50 Most Relevant Archives - Page 28 of 32

#7 Most Relevant: Max Gawn

Read Time:4 Minute, 9 Second

Last year Max Gawn was a top scoring ruckman, but fantasy coaches are uncertain if he can do it again due to one trade that happened late last year.

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Max Gawn
Age: 27
Club: Melbourne Demons
Position: Ruck

2018 Highest Score:
143 Vs Richmond (AFLFantasy)
168 Vs Essendon (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
111.3 (AFLFantasy)
127.5 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $692,100
AFLFantasy Price: $808,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $796,200

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WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

Max Gawn regained the mantle as one of the leagues premier big men in the competition this was recognised with him winning All-Australian honours for the second time in three years. His ruck dominance was clear across the season with him breaking the record for most hitouts in a season (1,119) and was one of the key reasons for Melbourne’s 2018 season pushing the club into the Preliminary Finals.

In SuperCoach he took his game to new levels delivering a career-best season average of 127, only Brodie Grundy and Tom Mitchell averaged more than him last year. Eighteen times last year he posted a score of one hundred or more while twelve of them over 130 and a massive five over 150 making him one of the best options to consider for captaincy across the season. On top of this consistent and high scoring he only twice dipped his scoring beneath 90 ensuring owners were never burned by his output frequently.

His dominant season translated into an AFLFantasy scoring personal best average of 111. Sixteen times he scored over the ton, eight of those were over 120 and an impressive five over 130 which made him one of the most consistent and frequent scorers of hundreds across the competition. Like in SuperCoach he also rarely hurt coaches who owned him with just four scores under 90 all season.

MY TAKE

The biggest and only hesitation in starting Max Gawn is what impact if any does recruit Braydon Pruess to impact his fantasy football output. As a pure outside to the club and the conversations surrounding his recruitment, it still perplexes me why Preuss would nominate a trade to a club that doesn’t need his services whereas sides like West Coast and Port Adelaide were actively recruiting for ruckman who’d be given specific opportunities to play.

While I can see the Dees trialling the dual ruck through the JLT community series, I remain unconvinced it’ll be the best long term strategy for the footy club. Melbourne is already well stocked for on-field talls with Tom McDonald and Sam Weideman playing the key forward roles while Oscar McDonald, Steven May and Jake Lever holding the tall parts down back. While Braydon Preuss is a very useful ruckman in the hitouts, he’s not the type that will offer loads around the ground. In his past two years at VFL level, he’s averaged 14 disposals a game, and that’s as the primary ruck. As a forward he certainly offers presence, but we saw last year McDonald be more than capable as a relief ruck to Gawn.

I fear that the inclusion of Preuss, while it would make them even more dominant at stoppages, could impact the structure of the team negatively and certainly dint Gawn’s fantasy output. This is purely speculation as nobody has seen the impact just yet, but generally speaking when two rucks neither score well enough to be a viable starting squad option.

At some point in the season, I see Gawn going back to being the single ruck in the side, and at that point, I’d comfortably jump onboard. Until then, he’ll remain as an upgrade target. Even if Pruess does stay all year, especially in SuperCoach, I see him as a strong top averaging ruck given his dominance and efficiency in the ruck contests.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

In a SuperCoach draft, I’m still inclined to take him in the opening round especially if I have a selection towards the end of the round, I know others will be more hesitant, but I still believe he’s too hard to pass up on. In AFLFantasy/DreamTeam drafts he’s likely to drift outside of the opening round based on current trends, and if Max resumes solo duties during the year, that coach will have the steal of the draft. Even if he doesn’t If I got Max in the second round, I’d feel like I’d snagged some considerable value.

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#8 Most Relevant: Lachie Whitfield

Read Time:4 Minute, 39 Second

A surprise move to the halfback flank paid dividends for the former #1 draft pick. Lachie Whitfield looms likely as a top six defensive option, but has he hit his scoring ceiling?

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Lachie Whitfield
Age: 24
Club: GWS Giants
Position: Defender

2018 Highest Score:
150 Vs Richmond (AFLFantasy)
141 Vs Carlton (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
100 (AFLFantasy)
99.9 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $542,100
AFLFantasy Price: $726,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $715,900

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WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

Lachie Whitfield is one of the most dynamic and damaging players on the outside of the contest in the AFL. Over the past few seasons on the wing and now last year off the halfback his elite endurance and sublime use of the ball by foot has been a joy to watch that is of course unless he’s playing against the side you support.

In 2018 he ranked 3rd across the AFL for total marks with only Jeremy McGovern and Shannon Hurn clunking the footy more than him. Whitfield also ended the year ranked 10th for total disposals and 5th for uncontested possessions.

During the preseason an Achilles injury ruined Leon Cameron’s plans for an attacking player with speed off the halfback. What compounded this was that just months earlier they traded Nathan Wilson to Fremantle. Luckily for GWS Whitfield transitioned quickly into the spot and filled the gap left by Zac Williams so well that he went on to receive his first All Australian honour.

From a fantasy footy perspective, last season in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam he scored twelve tons, half of those were over 120 while in SuperCoach he posted eleven tons and three of them above 120.

Not many defenders have consistently been able to deliver and boast of a strong fantasy ceiling, but between rounds, 10-21 Whitfield barely missed a shot where he had just the one score under 90 and averaged 109 in SuperCoach and 114 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam.

Last season wasn’t the only time we’ve got to see Lachie push his average near the 100 markings. In 2017 he scored particularly well after coming back from an AFL enforced the suspension. From his 15 games, he delivered 6 AFLFantasy/DreamTeam tons with three of them over 120 while in SuperCoach he posted five tons with two over 120.

MY TAKE

During the finals series, we saw the return of GWS running halfback Zac Williams, and as a result, we saw Lachie Whitfield move back up the ground to his previous role as a wingman. It didn’t impact his scoring in the two games he played delivering a 124 & 122 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 133, & 135 in SuperCoach. This is the role I expect to see Lachie used predominantly during the season with the occasional stint resting off half back.

One of the negatives about this likely role change is he’ll get little to no chance to capitalise on the possible scoring bump of the new ‘kick-in’ rules. Players such as Alex Witherden, James Sicily and Kade Simpson all are premium defenders and will gain a further bump in scoring given their frequency of kick-ins for their respective clubs. For him to stay inside the top bunch of defenders, he’ll need to find other ways out holding or increasing his scoring options.

My most significant cause for concern is that with the departure of Dylan Shiel the pecking order of who gets the tag/defensive midfielder is now down to 2 meaning it’ll soon be either Lachie or Josh Kelly. Last season when the forward tag was sent to him it impacted him with scores of 66, 65, 67 & 51 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam while in SuperCoach it was 64, 89, 90 & 61. The challenge for Whitfield will be if sides do choose to tag him he’ll need to use the elite tank to work them over.

Whether sides choose to shut him or Kelly will be down to coaching philosophy and the talent with the opposition sides. While the tag is a concern, not every team has a notable and reputable negating midfielder that’s capable of staying with Whitfield.

I don’t predict his average will increase, however, he doesn’t have to given that a 100 defender is still a safe top 6 averaging player. If anything he’s more likely to slide a dip marginally back to his average of what he delivered in 2017 where he averaged 97.

I won’t be starting Whitfield in any format due to some of the concerns raised above, but I certainly plan to have him as part of my completed side as he’s a definite top defensive option in all formats of the game.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

Defenders are becoming a hot commodity early in the drafts, and while I expect Jake Lloyd, Rory Laird & James Sicily all to go ahead of him, he’d certainly need to be in the next bunch of defenders selected. As a defender capable of going 100+ he’ll to get chosen as somebodies D1 but will likely go anywhere from mid second round to mid third round.

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#9 Most Relevant: Rory Laird

Read Time:5 Minute, 17 Second

Over the past few seasons, Rory Laird has been a dominant and consistent scoring premium. As we enter into another season, I fail to see much change in regards to the fantasy output from ‘The Desk.’

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Rory Laird
Age: 25
Club: Adelaide Crows
Position: Defender

2018 Highest Score:
141 Vs Richmond (AFLFantasy)
138 Vs Carlton (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
107.7 (AFLFantasy)
108.2 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $587,600
AFLFantasy Price: $782,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $770,700

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WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

In 2018 Rory Laird found a way to take his game to even greater heights. He was once again awarded All Australian honours for a second consecutive season and won the clubs best and fairest for the first time. The prolific and damaging halfback averaged 32 disposals, 21 uncontested, 77% efficiency, six marks, five rebound 50’s and two tackles a game.

He also elevated his fantasy footy game to new levels last year where he scored fourteen tons in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam seven of them where over 120 and just the three scores under 89 across the season. Twelve of his first fourteen matches he posted a score of 100 or more. While in SuperCoach he scored thirteen tons, six of those were over 120 and in his opening twelve games of the year had just one score below 98.

These scores build off the strong fantasy scoring from the season prior where he averaged 100 in all formats and in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam he scored over the ton in twelve matches, while in SuperCoach is was eleven scores of one hundred or more with six of them over 120.

Over the past two seasons, his scores have dipped below 80 in just a mere seven of his 42 games in all formats, while during that same length of time he’s posted 26 AFLFantasy/DreamTeam tons and 24 in SuperCoach.

Since forcing his way into the Crows side as a ‘best 22’ player, he’s been incredibly durable missing just the eight games in the past four years and only two games in the past two years, both of which came this year after fracturing his hand.

MY TAKE

Over the previous four seasons, Rory Laird has been a premium defender, and I still believe that in 2019 it’ll be no different, and at some point in the year, you’ll want him in your side. That said I have two major question marks around the fantasy output of Laird.

Firstly, of all the big dog premium defenders the new ‘kick in’ rules probably aid him the least. Kade Simpson, James Sicily, Jakes Lloyd and Alex Witherden all are the clear first choice kicker, and even without Brode Smith in the side, it was Luke Brown who led the club with these duties. Added to this, while it is limited data the games at lower levels sides that have used the ‘kick-in’ rules almost always chose to run the ball out of the goal square and then kick it long rather than look for a chip out kick near the boundary a game plan that would often benefit Rory’s fantasy numbers.

Secondly, the inclusion back into the Crows side of Brodie Smith will add some much-needed leg speed and procession kicking into the team. While he was absent, the Crows utilised the young talents of Wayne Milera to be the dashing halfback. When Laird played with both of these player makers, it dinted his scoring marginally with scores of 67 and 99 in AFLFantasy and 76 and 84 in SuperCoach. While it is only a small bank of data and correlation doesn’t always equal causation it starts to add another layer of caution that with all three inside the defensive 50 it could be difficult to predict which Crow scores well.

Let’s be clear; you want Rory Laird in your fantasy side during the year. While we may see a drop off in scoring, I see it as marginal and certainly not enough to take him out of the conversation as a top tier defender. You can choose to commence your season with him and ride out any small possible scoring bumps knowing that he’s going to be among the top defensive options yet again. After all, once you have him his price to you becomes irrelevant and you can anchor your defensive unit around him. Conversely, you can make him a priority one upgrade early in the year and hope to pick him up to $60,000 cheaper if Smith and Milera do impact his output.

Whether you choose to start or upgrade to him, the critical thing is you’ll want him in your side well before the crows bye round. If he’s an upgrade target you’ll want to make him one of the first as from round 5 onwards the Crows fixture while already favourable really opens up with matches against Gold Coast (home), St Kilda (away), Fremantle (home), Port Adelaide (away) and Brisbane (away). Remembering he had just one score beneath 100 last year in the opening seven rounds if Laird gets on a tear during this game stretch he may become too expensive to purchase.

Currently, I’m choosing to start him in DreamTeam and use him as an anchor for my side, while in AFLFantasy & SuperCoach he’ll be my first defensive upgrade target.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

A popular trend that’s developing in mock drafts is the early selection of defenders very early. It’s even more common than not to see Rory Laird rightly or wrongly off the board by the end of the opening round. I wouldn’t be opposed to that strategy if I was on the turn at the back end of the opening round knowing that I could secure a strong M1 with my second selection.

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#10 Most Relevant: Josh Kelly

Read Time:5 Minute, 5 Second

Josh Kelly is one of the most enjoyable players available for fantasy coaches to own. The question is, will 2019 be a turn of injury luck for this elite midfielder?

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Josh Kelly
Age: 23
Club: GWS Giants
Position: Midfield

2018 Highest Score:
166 Vs Gold Coast (AFLFantasy)
205 Vs Carlton (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
108.4 (AFLFantasy)
113.8 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $618,800
AFLFantasy Price: $787,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $775,300

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WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

Over the past few seasons, Josh Kelly has transitioned from an early draft pick with plenty of potentials into one of the AFL’s elite midfielders. Whether it be inside the contest extracting the ball and farming it out to his teammates, burning opponents on the outside with his silky skills or his ability to impact the scoreboard Kelly is the complete modern midfielder.

Injury stalled his season, but he was still able to deliver plenty of strong scores. From his 15 games last year he averaged 26 disposals, 18 of those were uncontested, seven score involvements, three clearances, five tackles, four marks and six inside ’50s per game. From an AFLFantasy/DreamTeam perspective, he scored eight tons, four of which were above 120 and two over 150. In SuperCoach it was seven tons and an impressive five that were above 130. One of those scores was dominant performance against the Blues. In that game, he had 41 disposals, ten clearances, 16 score involvements, five tackles, seven marks, four goals and a SuperCoach score of 205. To top his season off, he didn’t dip his scoring beneath 80.

These scores echo his breakout season from the year prior. In 2017 from his 21 games played for AFL/DreamTeam he posted fifteen tons, six of those were over 120, he had just one game where his scores dipped below 87, and he ended the year with an average of 112.9. While in SuperCoach he registered sixteen tons, seven of which were over 120, just the two matches he scored beneath 90 and ended 2017 with an average of 113.8.

Not many players carry the fantasy ceiling that Josh Kelly possess, and when he gets on a run of scoring, he can very quickly advance or equally destroy your rankings dreams depending on whether you own him or not. Over the past two seasons when he does register a triple figure score, he averages 126 in SuperCoach and 124 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam.

The inclusion of DreamTeam joining SuperCoach with a rolling lockout means we now get potentially two bites at the captaincy cherry. Someone like Josh Kelly has given his proven scoring ceiling captaincy option. Before the bye, GWS have no Thursday or Friday night games and only four games that are the first game of the Saturday, meaning the rest are later on in the weekend and Kelly becomes the perfect foil for a second shot at a captains call.

MY TAKE

Many opposition sides that did choose to employ to services of a tagger in the midfielder against GWS would almost always send them to the now departed Dylan Shiel. With his exit from the club, Josh now becomes the #1 target of opposition coaches to stop. Not many clubs possess a player capable of preventing him, but it’ll be a new challenge now being the clear top target to negate.

An interesting trend happened with Josh’s season last year. Every ton he scored coincided with a victory for GWS. Of these tons, they included victories against lowly ranked sides such as Carlton, Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs, Brisbane, St Kilda and Port Adelaide. While correlation doesn’t equate to causation it does create something fantasy coaches should ponder especially in light of the problematic fixture for GWS early on.

Between rounds one through to six they take on: Essendon (home), West Coast (away), Richmond (home), Geelong (away), Fremantle (home) and Sydney (away). It’s not out of the realms of probability that they start the year with just one or two wins. Thankfully, the fixture opens up from that point on with matches against St Kilda, Hawthorn, Carlton, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide and North Melbourne before the bye.

If his scoring trend of big hundreds when GWS wins continues then, he’s certainly more of an upgrade target. That said if he delivers scores as he did in 2017, it doesn’t matter who he plays he’ll find a way to score well regardless.

Josh Kelly and his Giants will get a much-earned rest in round 14 but to upgrade him after the week off is too late in the season. By then the scoring damage would well and indeed have been done, and an upgrade would be just putting a bandaid on a likely hemorrhaging season. If you choose to upgrade Kelly then target when you bring him in, my suggestion is after the round six battle of the bridge.

Right now I’m making him my first midfield upgrade target in every scoring format. Even though I’m not starting him due to some of the above concerns only injuries would prevent me from ending the season with him.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

Across every scoring format, he’s a sure M1 selection and a worthy choice in the opening round especially if your first pick is outside the top 3. In a new keeper league, he’d go in a similar position, while an existing league you’ve got minimal chances of getting him out of the hands of the current coach. Once you come across 110 averaging midfielders, they become very hard to pry out of the hands of coaches.

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#11 Most Relevant: Clayton Oliver

Read Time:4 Minute, 56 Second

Ever since he burst onto the AFL scene, it was clear he was set to become a fantasy beast for many years. 2019 looms as just another year of points scoring dominate for Clayton Oliver.

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Clayton Oliver
Age: 21
Club: Melbourne Demons
Position: Midfield

2018 Highest Score:
154 Vs Gold Coast (AFLFantasy)
154 Vs Fremantle (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
109 (AFLFantasy)
114.6 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $662,600
AFLFantasy Price: $792,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $780,300

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WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

It’s incredible to think what the only 21-year-old Clayton Oliver has already accomplished in three seasons of AFL. Last season he finished second in the clubs best and fairest after winning it the year before. Oliver was prolific amassing 734 disposals (with a season-high 40 in the Round 18 match against the Cats) and also led the league in contested possessions (405). To top off his phenomenal season, Oliver also received All Australian honours for the first time.

Last season in SuperCoach he took his scoring to a new level finishing the year with sixteen tons from his 22 matches, twelve of those tons were above 120; five were over 135 and a seasonal average of 114. When Oliver did score over the hundred marks, he averaged 126, numbers like that put him well and indeed in the consideration as a captaincy loophole option.

In AFLFantasy/DreamTeam he scored fourteen tons and lifted his average a full 8 points from the previous year and is now firmly established inside the top eight midfielders from last year based on average along. One of the knocks that some amongst the AFLFantasy/DreamTeam community have is that because his ratio of kicks to handballs is 2:1 he lacks the ceiling to be a genuine captains option. While that may have been a fair summary in 2017, it’s considerably off the mark lately. His final six tons for the year were all over 120 while he only had three of his fourteen tons under 110.

Oliver didn’t ‘break out’ as a fantasy player in his third season, but instead, it was 2017 we saw the beginnings of his fantasy footy dominance. In SuperCoach he scored seventeen tons and dipped his scoring just the once under 90, while in AFLFantasy he scored 9 tons and only twice dropped his scoring below 90.

In his past 44 games of home and away footy he’s delivered 33 SuperCoach tons and just five scores under 90, while in AFLFantasy he’s scored twenty-one tons and dipped below 90 in only eight matches. That frequency of high scoring is phenomenal and is just going to improve as the 21-year-old gets fitter and stronger.

MY TAKE

It’s challenging to find fault in this young superstars fantasy football output. At 21 as he continues to develop his fitness base, we should see his time on the ground marginally increase from last years 83%. We also saw last year his kick to handball ratio balance out much more evenly. In 2017 he averaged eight kicks and 22 handballs per game whereas previous season it was ten kicks and 19 handballs.

Last year a notable absence for much of the year for Melbourne was the clubs co-captain, Jack Viney. Some have suggested his missing was a reason Oliver’s scores grew substantially. For what it’s worth I don’t believe that to be true. In 2017 during the 18 games, they shared it played no impact on his fantasy output. It’s similar in 2018 in the seven games they played together Oliver still averaged 106.7 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 108.4 in SuperCoach. To suggest Viney in diminishes his output would be clutching at straws based on the data we have available.

During the off-season Oliver has dual shoulder reconstructions and came into the preseason slightly underdone. The positive news for potential owners is that he’s had a pretty faultless recovery and preseason and the club already have him earmarked to enter into full contact training within the next week or two. While the surgery wasn’t ideal, he has been able to spend plenty of time on the track and further building his fitness base.

If there were a format your more likely to choose him as an upgrade target, it’d be in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam where his scoring isn’t as rewarded given the fact his contested possession is what gives him a considerable bump in SuperCoach scoring. Regardless, I’d still want to have him in my completed side, and if you don’t start him, you need to choose at what point in the year he’s targeted as an inclusion. In SuperCoach he’s one of just a handful of players I find it increasingly difficult to justify passing on him, so for mine, he’s locked firmly in my SuperCoach side.

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DRAFT DECISIONSP

No matter the scoring format of the game you play he’s an M1 selection and is worth an early draft selection. In SuperCoach he’s very likely to be a top 10 selection while in AFLFantasy scoring formats he’s sliding early into the second round as a popular trend is coaches locking away key scoring defenders especially in choices in the middle to later opening round.

In an existing keeper league once you own a player you know is capable of averaging over 110 and is only 21 you hold onto them for dear life.

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#12 Most Relevant: James Sicily

Read Time:4 Minute, 11 Second

When he players he’s one of the best defenders going around, but will injuries, suspensions and taggers impact him fantasy season?

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: James Sicily
Age: 24
Club: Hawthorn Hawks
Position: Defender

2018 Highest Score:
135 Vs Essendon (AFLFantasy)
145 Vs Essendon (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
95.5 (AFLFantasy)
105 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $570,400
AFLFantasy Price: $694,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $683,600

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WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

A combination of suspensions and a season-ending wrist injury limited James Sicily to just 17 games last year. However, in the games, he played he managed to showcase his football smarts and fantasy football pedigree. Last year he averaged 17 disposals, seven marks, five score involvements, & 5 rebound 50’s a game all at an elite disposal efficiency of 81%. While many may ‘love to hate’ Sicily it’s evident that his reading of the play, intercept marking and neat disposal makes him an elite player in the competition.

From a SuperCoach perspective, he scored eight tons, half of those were over 120, and during the season he had only three scores that dipped below 90. For AFLFantasy/SuperCoach he scored five tons including a 125 against Essendon and had five further games that he scored over 90.

These fantasy and disposal numbers reinforced what he did in the final ten matches of the 2017 season. In those matches, he averaged 24 possessions, nine marks and despite being heavily tagged in one match where he didn’t score over 25 in any fantasy format he still scored like a premium. During that stretch of games in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam, he had eight scores of 85 or more, five tons and an average of 89.8. While in SuperCoach Sicily posted eight scores 87 or above, five of those were tons and averaged 91.4.

MY TAKE

The new rule changes the AFL have brought in suit James Sicily almost more than any other player. Many of the new regulations are designed to try and open up the game more and rewards players who take on the game using dare and skills, something Sicily has in spades. The Hawks game style has always been based around exquisite ball users by foot and possession retention something many AFL players in the offseason have commented on could well be even more valuable in 2019.

Even just based on natural development and the scoring trajectory the potential increase of scoring gets even better for Sicily thanks to the new kick-in rules. Over the summer the AFL announced multiple rule changes, but one of them was that players no longer had to ‘kick to themselves’ to play on. Rather they could now just run the ball outside of the goal square and ‘play on’ would be called by the umpire. Champion Data announced recently that all kicks that are taken outside of the goal would be awarded as disposal, while any handball in or out of the square will also be recorded to the player. Last season Sicily took just under 30% of all kick-ins for the side, the only player to take more was Ryan Burton who took on the role during his injury and is no playing for Port Adelaide. Given the fact that on average only one in four of last seasons kick-ins were ‘played on’ it;’s safe to think that given his long, penetrating and reliable kick plus his desire to take the game on will see him often ‘play on’ and attempt to get the ball 20 metres beyond his defensive 50.

In SuperCoach he’s a massive lock in my side given his ceiling and the points weighting for intercept marks and possessions, his disposal efficiency and likely increase of scoring from kick-ins means a points rise from last years 105 is more than reasonable and is one of only 3 defenders I believe are capable of being the top scoring defender. In AFLFantasy/DreamTeam if any format would be the one you may get away with upgrading to later. That being said I still believe he’s a top 6 averaging defender. The reason I think you could afford to upgrade to him is that his ceiling isn’t as damaging in this format. Over his past 27 games, he’s had only two scores over 120.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

After Laird and Lloyd go in SC draft he’s the next and given the value on DEF he’s a D1 and goes inside the top 25 selections.

AF he slides maybe a round but is gone before round 5 easily.

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#13 Most Relevant: Patrick Cripps

Read Time:4 Minute, 51 Second

He’s one of the most dominant midfielders in the league and worth every single cent. The dilemma is, can you upgrade to him or will he burn you if you wait?

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Patrick Cripps
Age: 23
Club: Carlton Blues
Position: Midfield

2018 Highest Score:
162 Vs Gold Coast (AFLFantasy)
187 Vs Collingwood (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
109.3 (AFLFantasy)
119.4 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $648,200
AFLFantasy Price: $793,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $781,900

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WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

Patrick Cripps was the shining light for the Blues in a season that was one of the darkest in the clubs history. In 2018 he stamped himself as one of the elite midfielders in the league as he led Carlton in disposals, tackles, inside 50s, contested possessions and clearances.

Watching Cripps live is a thing of beauty, I remember watching him take on the Crows in the final game of the season. In the contest, he’s big and strong and an immovable object when it comes to winning the ball. That day he surpassed Patrick Dangerfield to record home and away season record of most contested possessions in a year. To go with that, Cripps had 37 disposals and an insane 17 clearances, which was the equal-sixth most of all time in a single game.

Cripps has historically been regarded as more of a SuperCoach player than an AFLFantasy/DreamTeam scorer due to the fact that prior to 2018 never averaged over 100 in a season. In 2018 he full emerged as an elite premium in that format by averaging 109 for the year. Last season he scored 14 tons, five of which were above 130 including 162 against the Suns. On the run home, he was absolutely on fire with 10 of his last 11 games were tons, with the one game being a 96.

In his historically more fancied SuperCoach, he was a bull. Last year from his 22 games sixteen of them saw him post a score over the hundred markers and an insane four over 150 and a ridiculous two over 170. To top off this phenomenal season he had just the one score all season below 90.

Cripps is as close to being untaggable as you get especially inside the heat of the contest. While 1-2 taggers have had a level of success against him last year early on he’s still capable to scoring through other avenues as he’s more than capable of adding pressure on the ball carrier with 6 tackles per game on average and 7 games last year where he laid 9 or more.

MY TAKE

He is one of the complete fantasy footballers in the game. He posses a high and consistent ceiling, his scoring basement is exceptional, and historically he’s a pretty durable option with just one of the past four years impacted by real injuries. With no ‘perma captain’ in 2019 with Tom Mitchell, we’ll need a variety of captaincy options that can genuinely be considered against most opponents and that’s certainly something that can be said about Cripps.

Over the offseason, it’d be safe to suggest that the Blues improved their midfield stocks. Sam Walsh looks like one of the most complete #1 draft picks in years while a fit Will Setterfield will only help shoulder some of the inside ball winning burden for Cripps. Does an improving Carlton midfield group impact his scoring? For what it’s worth when Cripps played with Marc Murphy in the side he averaged 122 in SuperCoach and 115 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam. While when the former skipper missed he averaged 115 in SuperCoach and 100 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam. I believe as the Blues midfield unit give him better support we should only see him continue to score strongly.

Cripps shares the week off with Matt Crouch, Rory Sloane, Stephen Coniglio, Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly as popular premium midfield options. You can only have ‘so many’ midfielders pre-multi-bye rounds of players from the same week. So for a bye structure purposes from that round in starting a squad, you need to determine which ones you’re going to start and who you can afford to upgrade to later on. In AFLFantasy I’d feel Ok about targetting him as an upgrade even though I’d still consider him as a starting squad option and a likely top 8 scoring midfielder by seasons end. However, I’d feel nauseous for 14 weeks of not owning Patrick Cripps in SuperCoach! He’s one of only a handful of players that if he goes on a scoring streak similar to how he ended last year your shot an overall rankings success could be over before it got going.

Based on that I have him locked into SuperCoach and will be an upgrade target in AFLFantasy currently, but in all honesty, it’ll be between Cripps and another player yet to be revealed in the 50 most relevant for a spot in my DreamTeam side.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

Patrick Cripps is a bankable #1 midfielder in your draft league and well worth using your first-round selection on, especially if you have a pick outside of the top 3. You might be lucky to land him late first round if people go early on defenders. I expect him to go between picks 4-10 in most drafts.

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#14 Most Relevant: Matt Crouch

Read Time:4 Minute, 10 Second

He’s shown over many years he’s capable fantasy premium, but does the younger Crouch have another level up in his output?

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Matt Crouch
Age: 23
Club: Adelaide Crows
Position: Midfield

2018 Highest Score:
136 Vs North Melbourne (AFLFantasy)
131 Vs North Melbourne (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
104.8 (AFLFantasy)
101.5 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $551,300
AFLFantasy Price: $761,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $750,300

Embed from Getty Images

WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

2018 was a frustrating year for pretty much anyone involved in the footy club and Matt Crouch wasn’t immune from that after injuring his hamstring early in the second match of the year against the Tigers. Upon his return, in round 6 we got to see just why so many coaches last year, and again this year are keen on starting with him. In AFLFantasy/DreamTeam he scored 12 tons across the season with 50% of those being scores over 120 and in SuperCoach he scored 12 tons from his 18 games and scored over 120 in four matches. If you were to remove his injury impacted game against the Tigers, he’d have averaged 104 in SuperCoach and 109 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam.

2017 was even better and a reinforcement of what a fit Crouch can be. He earned All Australian selection and was also the Club Champion. The prolific ball winner broke the AFL record for most disposals in a season 825 this was topped off with a career-high 45 disposals against West Coast. Crouch rounded out the year finishing top 10 in the AFL for contested possessions, hard-ball gets, loose-ball gets, and handball receives.

From a fantasy footy perspective, he averaged 106 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam, scored over one hundred in thirteen matches, and five of them were over 120. While in SuperCoach he averaged 110, scored 15 tons with nine of them over 120. From round 10 onwards he scored 12 tons from a possible 13 matches with the only game he didn’t register a triple figure score being a 91.

MY TAKE

Matt Crouch offers plenty of potential value based on what he’s done post-injury last year but also based on the seasonal numbers prior. He doesn’t just have the potential to average 110, he’s shown he can do it for a season in SuperCoach in 2017 and barring his injury impacted game last year all put hit that marker in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam.

Injury prevented Crows fans and fantasy coaches the opportunity to see Matt Crouch, Brad Crouch, Rory Sloane and Bryce Gibbs all in the same side. Does his brother coming back into that midfield unit impact his fantasy scores? While we haven’t seen the 4 play together, I do not believe that to be the case. Just last year alone when Sloane did manage to play it actually was a benefit to his scoring as any tagging focus went towards him, not Crouch. In the 11 full games, they played together last year he averaged 117 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 109 in SuperCoach. When he played without Rory Sloane he averaged 98 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 97 in SuperCoach. The inclusion of his brother will just mean players such as Richard Douglas get fewer opportunities at centre bounces.

The key consideration with choosing if you’ll be starting him is that he shares the final bye round with plenty of other high-end midfield premiums. Patrick Cripps, Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio, Dustin Martin, Rory Sloane & potential breakout midfielder Tim Taranto all will miss the round 14 matches. In all honesty, any more than 3 midfield premiums in your squad from this bye round could likely tip the structure of your side out of whack. So where do you rank him in this list? Your answer to that could well play a part in whether you choose to start him or not.

I’m confident in his ability to deliver an average that should place him as a top 10 midfielder across all formats. So for me in every format, I’ll be starting him.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

Matt Crouch is a deserving M1, but won’t go in the first round. He’s likely to be selected as a second-round selection, meaning coaches who select a premium in another line with their first pick will still have a strong start to the midfield. While it’s unlikely, some coaches may find themselves with an early enough pick in the third round to get him. It won’t be common, but it might happen.

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#15 Most Relevant: Dan Hannebery

Read Time:4 Minute, 49 Second

2018 saw one of the biggest falls from grace from this once fantasy premium. Will a new club and a new year see him rebound to his best?

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Dan Hannebery
Age: 27
Club: St Kilda
Position: Midfield

2018 Highest Score:
92 Vs Melbourne (AFLFantasy)
87 Vs Port Adelaide (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
83 (AFLFantasy)
94 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $326,100
AFLFantasy Price: $434,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $428,100

Embed from Getty Images

WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

At his best new St Kilda midfielder Dan Hannebery is a running machine, a who is more than capable at winning the ball at a contest then, through endurance rather than line breaking speed, can will his way to the next stoppage, collect another possession, all the while leaving his opponent in his wake.

Last year was a down year for Hanners, but there is a crucial reason for it. In 2018 he failed to score over 100 in any format, a feat that you’ll have to go back to his debut season 10 years ago. Every facet of his game was well down, dropping to just 18 disposals per game on average. On top of this, the high strength of Dan being his endurance plummeted with some of the lowest GPS recordings in his career. The primary reason for the slow season was due to him entering into the year with no preseason due to a calf injury.

After being cleared to play by the fitness staff, it was still evident that he lacked the match conditioning and was struggling to use his critical offensive weapon (his endurance). The positive of a down season is we the fantasy coach get tremendous potential value if he and the St Kilda medical team can nurture his body back to near it’s best.

The encouraging sign for fantasy coaches and Saints fans is that Dan’s done a ton of work over the preseason and many club insiders believe his excellent preseason will see the side be rewarded immediately.

Before a severe knee injury in 2016 Grand Final Hannebery was proving to be one of the most elite fantasy footballers across all formats. That season he averaged 108 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and scored 15 scores of one hundred or more, while in SuperCoach he posted 17 tons. The year prior he averaged 110 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam 12 tons with all expect one being over 110. SuperCoach he averaged 113 and 15 tons with four of them being above 140.

He doesn’t need to replicate those numbers for him to be relevant, especially at the price we are paying for him. Even a repeat of his 2017 numbers would see his selection as a massive success. That year in SuperCoach he averaged 97 with 11 scores above one hundred while for AFLFantasy/DreamTeam he averaged 94 and scored 9 tons across the year.

MY TAKE

At the price point, a fit Dan Hannebery is very difficult, in fact almost impossible to say ‘no’ to regardless of the format. The risk with selecting him is that he delivers a similar season to 2018, but the fact he’s been dominant all preseason and we’ll get to see him playing in the JLT Community series should see him right in the mix for your starting squad. The reward with selecting him could be anything from being a stepping stone which increases his seasonal average 25+ points per game right through to being a genuine 100 averaging candidate and thus a cheap M8/M9 at seasons end.

St Kilda has paid a heavy price to get him, and while many at first criticised the decision to trade him in, Dan’s a solid inclusion into the midfield unit. The Saints are one of the more one-dimensional midfield in the league and given his ability to win the ball in tight in the contest as well as get out the outside of the contest makes him a perfect option alongside Steven, Steele, Ross and Co.

Unlike other midprice options available this year, even ones in the 50 Most Relevant list he possesses something that historically all others do not, that being a history of averaging as a top 10 midfielder. All others have shown moments or glimpses, but across all formats at his price, a fit Hannebery is superior.

For the record, he did suffer a small scare just a week or so before Christmas, which required him to have a hamstring scan. Thankfully for his sake, nothing was detected in the hamstring and was put down by the medical team as just some tightness that needed to be managed. Last week the Saints completed a match simulation at training, and many media outlets reported on not only how well he appeared to be moving but also the valuable leadership he brought to the Saints midfield unit.

Right now I’m locking him in both of my SuperCoach & AFLFantasy sides, and he’s fighting a battle along with current fellow 50 Most Relevant listed Player Anthony Miles for a spot in my DreamTeam side.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

Where he goes in a draft is anyone’s guess, someone may reach for him as early as an M5, but for me, I don’t want to have to jump that early. Even at M6, it feels a little early, but it may be where he goes if you have to own him.

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#16 Most Relevant: Nat Fyfe

Read Time:4 Minute, 59 Second

Nobody doubts his fantasy scoring pedigree, but there seem to be plenty of questions about how many games he plays. For me I think Nat’s going back to his Brownlow best!

PLAYER PROFILE

Name: Nat Fyfe
Age: 27
Club: Fremantle Dockers
Position: Midfield

2018 Highest Score:
144 Vs Gold Coast (AFLFantasy)
160 Vs Gold Coast (SuperCoach)

2018 Average:
102.1 (AFLFantasy)
113.9 (SuperCoach)

SuperCoach Price: $618,100
AFLFantasy Price: $741,000
AFLDreamTeam Price: $730,500

Embed from Getty Images

WHY IS HE RELEVANT?

Nat Fyfe is one of the premier midfielders in the league. No matter where on the ground he plays he’s unmatched in almost every area of the game. Inside the contest, he’s a bull, in the air he’s strong and imposing and to top it all of when need he’s a daunting presence inside forward 50 for any defender to stop him.

Last year from his 15 games played he scored 9 AFLFantasy/DreamTeam tons with 7 of those were over 115. For SuperCoach it was even stronger as he delivered eleven matches where he scored over the hundred, 9 of which were over 110. Between rounds 2-10 he went on a nine-week scoring bender in SuperCoach with his lowest score being a 101 and an average of 131. During that same period of time for AFLFantasy/DreamTeam, he averaged 117 and didn’t drop a score below 91. The year prior he played 21 games and averaged 97 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and scored 8 tons, with 6 of them over 120.

For SuperCoach his 2017 seasonal average of 108 complied with 12 scores over one hundred included 7 over 120. During that season Fyfe’s role was marginally different to some of the previous years as he was used not just as a resting forward like Dustin Martin but as a key forward for large chunks of the game. When he was released back to a predominant midfield role over the final 5 games of the year he averaged 108 in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 130 in SuperCoach.

It’s still 4-5 years ago but doesn’t mean we should discount or forget his phenomenal SuperCoach seasons from 2014 & 2015. During the 36 games, he played of a possible 44 he scored 30 tons and averaged 123. If your curious while not as dominant in terms for AFLFantasy it’s 24 tons and an average of 103.

MY TAKE

Fremantle had one of the busiest trade periods of the club history. They sent midfielder and fellow 50 Most Relevant player Lachie Neale to Brisbane and recruited key forwards Jesse Hogan and Rory Lobb. All three of these player movements are crucial to Nat Fyfe.

Since the retirement of Matthew Pavlich, the Dockers have lacked someone with a genuine forward presence that could provide them with avenues to goal and as often seen Fyfe was used for large chunks of the game playing as a forward. The recruitment of these two key targets means Fyfe will only ever be used to rest forward and not have to play forward.

On top of the forward line gains, they’ve lost one of the best clearances players in the league. Adam Cerra and Andy Brayshaw will no doubt become starts of the competition and essential cogs of the midfield, but as second-year players, they can’t cover the load. The primary responsibility in the midfield lands on Fyfe’s shoulders and with the forward line sorted his skills and time need to be invested inside the midfield and as such his time in the middle should increase in contrast to previous years.

The only compelling case you can create for passing on Nat Fyfe is his durability. Only twice across his career has he played 20 games or more and is yet to complete a full season. While it is a concern, it shouldn’t be a complete deterrent to starting with him. Coaches that are not selecting him need to be aware of the potential risk, especially for SuperCoach, also have risk associated.

The risk for coaches passing on him is because if you choose not to own him because of durability concerns, I believe he cannot be an upgrade target at all. If he averages 123 over the first seven weeks (for example) if the only reason you’re passing on him as a starting squad is an injury and durability concern, then you can’t upgrade to him. The durability question still exists, and the likelihood of injury based on history is now higher than it was seven weeks earlier and you missed those scores. While it feels like you’ll be damned if you do and damned if you don’t with Fyfe I know, I always prefer to own guys with massive ceiling and scoring consistency and cop any trade I may have to make along the way.

Currently, he’s starting in my SuperCoach and AFLFantasy sides and only a preseason injury will change my plans. For DreamTeam I’m actively looking to see what changes I can make to squeeze him into my structure.

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DRAFT DECISIONS

Depending on the format you play that will determine how quickly he’s off the draft board. If it’s a SuperCoach format, he’s safely gone in the first round and will be somebody’s M1. While in AFLFantasy he’s a strong M2 and probably taken in the 3rd or 4th round. While not the more prominent scorer in this format in contrast to SuperCoach he is a big name and as such doesn’t last long in any draft format.

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