Bailey Smith started the 2022 season on fire; he became one of the most popular and in demand players. Entering 2023, I have barely seen anyone mention him, let alone plan to start with him. His low potential ownership could be a gold mine for coaches willing to jump on.
Last year Luke Davies-Uniacke moved from the realm of a hopeful fantasy footballer into a player with the potential to be among the top scoring premiums in the game. But, under a new coaching regime, can LDU become one of the most relevant players in 2023?
Since breaking out in 2019 and averaging over 90 across the formats, it’s been a downward spiral in fantasy relevance for James Worpel. However, in 2023, it’s make or break not just for his fantasy relevance but also for his time on an AFL list.
After battling throughout much of 2022 cancer, Ben Cunnington returned to play two games for his beloved North Melbourne last year. Entering 2023, he’s back to full health and is now eligible for selection as a MID/FWD. If he can return to his scoring peak, he’s hugely relevant for every coach.
With only thirty-five AFL games to his name, Chad Warner quickly emerged as one of the best young midfielders in the competition. Entering his fourth season, he looms likely to become one of the most fantasy-relevant players across the formats.
For the past four seasons, Jackson Macrae has been a consistent top tier premium midfielder across all formats of the game. However, he’s not just a good fantasy player he’s a brilliant footballer in general.
Coming off the back of winning a Brownlow Medal, expectations were sky-high that Lachie Neale would continue his fantasy footy dominance. However, a combination of injuries across the year stunted any of those opportunities. After an injury-free pre-season, Neale is primed and ready to re-establish himself as one of the best premium players in fantasy footy.
The fantasy football Superman of the past few seasons has been Jack Steele. He’s taken his game from a reliable midfielder who can score well into one of the best premiums on any week. However, the signs are ominous that Jack still has another scoring gear to use.
2021 was a season of two split experiences for Josh Dunkley and fantasy coaches. Over the opening six weeks, he was among the best players in the game. However, once he came back from injury, he was being outperformed by cash cows. So what does 2022 hold for this Western Bulldog?
Now and then, we’re gifted a player in our forward lines that are just a walk-up in our starting squads. In 2022 we’ve been given Mitch Duncan as a MID/FWD. Is he as obvious a selection as he appears? Or are there some underlying signs we need to be scared of?