevance is as an FWD listed player, gaining DEF status will add some serious flexibility within your squad. As injuries, suspensions, plus health & safety protocols hit, having the ability to flip players around and not drop quality into the player pool is critical. So having Battle as a DEF/FWD should be a very helpful gain.
Josh Kennedy
Currently, Josh Kennedy is being eased into and through the season across the Swan’s defensive unit. His average right now makes him irrelevant, even in drafts. BUT, all it takes is a few injuries to the Swans and his relevancy skyrockets. That’s not wishing injuries on anyone but highlighting how quickly a player’s value can change in this game.
David Swallow
The potential gain of DPP for David Swallow will have more name value than the scoring value in 2022. The former #1 draft pick is currently scoring well below the scores of his past few seasons. The primary factor is the midfielder is spending little to no time through this line. Rather he’s often playing deep inside the defensive 50. If the Suns shake his role up, he could become relevant in drafts. However, in classic, I don’t see him being a viable topline scorer even if he gets his old midfield role back.
The Swans star continues to showcase why he’s one of the best fantasy buys of the year. While Isaac Heeney is still spending a ton of time inside forward 50, he’s getting plenty of time up the ground. At first glance, it might not seem relevant, but as the season goes on, squad versatility is everything and can even be a season winning factor. It’s not an exciting ‘gain’ by name, but my functionality it’s huge!
Zak Butters
Cntrl C & Cntrl V! The exact same sentiment for Zak Butters as it is for Heeney.
I could almost make it a trio of similar comments, but I won’t. Jack Sinclair is proving to be one of the biggest surprise packets of the fantasy football year. The dashing defender has brought his skills and speed higher up the ground, and as a result, he’s reaping the fantasy scoring rewards. An average of 103 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 116.3 is miles above anyone’s imagination. If he keeps up this scoring trend, he’ll be someone we have to have as a top tier defender. The probable DPP DEF/MID gain is just gravy to what has already been a stunning start to the season.
Nick Martin
In 2022 we’ve been blessed with so many good cash cows. Nick Martin is just one of a handful of players making significant coin for owners. What makes his likely incoming DPP so helpful is it can help activate some other trade moves and squad flexibility. Don’t just look at the CBA data for projecting DPPs; that’s not the whole story. Especially in the case of Martin. His midfield time isn’t at centre bounces but rather on the wing.
An absolute lock for DPP addition. Tristan Xerri is the clear leader of the ruck division attending between 50% – 70% of centre bounces over the past four weeks. This DPP gain will add hugely relevant flexibility to the link between the RUC/FWD division, especially for those who own Jack Hayes, Hugh Dixon or both.
This will be touch and go DPP gain for Rowan Marshall. In round one, he was playing primarily as a ruck. But over the past three weeks, he’s increasingly played a role more inside forward 50. So it might all come down to a role this weekend. Where and how he plays might tip his percentage of role either over or under the cut off line.
Luke Parker
If Luke Parker does gain MID/FWD status, he’s someone right in the mix for me to consider. On current scoring, he’s not an option, but on history, he could be a beast for us. As it stands, he’s averaging 79 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 89 in SuperCoach, with just his round one ton across the formats his only triple-digit score. As the wetter months begin to hit, the pace of footy can often start to slow, and contested beasts start to shine.
If that combines with the price of Parker continuing to slide, we could hit a perfect moment that makes him impossible to ignore. Watch his role over the next few weeks because this could be both a bargain premium and the forward putting him midfield numbers.
Tom Liberatore
The squeeze for midfield minutes at the Bulldogs was always resulting in a midfielder being forced to play out of their preferred position. So far, it appears that Tom Liberatore is the player having the biggest loss of midfield minutes. The contested ball beast spends time at CBA, but only in a secondary capacity. He hasn’t played a game in 2022 with over 40% CBA’s. That likely MID/FWD status will be a huge boost for draft owners, but it’ll require a role reversal and a primary CBA role to make him relevant in classic. If that happens, especially in SuperCoach, then he’s a player to target with a trade.
Noah Balta
The Tigers have started to have an eye to the future, and it’s clear that Noah Balta as a forward is something the club like the look of. His scoring average isn’t horrible, but it won’t be something to celebrate even in a weakened forward line in many draft leagues. However, it could add some handy squad flexibility in the category scoring leagues or deeper dynasty style leagues.
Todd Goldstein
The rebuild of the Kangaroos is well underway. As a result, some club elders are stepping back into the shadows. In the ruck division, the emergence of Tristan Xerri has allowed them to use Todd Goldstein as the relief ruck and more predominantly inside forward 50. The likely DPP gain could become handy later in the year; we never can fully know what’s ahead. He’s only draft relevant at the moment, but should an injury-hit, then it could be all aboard the Gold train.
Tom De Koning
Before last weekend, Tom De Koning had played a split forward and ruck role. Eventually, the Blues see him as the #1 ruck but are happily taking their time in developing him. The addition of RUC/FWD is a certainty and could be relevant in drafts, especially if Pittonet continues to miss games.
Jason Horne-Francis
Before the 2022 season started, the narrative was that Hornet would be a lock to get MID/FWD status at this point of the season. However, in the past three weeks, he’s had 55%, 59%, and 75% centre bounce attendances last week. So you can kiss his DPP chance right now if he has another game as he did at the Swans. However, if the Roos ease off his midfield minutes back to under 30%, then he’s a ripping chance to get it. I think he’s less likely than likely to get DPP at the current percentage. But there’s still one more game of data to go.
The former Cat is plugging along ok with solid scores, and a reasonable RUC/FWD split at Brisbane. His scoring isn’t amazing, but depending on the depth of your draft league, many are struggling to get decent depth in our forward lines. With Darcy Fort, they could be soon getting some versatility and the potential of looping the odd good score. A potentially more helpful DPP gain than we realize.
Connor Macdonald
The Hawks are in rebuild mode, and as a result, some of the future midfield brigades are getting the education of playing multiple roles beyond just centre bounces. The junior ball magnet plays his role both through the midfield and as a small-medium forward. By the time this DPP hits, coaches will probably be considering moving him on, as his low score from last week has probably stunted his cash generation plans for the immediate future.
James Harmes
Last year the Demons had a staple midfield core of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Jack Viney and James Harmes. However, this year, Tom Sparrow has surpassed Harmes as the fourth option in what’s a tight CBA rotation for the Melbourne Footy Club. As a result, Harmes and Sparrow have almost flipped roles, and James is often playing a heavy pressure forward 50 roles. It’s not a ‘classic’ relevant gain, but depending on the depth of your draft league on-field, it could be a very helpful addition.
Bailey Smith
Earlier in the article, I spoke about the fact that a player’s starting position at the centre bounce is a primary decision factor in DPP allocation. For Bailey Smith, he’s playing through the midfield. However, when not at a centre bounce, it’s often with him starting at half-forward and then pushing high up the ground. It’s less likely, but if Bevo goes full ‘Bevo’ and plays him as a heavy forward split this weekend, we might get lucky!
In SuperCoach & DreamTeam, you’ve got one trade clearly defined if you don’t own Nic Martin. With a breakeven of -124 in SuperCoach and -146 in DreamTeam, he’s on track to make coaches some serious coin over the next month. So don’t get too cute and think you can overlook him. Barring a forced out, he’s the #1 priority. You can check them out here for a complete list of all players with negative breakevens.
One of the most interesting developments is to watch DreamTeam and SuperCoach players get uber aggressive with trading players out. For example, in SuperCoach, Joshua Rachele is the most traded out player in the game, with almost 10,000 (8%) of coaches moving him on. In this format, he’s gone up in value by only $45,000. While he did come off a low score last week, it was just two weekends ago that he was coming off the back of a ton. I don’t believe $45k is enough to squeeze out of a cash cow, especially with one who’s displayed a scoring ceiling and has arguably the best job security of all cows. Cash generation is vital at this time of the season, and even if it was moving him onto Nic Martin, I couldn’t advocate for it. Neither could I if you were driving up to a premium. You should have more opportunities to make these moves without moving on.
With cash cows in these two formats, I always want to generate a minimum of $100,000 before considering moving them on. There’s no point cutting short his opportunity for money just for a quick hit now. Even with three scores of 50, he’ll still push towards making you another $50k, and that’s without the possibility of another big score boosting the cash generation.
Every trade you have available to you is valuable. The trades you’ve made over the past week or two have been correctional; that’s the value. Every trade needs to have an element of a financial metric attached to it. In my eyes, $45k cash generation isn’t sufficient as a return on investment to justify a trade. Instead, look elsewhere to get creative to be able to trade in the guy you want.
One of the greatest traps coaches can fall into is that we end up only ever thinking about the trades and plans of the current week. One of the differences between good coaches and great coaches is the fact that great coaches are multiple weeks ahead in their trade plans. Do you know what your intended team looks like in three weeks? Without proper plans, you cannot succeed in this game. If you’re always reacting, you’ll never get ahead.
For example, have you targeted trading into Clayton Olver in three weeks yet? Using the AFLFantasy pricing formula for illustration purposes, Clarry is currently priced at $915,000, and it’ll only fall after a 68 on Thursday night. By the end of round seven, even if he scores a three-peat of 110s, his price will drop to $850k. For a guy that never misses or rarely scores below 90. So my question is, are you formulating a plan to get him?
At the same time, Touk Miller will also be at his possible basement price at the end of round seven. With four more scores of 110, he’ll still dip to $900k. So the question isn’t just which of these two do you prefer. But can you afford both? And if so, how do you get there. Create a plan, be a few weeks ahead, and you’ll find yourself getting ahead of the pack by osmosis.
Let’s keep this simple. In DreamTeam and SuperCoach, you’ve got the luxury of waiting another week. No rush, chill. In AFLFantasy, I’m all for the move! We’ve put plenty of content and discussions about Braydon Preuss into the fantasy community. For within reason, It’s one of the most straightforward trades to make this week. I’m just not a fan of it with him at R3. For a full explanation of why listen to our latest podcast episode.
Buy low, sell high! It’s the age-old motto to succeed in Fantasy football of all formats. Every week we share with you the players with the lowest breakevens across AFLFantasy, SuperCoach & DreamTeam. Here are the players that offer the best breakevens heading into a new round.
After rounds 3, 6, 9 & 12 the drafting format of Ultimate Footy awards additional player positions to players that have had a role change in the season. As always players are required to have played a minimum of 3 games to be eligible and to be playing the new position as their primary role in the side. Let’s look at who they are and their relevance to your draft sides and leagues.
I’m not surprised that Scott Pendlebury has back status. But I didn’t think we’d get it just yet. Histrocially, UF have been on the more conservative side in allocating DPP, especially in forwards or backs. So while I thought he’d get it in round six, his owners will be thrilled with this allocation now. His average of 88 places him now inside the top 20 backs by averages and should be coaches D1 or D2 on field.
Jordan Clark | ADD BACK
Another good addition for coaches. As a centre, only Jordan Clark, an average of 72.7, is only just rosterable for most leagues. However, he becomes a genuine on-field option or an emergency in deeper leagues as a back. He’s already owned by 83% of leagues, but that number will push into the ’90s now that he’s gained DPP.
The most significant value that Bailey Scott currently offers in draft leagues is his forward status. And presently, he’s in just 15% of teams. So the DPP is a good addition, but the value he offers to coaches is minimal.
Nick Daicos | ADD BACK
The Magpie rookie has been superb across halfback so far for Collingwood and will be a certainty to gain back status on Wednesday. He moves from a bench/emergency coverage in the midfield line to being a player you can place on the ground with confidence. Who knows, he might even be some teams D1.
Sam Petrevski-Seton | ADD CENTRE Dan Houston | ADD CENTRE Jordan Dawson | ADD CENTRE
I’ve chosen to do just one summary for all three of these players, as the key point is the same. Gaining centre staus adds squad flexibility, not so much a player’s relevance.
The Tigers have started to have an eye to the future, and it’s clear that Noah Balta as a forward is something the club like the look of. An average of 60 isn’t horrible, but it won’t be something to celebrate even in a weakened forward line in many leagues. However, it could add some handy squad flexibility in the category scoring leagues or deeper dynasty leagues.
Tom De Koning | ADD FWD
Category scoring leagues will be thrilled with this addition. Hitouts from a forward are a premium win. Tom De Koning is the future ruck of the Blues, but right now, he’s split with Marc Piitonet. The benefit of him getting forward is that IF the split starts to become more favourable with him in the ruck than forward, this could be a considerable gain.
Todd Goldstein | ADD FWD
The rebuild of the Kangaroos is well underway. As a result, some of the club elders are stepping back into the shadows. In the ruck division, the emergence of Tristan Xerri has allowed them to use Todd Goldstein as the relief ruck and more predominantly inside forward 50. With an ADP of 91.5, he’s in the gun for many coaches as a ‘bust.’ But the season is still young.
Awaiting More Data
The biggest names coaches were angling for were Angus Brayshaw and Dayne Zoko to get back status. However, UltimateFooty has opted to get more game data before adding the staus. And given both are averaging strongly enough to be on the field in our centre line. So keep an eye out for the round 6 allocations.
Podcast
Tune in as MJ & Jimmy discuss all the players that have picked up DPP!
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