As soon as the AFL Trade window closes, media personalities and fans alike clamour to decide and define who the big winners were from the period. Instead of focussing on the ‘clubs’ who came out trumps, I decided to look at some players who ave increased their SuperCoach, DreamTeam and AFLFantasy value heading into the 2020 fantasy season.
Blake Acres
At St Kilda, has has been starved of opportunities to play as an inside midfielder. He’s been stuck behind the likes of Seb Ross, Jack Steele, Luke Dunstan and co all getting a gig ahead of him. On the occasions, he was allowed to use his hulking frame through the midfield his fantasy numbers showed plenty of promise. In 2018 his opening five scores in SuperCoach were 144, 90, 97, 92 & 107. In AFLFantasy it was 124, 92, 77, 83 and 100.
Moving to Fremantle, they desperately need support for Nat Fyfe, and under a new coach, Blake could thrive if given the opportunities. Currently priced 13-15 points per game under what he achieved in 2018, so if he retains forward status, he looms as a genuine breakout candidate.
Marc Pittonet
Could we have our R3 locked away with this trade? Andrew Phillips trade to Essendon means the Frenchman as becomes the clear second choice ruck for Carlton. Pittonet should be cheap next year and should Matt Kruezer suffer an injury that rules him out then he could well be a handy cash cow. Last year in the VFL he averaged 39 hitouts, 16 disposals, three marks and three tackles a game.
Brandon Ellis
The significant variable here is about if Brandon holds onto his defensive eligibility. If he does, then he looms as a potential premium target we need to place seriously on our watchlists across all formats and platforms of the game. In 2014 and across the full season of 2015 we saw that when Ellis is played as a wingman, he can score well. During those two seasons, he played every game, averaged 99.3 and posted 23 tons in AFLFantasy. While during that same time in SuperCoach he averaged 98 and scored 22 hundred plus scores. Some of those 100+ scores were monsters too, with multiple games going well north of 130.
If he plays wing for Gold Coast and is defensive eligible in fantasy footy, then he’s a serious preseason watchlist. However, as a midfielder, he’d need to elevate his current average (the mid-’80s) into the 100 range to make his selection just scraping worthwhile in the salary cap formats of the game.
Jack Steven
If you’ve played any format of fantasy footy for multiple seasons, you’ll be fully aware of the scoring potential he owns. Before this season where he battled his mental health his AFLFantasy/DreamTeam averages have been 96, 93, 104 and 111. While for SuperCoach he was going at 94, 90, 102 and 103 and only missed two games during those four seasons.
The questions shouldn’t be around can he score well, but rather can he get his body in a position to be back to his best. However, three vital determining factors will impact just how many select him. Firstly, with him playing only seven games will the formats award him a discount for games missed due to battling with his mental health? Secondly, can he get back to full health and fitness? One of Jack’s key weapons is his elite endurance and aerobic capacity. Something we failed to see much during the season. Finally, does he gain forward eligibility? In his three games, he played almost exclusively forward including one where he kicked three goals.
If the answer is yes to all those, then he could be a highly popular starting squad option
Aiden Bonar
He moves from fantasy footy irrelevance at GWS into the conversation at North Melbourne. From his two games this season he averaged just over 40 across the formats. The key questions will be first, is he worth the premium price tag in our starting squads? Fantasy coaches have plenty of strong cash cows already entering 2020, so for him to be a good selection, he’ll need to outscore them.
Can he force his way into the Roos engine room which already boasts Cunnington, Ziebell, Davies-Uniake, Higgins, Anderson, Simpkin, Dumont and Thomas? This will be something fantasy coaches need to watch with great interest?
Billy Frampton
Stuck for opportunities behind a long list of Port Adelaide forward talls Billy saught a move for more opportunities at senior level. Those opportunities increased Josh Jenkins move to Geelong. Frampton has now given himself a chance at playing some senior footy for the side he grew up supporting as a kid. The bonus is he should be RUC/FWD eligible which could prove to be quite handy should he crack the Crows side.
Will he score enough at his price point to give actual value? Will, he even fit the Crows new forward structures? Both are great questions, and for fantasy footy coaches ones we’ll get further clarity on once the preseason gets underway. However, it’s safe to say he moves from nobodies radar to providing a blip for fantasy footy coaches.
Are you looking for more in-depth player reviews?
Patreon supporters get a full breakdown and analysis of every trade, the impact to the clubs they arrive and depart plus the panels fantasy footy verdict for 2020. To become a Patreon army supporter, click here.
