He was one of the surprise packet premiums of 2017 but after a sudden fall mid game that was triggered by an irregular heartbeat. Thankfully he’s got the medical all clear and now presents fantasy coaches a real value selection.
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Dylan Roberton
Age: 27
Club: St Kilda Saints
Position: Defender
2018 Highest Score:
103 Vs Brisbane (AFLFantasy)
90 Vs Brisbane (SuperCoach)
2018 Average:
63 (AFLFantasy)
68.5 (SuperCoach)
SuperCoach Price: $297,500
AFLFantasy Price: $537,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $360,500
WHY IS HE RELEVANT?
2018 started full of fantasy footy promise for Dylan Roberton and the owners that started with him. He opened up the seasons scoring with a 103 for AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 90 in SuperCoach, however just 3 weeks later he collapsed midway during the game against the Cats. He somehow ran off the ground, yet was correctly sent off to the hospital by the St Kilda medical team where an irregular heart was discovered. Sadly for Saints fans and fantasy coaches that was the last we saw him play, thankfully the club took all necessary precautions to take care of his long-term health.
While not yet back to full training Roberton is doing a modified program but the St Kilda fitness staff and coaches have said on more than one occasion during the preseason that they expect him to be ready to play in the JLT Community Series. This is great news for a variety of different reasons but for fantasy coaches, this once premium defender is priced in both DreamTeam and SuperCoach especially in a range you must consider him.
Reason being, just 12 months earlier Dylan was coming off a personal best fantasy footy season and averaged over 90 across all formats off the game. In SuperCoach he averaged 92.5, he went over 100 in 8 matches including a monster 149 against the Hawks. For AFLFantasy/DreamTeam coaches he averaged 90 and scored 8 tons with 3 of them over the 120 range. As great as these numbers are it was actually the early 12 games of the season where the numbers are even more impressive.
Over the first 12 rounds of the 2017 season, he averaged 102.83 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 104 in SuperCoach. For under $300,000 in SuperCoach and just over $350,000 in DreamTeam, you can get a guy who’s capable of going on big scoring runs like that. If Dylan could get near those early seasons numbers, he’ll be an easy sideways trade to a fallen premium after 5-6 rounds.
2017 is far from a ‘once off’ fantasy relevant year. In 2015 his first season at the club he played 20 games and averaged 82.8 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and scored four times over the hundred, while SuperCoach he averaged 90.5 and hit the triple-digit score five times all of which were over 115.
MY TAKE
We’re blessed with so many value options in 2019, and while it could probably be said for most seasons this year more than many others feels like we’re blessed with multiple robust value options across all lines. While we can’t have all of them, selecting the correct one for the right format will pay huge dividends. While he does have some value in him for AFLFantasy, the real value is DreamTeam and even more so in SuperCoach.
Priced at just under $300k in SuperCoach he’s less than $100k than first-year player Sam Walsh, and given that price tag, any coach that is looking for a midprice option in defence needs to consider what Roberton can do. He’s proven for multiple seasons in SuperCoach he’s capable of averaging 90 which is good enough to put him around the top 15 defenders and a likely D6 keeper. Even if he doesn’t get at his price, he’s a very capable stepping stone that will get you close enough to one of the first fallen defensive premiums.
Right now I have Dylan Roberton placed into my D4 position for SuperCoach and will only need to see him back into full training and complete the JLT unhindered to lock him away. For AFLFantasy/DreamTeam he’s not out of contention, but I’d need to change my current backline structure to fit him in.
DRAFT DECISIONS
It’ll be fascinating to see where he goes in drafts, as he seems to be one of the forgotten defenders in fantasy circles. In some drafts, he may even go unselected entirely due to those who use the 2018 average as a there selection guide. In all honesty, I’d be certainly wouldn’t mind drafting him as a D4; maybe I’ll even get lucky to have him round out my on-field side at D5. It’s early in the season, but he looks like he could go in the mid-late teen rounds of a draft. Which based on scoring potential is a huge bargain!
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