Tag: Ultimate Footy

How to Become a Successful Keeper League Coach

How do you have and maintain a successful keeper league side? It’s a question at the Coaches Panel we get often asked. Multiple variables go into making a successful keeper side, so I wrote a list of eight tips to help you be a top-keeper league coach. 

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Player Value | Understand your league rules 

This should be basic, but knowing the rules and framework of your league could be the difference between nailing your initial draft or making some horrible decisions. Know your draft order, how big the squad is, how many coaches are in the league & how many players are on the field. It’s simple, I know, but potentially profound. 

As an illustration, knowing how many players you have to place on the field can drastically change the value of a player or a position. If your in a 16-team league, the value of a good ruckman is substantially higher than in an 8-team league. Knowing this can inform how you draft, trade and value a player. Someone like Tim English might now be a second-round selection, whereas he would drift further into a shallower league. 

To further highlight this, the 16th-best ruck in 2022 averaged 71 last year. However, the 10th averaged 85 points per game. So in a shallower league, a ‘good ruck’ is relatively easy, even with a later pick. However, in a deeper league, you might need to invest a little earlier to avoid giving up points in a certain line. 

Knowing and understanding your league rules is a way to give yourself a headstart on the rest of your coaches. It will also help you fully evaluate the value of players both in a trade sense and their draft capital. Nail this, and you’re already on the way to being a strong keeper league coach. 

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List Spots | Know your ‘Keepers’ rules

It is one of the biggest keys to success or failure in a keeper league. I’ve participated in keeper leagues for the better part of a decade, and nearly every league has a different stated number of keepers. Some vary from as little as 10-12, while others are much more of a ‘dynasty’ style league and have squad retention of 35 players. 

Knowing how many you keep as you enter the draft will determine who you select and where you select them. Additionally, based on the variable of ‘keepers’, it will inform the type of players you keep on your list at lodgement time. 

For an example, let’s use Neil Erasmus from the Dockers. He was a highly touted junior and has shown fantasy pedigree in the WAFL colts as a junior & the WAFL last year. But so far has been unable to break into the AFL side. If your league retains only 10-12 players on your list annually, you might struggle to justify retaining him. As good as he could be, he’s unlikely to improve your team’s output in the next year or two, let alone break into the Dockers side as a regular. 

As a result, the ‘keepers’ lodgement might force your hand if you want to be competitive most years. However, if you keep 20 or 30 players annually on your list, you can afford to be more patient with these players, who should be excellent fantasy prospects but aren’t going to help you in the immediate future. 

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Free Agents | The pool is a gold mine 

Successful coaches are constantly mining the player pool for free agents. Every year I’ve seen players that start the year in the player pool transition to becoming highly valued assets. 

For example, nobody wanted to own Darcy Cameron entering the 2022 season. However, an injury created an opportunity, and he became one of the year’s top pickups. The pick has now been even further rewarded with the departure of Brodie Grundy. As a result, Darcy’s now the #1 ruck option at the club. Certainly, elements of luck are involved, but good coaches are always hunting the pool.

The player pool can also be a gold mine because other coaches lose patience or make a poor evaluation and drop a player of value. Therefore, scouting the pool constantly and watching other coaches’ moves might pay off. 

If you keep an eye on the AFL games, role changes and injury lists, you’ll also start to see some hidden value. I’ve already used Darcy Cameron as an example of an injury creating an opportunity. But what about a role change? Enter Ed Richards to highlight this point.

In the first fifteen games of the season, he had just one score north of 90 and played a much more defensive role. However, in round 18 against the Saints, he became a rebounding option and saw his marks and disposal tallies rise. If you noticed that, took the punt, snagged him out of the player pool, and didn’t wait another week or two to confirm it, you’d have been rewarded. Richards scored 106, 108, 90, 88 & 92 in the final five games. To put that into context, he was a top-10-averaging defender in that run of games. 

Sometimes it pays to jump on the potential upside of a player from the pool. It might only be a one or two-week bump before returning to poor scoring. But, on the other hand, it could also be the next keeper on your side emerging.

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Trading | Don’t burn your bridges

One of the great joys of having a keeper team is the feeling of becoming a virtual talent scout and list manager. It’s where you can live out your dreams of creating a super team and put some of the AFL knowledge into practice in a tangible way. 

A mistake I often see coaches early on in keeper leagues is the mentality of how they approach trades. They look for ways to ‘win’ and other coaches ‘lose’ or intentionally screw over another coach. A few years ago, a trade went down in one of my leagues where Dane Swan was traded early in the season. The mistake that was clearly on the coach’s trading to gain his services was that he didn’t realise he was injured, an injury that would later result in Swan having to retire. The news of Swan’s injury and it’s nature wasn’t hidden, but in his excitement to own a gun fantasy prospect, he leapt at the chance. Unfortunately paid a high price. As a result, he felt like an idiot and has not traded with that other coach since. 

To quote the great Michael Scott, always look for a ‘win, win, win’ in negotiations. After every trade, you want to feel like you’ve improved in achieving your objectives, and the same for the other team. As a result, you create a rapport and confidence that future trades will benefit each other. 

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Strategy | Know it & stay the course

As you enter your initial draft or every trade and redraft period, you must have a plan and a strategy. Without a plan, you’ll flake around yearly and never truly be a premiership contender. So before entering any of these periods, do the following. Create a plan, set a course of action, and follow through.  

Your strategy for entering the draft could be securing as many high-scoring midfielders as possible and avoiding forwards in the first ten rounds. That strategy could be sound if you need more confidence in the bulk of the top-end forwards. As a result, you’ll likely spend most of the season taking flyers from the player pool or playing the matchups for an on-field forward.  

The key with any of these plans is that while you need to follow through with the execution, you cannot get such a tunnel vision that you miss a player that’s sliding. For example, if a clear top-tier forward is available at your 7th or 8th pick, you might need to evolve what you’re doing. I’m a big believer in rankings players per position by tiers, not just a numerical order. So in the illustration, you might get a ranked tier-one forward where you’d normally get a fourth-tier midfielder. 

During every offseason, fellow panellist Kane & I create our top fifty rankings of players for keeper leagues. It’s an exclusive for our Patreon supporters; you can access these podcasts here. In almost every podcast episode, you’ll hear Kane reflect, ‘every selection in your draft should support the next pick.’ In essence, he’s preaching that your strategy & execution should be in full alignment. 

For example, if your drafting heavily players aged between 22-27 with your first 5-6 selections, don’t go and get a 32-year-old with your next pick. Or if you’ve selected a few midfielders with injury concerns, you should be looking to protect those picks by drafting an extra midfielder.  

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Self Reflect | Know where you’re really at 

If you don’t know where you are, you won’t be able to get to where you want to be. But, just like an AFL list, if you correctly identify where your side is, it can inform the way you trade and the type of players you draft or move on. For example, is your side strong enough to compete for a premiership? Are you fighting it out to make the finals? Or are you well and truly in a rebuild?

Each position means that certain players and draft positions have significantly varying values. For example, as great as he is, Scott Pendlebury will not help a side that’s currently rebuilding, but he’s a helpful piece for a team fighting for finals or in premiership contention. Equally, new draftee George Wardlaw won’t help a team right in the premiership window, but he’s a huge asset for a rebuilding club. Knowing where you’re at immediately clears the way for the right strategy and helps you value players and picks accurately. 

The hard part isn’t the knowledge; it’s being brave enough to pull the trigger and execute. I’m in a keeper league with many of the Coaches Panel crew. I was lucky enough to be in the finals hunt for 2018-2021 and even jagged the premiership in 2020. However, after a failed attempt to go back to back, I realised that my side wasn’t going to get back towards the top four without significant luck. So I decided to rebuild and made some significant moves. 

Players like Nat Fyfe and Andrew Gaff were moved on for multiple top-15 draft selections before the redraft. Furthermore, I traded out Toby Greene, Shannon Hurn, Todd Goldstein, Brandon Ellis, Sam Menegola & Jack Billings during the year. 

In return, I picked up players like Jason Horne-Francis, Neil Erasmus, Tom Powell and a bounty of early picks. So in the space of one 12-month window, I changed the feel of my entire side. I gave up plenty of valuable talent, but none were top-end. However, I now have some of the best first & second-year players available. So in another season or two, I’ll be positioned for an extended run at the league’s top.

It could backfire, but I’d rather give myself the best chance for a premiership than float around the pack with a bunch of guys at their peak 4-5 years ago. 

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Mistakes | You’ll make many 

Mary Tyler Moore said, ‘Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow.’ Not only is that true in life, but it’s 100% accurate in how you manage your keeper side. Over the years of managing a team, you’ll make plenty of mistakes. It might be in a trade you make, a player delisting back to the pool or even on draft day. At some point, you will make a mistake, multiple of them. 

In one league I’m in, someone dropped Clayton Oliver in his debut year after not playing a game early. I was fortunate enough to have the waiver wire priority and swooped him up. That coach learnt that you need to be patient with new talent. Every 100 he delivers must be a painful reminder of that mistake. But the important this is that coach learned from it. He’s since ensured that when he spends capital on a new draftee, be patient. Mistakes happen, and that’s OK. Just be sure to learn from it. Avoid making the same mistakes annually. 

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes; that’s one of the ways how you learn. The key isn’t just to learn from your own, but also to learn from the mistakes of others. 

Redraft | Look for the upside 

After lodging and finalising your list of spots for the year, the redraft is where your league heads back to the draft board. The person that taught me how to maximise the redraft is fellow panellist Jimmy. Every year in a keeper league with him, he’d often spend most of his selections on players with substantial upside. While I was redrafting for bench depth and getting the ‘best-known scorer available.’  

So one day, I asked him about his redraft philosophy over a beer. He said to me, ‘always redraft looking for the upside.’ Chase for the player with breakout potential or a possible role change. His thought process behind it is this. I need 1-2 of these selections to stick and become keepers in the redraft, and I’ve won the day. So rather than picking a pack of plodders who I know will average 70, I’d rather select for possible upside. At best, I get a guy capable of being a top 20 performer in his line of positional eligibility. At worst, I threw them back into the player pool mid-season, and it’s a bust. 

Ever since that interaction, it’s changed how I redrafted and has seen me miss on multiple players but also seen me nail plenty. So, sorry, Jimmy, I’m telling everyone reading this about your philosophy. That next beer is on me.   

UltimateFooty | Possible DPP Additions | Round Twelve

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.

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Andrew McGrath | ADD BACK

During the preseason, Andrew McGrath was one of the most hyped players. With an ADP of 76.3, it’s fair to say owners are slightly underwhelmed with an average of 81 and just three tons. The addition of back status will revitalise his owners as he’s now moved from being ranked the 74th best centre by average to being inside the top 35 backs. His DPP gain is easily the biggest impact on the drafts sides from this batch of new allocations.

Oliver Florent | ADD BACK

The Swans midfield and defensive unit has undergone a drastic change over 12 months. For Oli Florent, he’s been squeezed off the wings, with Justin McInerney and Errol Gulden taking the major share. For Oli, his run and carry have been deployed across the half-back flanks. He’s hardly banging the door down as a strong performer with an average of 66 and just five scores 70+ all year. But the addition of back status now moves him from someone that is barely rosterable to someone you could place as an emergency in your backline. A huge relevance gain because he is now arguably valuable to draft coaches. 

Brady Hough | ADD BACK

Single season leagues probably won’t get too excited by this addition. Especially with the Eagles cavalry starting to return, it won’t shock me to see Brady Hough squeezed out of the West Coast lineup. But it’s keeper and dynasty league coaches that might be paying a little more attention. Hough has looked at home across the Eagles halfback flank, and his round 11 score of 99 against the Bulldogs shows that he can score well within the teams structure and style. So depending on the depth of ‘keepers’, be may be worth a stash on your list.

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Isaac Heeney | ADD CENTRE

Isaac Heeney was meant to be the great hope in our forwards this year. And he started string in 2022 with four tons and an additional 90+ score in the first five rounds. However, since then, he’s had just two scores of 80+. The addition of DPP this round appears to be more about a legacy addition of what he’s done over the totality of the year. One can only assume his round 10 match, where he attended 48% of centre bounces, was enough to push him over the UltimateFooty seasonal percentage threshold. Regardless, a DPP addition it will help squad flexibility for owners. 

Anthony Scott| ADD CENTRE

Getting centre status isn’t just about whether or not you start at centre bounces. So for those wondering why Anthony Scott has got it, don’t go looking for CBA’s. He’s got none. Rather, the positional allocation can only be put down to the fact he’s getting some opportunity to play on the Bulldogs wings. He’s in a small percentage of leagues, and given he’s had just one score over 60 all year, he’s not someone to go and chase. 

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Connor Rozee | ADD CENTRE

In round six, Connor Rozee was flung into the deep end of the midfield with a season-high CBA of 73%. Since then, he’s been regularly attending over 50% of the game as a centre bounce midfielder. Of course, his relevance won’t skyrocket like any centre gains, but the versatility adds to your squad is helpful, especially if you play through the byes. 

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Mason Cox | ADD RUCK

Plenty has been made about the emergence of Darcy Cameron as the Magpies first choice ruck since Brodie Grundy went down injured. But he’s not had exclusive access to the role, especially over the past three weeks. Last week, Mason attended 43% of the Magpies centre bounces, a season-high for him and for whichever Magpie was used as ‘second fiddle ruck.’ His seasonal average of 43 isn’t amazing, but the timing of the DPP could be the difference between some deeper leagues fielding a 0 this week or not. He’s owned in just 7% of leagues, and beyond those very deep leagues couldn’t advocate for grabbing him. 

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Buku Khamis | ADD FORWARD

Buku Khamis is not someone to rush out and own with an average of 51 and just one score north of 50, but the gaining of this status is 100% with merit. 

James Peatling | ADD FORWARD

James Peatling has played just four games throughout the season, but that’s enough game data to make him eligible for gaining DPP. In rounds 10 & 11, the Giants have used him as one of the more successful avenues to goal up forward. In the 39% of leagues where he’s unowned, James will be someone coaches are grabbing off waiver wire that plays through the byes. Especially after scores of 119 & 89 in the past fortnight.

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Ivan Soldo | ADD FORWARD

Upon first glance, the allocation of forward status to Ivan Soldo seems quite irrelevant to leagues. An average of 49 and just three scores over 50 isn’t screaming ‘pick me.’ However, for deeper draft leagues and especially category leagues, he can become quite relevant, especially if the category of hitouts has a premium. 

Ben Hobbs | ADD FORWARD

One of the easiest decisions from UltimateFooty for this allocation of DPPs will be to hand forward status to Essendon’s Ben Hobbs. The inside midfield bull is finding his way at the AFL level. As a result, he’s playing forward and getting drip-fed some midfield opportunities. He could add some versatility to maximise players on the field especially during the byes.

UltimateFooty | Round 9 Positional Changes

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.

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Finn Callaghan | ADD BACK

An exciting gain for those who play a keeper or dynasty format. Finn Callaghan was one of the hottest prospects from the most recent draft class. As a centre, only his average in the mid-’50s isn’t of many benefits. But it could be helpful in the deeper keeper/dynasty style leagues. 

Adam Kennedy | ADD BACK

By name, the addition of Adam Kennedy is not exciting at all. But on the current scoring trend, it’s a significant gain. Currently, he’s owned in just 37% of leagues. But in the past month, he’s scored 94, 74, 49 & 89. So if your backline depth is weak, he might be worth placing a waiver claim on. However, just show some caution. A player’s role and scoring like Adam’s could become hostile with the new coach at the helm.

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Connor West | ADD CENTRE

With the West Coast Eagles injury list being so extensive over the last few months, the club has been forced to trial players in various positions. As a result, Connor West gained plenty of midfield minutes, and by osmosis, he’s been awarded centre status by the gang at UF.

Jamaine Jones | ADD CENTRE

In two games so far in 2022, Jones has scored 95+! That’s a positive ceiling. Concerningly he’s scored under 40 in just as many games. With the cavalry starting to return for the Eagles, he’s not someone I’d be joining out of my way to get.

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Sam Berry | ADD CENTRE

Since forcing his way back into the Crows AFL side, Sam Berry has been a regular at centre bounces for Adelaide. He’s averaging well over 50% of CBA’s, including a season-high of 70% in round five. Any player that gains centre status becomes a significant boost to the owner as it further enhances squad flexibility.

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Darcy Cameron | ADD RUC

The injury to Brodie Grundy has created an opportunity for Darcy Cameron, and he has taken it with both hands. In the last three weeks since becoming the #1 ruck, he is averaging 103. Nobody should be surprised, but Darcy is a walkup RUC/FWD gain. Depending on the current owner’s state of ruckmen or forwards, this DPP flexibility could be a massive help.

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Zaine Cordy | ADD FWD

Zaine Cordy is averaging 33. That alone should be a reason to not read any further and look to the next player. Massive Pass.

Robbie McComb | ADD FWD

With an average of 56 as a centre, only Robbie McComb is someone that’s not rosterable in most leagues. And in most leagues, even with the probably FWD status addition, he’s not on most coaches radars. But in deeper leagues with large squads, he might just be the reason you dodge a donut for a match or two.

Connor Macdonald | ADD FWD

The Hawks are in rebuild mode, and as a result, some of the future midfielders are getting the education of playing multiple roles beyond just centre bounces. The junior ball magnet plays his role through the midfield and as a small-medium forward. It might not help single-season draft leagues, but a good pick up for keeper and dynasty leagues.

Aaron Francis | ADD FWD

You can’t go near Aaron Francis as a pickup. He’s played just three games and scored over 45 in just one of these. Even if he had TPP I wouldn’t pick him. Pass!

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UltimateFooty | Possible DPP Additions | Round Nine

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.

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David Swallow | ADD BACK

I’m borderline on whether UltimateFooty allocates this for David Swallow. For the better part of the first six weeks, he’s spent the primary function across the halfback for the Suns. However, he’s attended 72%, 68%, and 53% of centre bounces in his last three games. So if he hasn’t got it to this point, I doubt he’ll get it now. Nevertheless, who knows, maybe we get the legacy addition. 

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Sam Berry | ADD CENTRE

Since forcing his way back into the Crows AFL side, Sam Berry has been a regular at centre bounces for Adelaide. He’s averaging well over 50% of CBA’s, including a season-high of 70% in round five. Any player that gains centre status becomes a significant boost to the owner as it further enhances squad flexibility. Pencil this DPP in to happen on Wednesday.

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Darcy Cameron | ADD RUC

The injury to Brodie Grundy has created an opportunity for Darcy Cameron, and he has taken it with both hands. In the last three weeks since becoming the #1 ruck, he is averaging 103. Nobody should be surprised, but Darcy is a walkup RUC/FWD gain. Depending on the current owner’s state of ruckmen or forwards, this DPP flexibility could be a massive help.

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Robbie McComb | ADD FWD

With an average of 56 as a centre, only Robbie McComb is someone that’s not rosterable in most leagues. And in most leagues, even with the probably FWD status addition, he’s not on most coaches radars. But in deeper leagues with large squads, he might just be the reason you dodge a donut for a match or two.

Connor Macdonald | ADD FWD

The Hawks are in rebuild mode, and as a result, some of the future midfielders are getting the education of playing multiple roles beyond just centre bounces. The junior ball magnet plays his role through the midfield and as a small-medium forward. It might not help single-season draft leagues, but a good pick up for keeper and dynasty leagues.

Ben Hobbs | ADD FWD

Like Connor above, the potential MID/FWD gain for Ben Hobbs might not be a relevant inclusion in a single-season league. However, it is a promising trajectory in keeper and dynasty leagues. Ben Hobbs is learning his craft with small opportunities in the midfield for the bombers. The contested bull is spending most time inside the Essendon forward 50. It should be an easy add for the gang at UltimateFooty.

Marcus Bontempelli | ADD FWD

Please do not get your hopes up, but this is a small chance. UltimateFooty generally looks for a primary role change which can be upwards of a 70% position change before awarding a new DPP. For example, Marcus Bontempelli is splitting his time between MID-FWD, but is the split heavy enough forward to gain the status? Unlikely, but in the words of Lloyd Christmas in the movie dumb and dumber, ‘so you’re telling me there’s a chance.’

Bailey Smith| ADD FWD

Bailey Smith is in a very similar position to his skipper Bont. The difference is Bailey is starting across half-froward and then pushing up and down the ground with his high endurance. Is a position change certain? No! Possible? Yes! Likely? We’ll know the answer within 48 hours. 

Jarrod Berry | ADD FWD

Jarrod Berry was a feature in the Lions centre bounces at the start of the season. Over the first five rounds of the year, he had multiple games that he attended over 60% centre bounces. However, more recently, he’s been squeezed onto the wing and playing some defensive focussed forward roles. The gang at UltimateFooty may look for some more data before pulling the positional trigger. But if they do award the status, it could be a season-saving move for him. Currently, Berry is averaging in the high 60s, which is poor for a centre-listed option even in deep leagues. As a MID/FWD, he’d move from the depth of coaches benches to a potentially playable forward. 

Patrick Lipinski | ADD FWD

After a dazzling ton in round one, Patrick Lipinski is yet to hit the heights of his debut game as a Pie. Part of the reason is the former Bulldog is playing across the half-forward flank when not at centre bounces. He’s a strong chance to pick up forward status and will provide an instant boost to his owners forward stocks.

UltimateFooty | Round 6 Positional Changes

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.

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Dayne Zorko | ADD BACK

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.

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Errol Gulden | ADD CENTRE

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.

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Brad Hill| ADD CENTRE

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.

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Shane Edwards | ADD FORWARD

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. 

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Will Hoskin-Elliott | ADD FORWARD

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.

UltimateFooty | Additional Positions for 2022 Revealed

Every year, UltimateFooty reveals an additional group of Dual Position players, which extends the changes handed down by champion data. Let’s take a look through the seventeen additional players and their relevance to your UltimateFooty Drafts.

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ADD BACK

Luke McDonald

In 2021 Luke McDonald lost the monopoly share as the distributor out of the Kangaroos defence. Injuries disrupted his season to play just eleven matches and have his role float between the wing and the backline. With an average draft position of 76 last year, it was a disaster of a return from games played and an average of 68.

Many were hopeful of returning to the final eight games of the 2020 season in UltimateFooty. In the quarterback role, Luke was sensational. He averaged 88.2, including 123, 121, 118 and three 80+ scores. Remembering in 2020 ’80s were the new 100′ That’s a more than good performance.

Did Aaron Hall get the quarterback role by design? I’d propose it might not have been the original plan from North, but he indeed forced them into it with his success. Does an entire offseason of training see McDonald get back his share of the ball? If so, this could be a big watchlist moment for coaches. The addition of BACK status makes him relevant again on draft day and lowers the scoring bar to make him a rosterable play in 2022.

Nathan Murphy

One that might have more dynasty or keeper league coaches is the DPP addition to Nathan Murphy. He’s shown some promise in his limited games, but as the Magpies have committed to a full rebuild, he should be right in contention for a regular role. Unfortunately, right now, the UltimateFooty scoring hasn’t shown itself. An average of 45.9 and a personal best score of 70 doesn’t exactly set the world alight.

Josh Battle

He’s forward; then he’s back. He’s forward again and now back… again. St Kilda had thrown Josh Battle positionally around multiple times of the year. I think he looks more at home inside defensive 50. His average of 61. 6 isn’t great, but he does have some scoring capacity. Last season he had two scores of 90+ and an extra two games of 80+. Depending on the depth of squads or the number of coaches, his back/forward status might be a useful bench option.

Billy Frampton

Based on his seasonal average of 47, Billy Frampton won’t be someone that anyone will be looking for to draft in many leagues. The Crows tried to reinvent him as an intercepting defender, and his best scoring game in that role was a 77 against Essendon. At best, it’s a waiver-wire option; don’t use a pick on him. The only impact of getting back status is that he’ll be ineligible to gain ruck status. He’s third in line ruck behind Reilly O’Brien and Kieran Strauchan, so it’ll take some injuries for that to eventuate anyway.

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ADD CENTRE

Liam Baker

This is a prime example of when gaining centre status is justified but irrelevant for UltimateFooty players. His average of 72.8 will make him someone’s D3 or D4 on draft day, but he’ll rarely be needed to play in your centre line. Of course, if the Tigers suffer another poor year of injury luck, he might get some additional midfield time, but if that eventuates, it’ll only benefit the coach that’s already playing him down back.

Trent Bianco

I rate Trent Bianco as a great talent to pursue in keeper or dynasty leagues. Despite averaging just 61 last season, it was the way he went about building his scoring that’s got coaches excited. He’s relevant in drafts as a late-round forward flyer. There’s been some discussion that Bianco is flagged as a potential option to run through the Magpies backline. If that eventuates, Bianco won’t be illegible for gaining that status.

Zak Butters

The addition of centre status is warranted to Zak Butters. It also feels like it’s the gain we knew we’d get during the season if it wasn’t allocated. He was a regular option in the midfield attending 30% of the power centre bounces in his games. His greatest value is a forward, where many forecast him to become an F1 option. However, this DPP is a valuable flexibility moment in your squad.

Jaidyn Stephenson

I could almost copy and paste the sentiments above for Butters for Jaidyen Stephenson. The classy and crafty player centre/forward split his season across the Kangaroo wings and inside 50. I love his scoring ceiling, and while he won’t be selected at last seasons average draft position of 138, he should still be a solid forward. The position gain will be a handy squad versatility move.

ADD RUCK

Mark Blicavs

I like the addition of Mark Blicavs into this line. His RUC/BACK status DPP will give coaches some flexibility through the ruck division and be another viable late option for those looming to ‘punt’ late on rucks in the draft. Furthermore, if you play in a category league or some other custom scoring elements, he could be a blinder selection given his ability to win intercept marks, spoils and hitouts.

Tristan Xerri

I have no desire to own Tristan Xerri in any draft league. He’s the fourth ruck in line at North behind Todd Goldstein, recruit Callum Coleman-Jones and midseason draftee Jacob Edwards. Things will be going bad at Arden Street if he’s the #1 ruck, and they’ll be going worse for your draft team if he’s someone you ever need to bring on your roster, let alone play.

Joel Amartey

In his first four games, Joel Amartey scores included a 70, 74 & 92. He certainly has scoring potential, but it’ll take some injuries to the Swans talls stocks for him to get games. Even more so with Peter Ladhams into the ruck/forward stocks. A waiver wire option if the Swans get some poor injury luck.

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ADD FORWARD

Mabior Chol

Mabior Chol does have an insane highlight reel, but he’s not the most prominent scoring option that’s been awarded a new position. The new DPP adds greater value for the coach that does draft Jarrod Witts as their ruckmen. As a handcuff selection, Chol was always the prime target late on drafts day, but now as an R/F, he can also provide on-field cover as a forward if you require it. Last year he averaged 60, and I think at best he can add another five to eight points per game of scoring upside.

Jack Billings

One of arguably the two prominent inclusions from UltimateFooty in this preseason position updated. Jack Billings has long been a high half-forward who has also pushed up across St Kilda’s wings. Based on his average of 83.2, he cracks into the top dozen forwards based on 2021 averages. The addition of forward status makes him relevant as he moves from being an M7 to bench option in most leagues to a legitimate possibility of being an F1.

In 2021Billings started last year with a 100, 122, 80 & 97. Getting scoring trends like that in a weak forward division is a huge gain. Additionally, he has multiple years over his career where he’s a proven 85-95 average range performer. This is a significant inclusion from UltimateFooty! And I’m a big fan of it.

Brandan Parfitt

Brandan Parfitt isn’t one of the most recognizable ins as a new centre/forward based on name value. But based on his scoring power and the relatively low top end of forwards, he is a significant inclusion to the game. His seasonal average last year of 76.6 puts him ranked inside the top 25 forwards. Last season he scored three tons, plus four additional games of 90+.

Parfitt is the only Geelong midfielder not holding a pensions card, so his youthfulness and defensive workrate will be vital for the club’s hopes at another deep final push. This positional allocation moves him from a likely super late draft day pick to a viable F3. Indeed, one that’s cause for adjusting your forward rankings. It won’t shock me to see him head off draft boards as early as the second round.

Rowan Marshall

This is the big one from UltimateFooty! Adjust your draft rankings, ladies and gentlemen. The DPP of RUC/FWD is arguably one of the most valuable in the game. Rowan Marshall‘s average of 89.6 instantly makes him the #4 ranked forwards based on 2021 averages. He slides in just after the big three of Mitch Duncan, Josh Dunkley and Tim Taranto, who are possible top 20 selections on draft day. That in isolation is a solid number, but in the six games he played without Paddy Ryder, he averaged an increase to go at 103.7.

If by design or by necessity he gets more than a level share of the time in the ruck, Marshall could be one of the best decisions you make on draft day. Not just as a topline forward, but also with the flexibility of coverage in your ruck line. The ultimate WIN/WIN for any coach who owns him this year. It won’t shock me to see him head off draft boards as early as the second round. Monster positional gain added from UltimateFooty.

Deven Robertson

In keeper or dynasty leagues, coaches should have still been looking to hold onto Deven Robertson, but in single-season leagues as a centre only, he was a late pick up arguably at best. An average of 61 wasn’t exciting for many, but it’s layered with a few nice scores, including a career-high 93. it was injuries in 2021 that got him the opportunity in the best 22, and it’ll likely be injuries again that give him significant midfield minutes.

Still, he’s worth a later round selection as a forward, and an increase of 10-15 points per game would make him a viable F5.

Callum Ah Chee

Callum Ah Chee is an immensely talented player, but that hasn’t translated to UltimateFooty scoring. After a failed trial across halfback, the club moved him forward late in the year. However, with the return of Cam Rayner, he might struggle to get games. Regardless, a seasonal average of 41 and just one score over 60 means now position gain would add to his relevance.

I WANT MORE DPP’s

For 2021 yet again league commissioners will choose to allow (or not) for future DPP’s to be added into your league. After rounds 3, 6, 9, 12 & 15 we’ll bring to you exclusively the new DPP’s added to the game by UltimateFooty.

2022 LAUNCH DATE

No official launch date has been announced from UltimateFooty. Historically, the format has opened during the first week of February. After that, commissioners have an additional few days to get leagues set up and finalised before drafting can commence.

Possible DPP Additions for UltimateFooty in 2022

Mid-January, UltimateFooty always adds some additional dual positions players into the draft game on top of those already allocated for SuperCoach, AFLFantasy & DreamTeam. We’ll officially announce the positions UltimateFooty will add to the game in the coming days. But, for now, here are some of the players I’d love to see gain DPP.

Jaidyn Stephenson – ADD CENTRE

The addition of a centre status is usually one of the least helpful in bumping a player’s draft rankings up. But for Jaidyn Stephenson, it’s certainly a valid gain with Stephenson spending his share of time across the wings for North Melbourne. Of course, his relevance is as a forward, but the DPP addition will add some squad versatility.

Jordan Dawson – ADD CENTRE

I admit that I was surprised he didn’t have DPP already. He had a split role across the season. Pre bye he was playing almost exclusively as a rebounder out of the Swans defensive 50. Post by, he was heavily visible across the wing. My only slight hesitation in advocating for this DPP gain is if he plays off the half-forward for the Crows, it will restrict him from gaining the more valuable DPP.

Brad Hill – ADD CENTRE

Brad Hill has picked up some draft relevance as a back as an Eternally a wingman. But in reality, he’s a wingman. So again, it won’t add an increase to his draft ranks, but it might just save some coaches with some squad flexibility, especially in those that the player pool is deactivated.

Patrick Dangerfield – ADD FORWARD

It’sIt’s been a long time since UltimateFooty has awarded a big name in these start of season additions. In 2022 they’ve got the opportunity to add some excitement and to have clear, justifiable data to make the moves. Patrick Dangerfield leaps off the page as an obvious forward inclusion. When Champion Data allocated the positions in December, many were shocked to see the Brownlow Medalist as a Centre only.

Nat Fyfe – ADD FORWARD

Name alone; if Nat Fyfe picked up DPP his season, it would make many coaches super keen on selecting him in 2022. And depending on the format, you play he could well be one of the more relevant additions for the year. The Dockers skipper spent an ever-increasing amount of time forward as his young teammates started to take over the responsibility of the midfield.

While not the most damaging set shot at goal, Fyfe is an imposing forward presence and is as challenging to match up against inside forward 50 as at centre stoppage. The departure of Adam Cerra to Cartlon might even see him move back more into the midfield. However, the biggest obstacle to selecting him is getting him back to full fitness after another injury setback in the offseason. We’llWe’ll discuss that more in the preseason, especially if UltimateFooty award the status.

Rowan Marshall – ADD FORWARD

With Paddy Ryder missing multiple games last year that Rowan Marshall played, it didn’t shock me if he lost DPP. But I think in the totality of the season, Marshall spent enough time starting and then playing inside forward 50 to retain his R/F DPP. So if Ryder misses large chunks of this coming season, too, it could be Marshall that pushes towards that #1 ranking forward by seasons end. His upside is enormous.

Lachie Hunter – ADD FORWARD

Selecting Bulldogs players always feels like a risk. Luke Beveridge is long known for his ability to chop and change a player’s role weekly and potentially every quarter. In 2021 it was Lachie Hunter’sHunter’s turn to experience the positional roundabout. For the better part of the year, he played at centre bounces off the half-forward flank and then pushed up onto his preferred wing role. If the proposed MID/FWD status lands and the Bulldogs settle him back onto the wing, he looms as a locked 90+ forward.

Jack Billings – ADD FORWARD

Despite it not being Jack Billings’ best season, he started to show off his damaging highlights. Billings is an excellent field kick, and when playing across half-forward, the combination of solid footy IQ and skill makes him an outstanding player.

If allocated MID/FWD, he might not regain top 10 status among forwards, but he’ll undoubtedly skyrocket up draft format selection boards if he does.

Jason Horne-Francis – ADD FORWARD

It’sIt’s possibly an overreach to say “mistake” but I think the current single status allocation of Jason Horne-Francis as a midfielder is a missed opportunity. If you watched any of his SANFL games last season, he was playing a relatively even split between time as a midfielder and forward. In single-season leagues, allocating forward status to start the year would do nothing.

In keeper leagues, it might just be the difference-maker for coaches unsure about whether to draft him or Nick Daicos at the first pick of the new draftees. If it’s not allocated here, look for it at either the end of round three or six allocations. David Noble has already said the “JHF” would play a heavy MID/FWD split.

Harry Schoenberg – ADD FORWARD

For some, this might be a stretch, but over the totality of the season, Harry Schoenberg had a heavy forward to midfield split. It was only over the final few games that his midfield minutes increased significantly. Heading into the infamous third-year breakout, the addition of forward status could see him be a contender for the top 25 ranks in some coaches eyes. An average of 84 in the final five games of 2021 showed promising scoring signs.

Josh Daicos – ADD FORWARD

Two seasons ago, Josh Daicos was looming as one of the breakout forward candidates in UltimateFooty. However, due to multiple injuries and frequent positional changes, Josh has found himself off plenty of fantasy footy radars. In the games he did play last year, he put his mercurial surname into good use inside forward 50. Regaining forward status should bring him back into view for coaches.

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Keeper League Ranks | Tier One |Patreon Exclusive

It’s here, MJ and Kane reveal who they believe are the marquee players to own in a keeper league. Here’s why they are the best of the best!

Sam Walsh

KANEWhat a player Sam Walsh has been just three years into his career. He’s yet to miss a game and already posted averages of 92, 97 and a brilliant 109. 
Amazingly Walsh is 13th for total points across the last three years which is mental when you consider he’s just 21 years of age. 
Clearly, Walsh’s advantage over Steele and Macrae is his age. He’s five and six years younger than them respectively. To get what is likely a 110 average across the next 10 years is just insane and something I couldn’t turn down. 
His score build is phenomenally well-rounded. He averaged 30 disposals, six marks, 4.5 tackles and 0.5 goals. There’s nothing glaring missing from his game so it’s just going to be a slight increase across the board that takes him to new levels. 
Don’t overthink it, just pick Walsh and enjoy the spoils for the next decade. 
MJIn the next two seasons will Sam Walsh score the most points? Possibly. But in a keeper league, your not just thinking about the next two seasons. Rather, you should be thinking about the decade ahead. 
During this edition of the top 50 keepers, you’ve heard Kane & I discuss that it’s often between seasons six to eight for when a player hits their scoring peak. The phenomenal thing about Walsh is over his first three seasons he’s already a top 15 player for most points. The upside for the next 10 seasons is potentially immeasurable. 
At 21 years of age, he has the most upside in terms of years available, through in his perfect durability over his career and it’s hard to overlook him here.
Sam Walsh is one of the best runners in the competition already. He wins the contested and uncontested footy, he applies defensive pressure through tackles and is supreme in his game day preparation. 
I believe Walsh at one is a clear no brainer, and a case could be made that he deserves to be in a tier all on his own. 

Jack Steele

KANEIt was a phenomenal season from Jack Steele that has me convinced that this guy will be the highest scoring player across the next three years and could even reset the record books. 
In 2021 Steele averaged 121 points across all 22 games but it’s the second half of his season that has me excited. In his final 11 games Steele averaged a monster 134 points thanks to 32 touches, 5.5 marks, 9.4 tackles and 0.5 goals a game. Let’s revisit the record books for a moment. 
In 2014 Tom Rockliff averaged 134.7 points across 18 games with Brisbane, the highest by any player in fantasy history. In 2018 Tom Mitchell scored the most points in a season by averaging 129.1 across all 22 games. 
If there’s a player in the league that could challenge these two records it’s Jack Steele. His ball winning exploded in the back half of the year, with six of his 10 best ball winning performances coming in the last 10 games of the season. Looking even deeper, his three best ball winning games came in the last five games of the year, which were 37, 36 and 36 disposals respectively. I can definitely see Steele taking his career-high for disposals into the 40s so if he can do that a couple times in a season he’s a genuine shot at both records. 
If you’re only worried about the short to medium term Jack Steele is your man and should be your first pick. The long term looks great too for a guy that is about to turn 26 and is the clear star midfielder in his side. 
MJI’ve long been a fan of Jack Steele. Even before his breakout 2020 season, Steele was a consistent 90’s averaging player. His score build was always heavily reliant on his tackle count, but if he became more of a ball winner he’d elevate himself to a top performing fantasy prospect.  
We saw this happen in 2020 when he returned 5 tons,  6 additional scores over 90 and just one score below 70. Remembering that ’80 was the new 100′ that’s an incredibly prolific scoring season factoring in the shorter quarters. He ended the season ranked fifth for total scoring and 10th by averages. His 2020 seasonal average of 90.9 is an adjusted average equivalent of 113.
The question entering into 2021 was whether or not Steele had fully established himself as a fantasy performer, or if the shortened games suited his playing style. Jack answered these questions emphatically with an average of 121. It consisted of 19 tons, 11 of these were over 120, and nine were over 130 including 162 V Blues. 
As we discussed on the podcast he got better as the year went on including posting 12 consecutive tons to end the year. Arguably if he can maintain his back half scoring of 2021 for the entirety of a season he could rival the fantasy elite scoring of Tom Mitchell and Tom Rockliff. 
Along with this strong scoring capacity is his durability. Steele has missed just five games in five seasons as a Saint, but hasn’t missed in past two. 
When the 2022 season commences, he’ll be 26 years of age. That still leaves plenty more prime scoring seasons from this St Kilda star. Just between us, I think he’ll be the top scoring player next year and probably the year after too.

Jack Macrae

KANEI’ve spoken at length on the podcast about the three year rolling window I use to evaluate players and Jack Macrae sits well clear on top of all three major metrics – durability, average and total points. 
The durability is perfect for Macrae. He’s played all 61 home and away games. Only 20 players have done that across the past three year stretch. 
His average of 115 across the past three years is No.1, and that’s on the back of three incredibly consistent seasons of 116, 113 and 116 seasonal averages. 
It’s no surprise then that Macrae is No.1 for total points. He’s scored 250 more points than Brodie Grundy (2nd), 1000 more points than Jack Crisp (16th) and 2000 more points than Jy Simpkin (50th). Those numbers are just insane. 
You can’t be more glowing of what Macrae has already achieved and I think we’ll see those 115 output continue for at least the next two seasons. With his neat kicking skills it’s easy to see him transition into a damaging half-forward in the later years of his career and continue to be a premium scorer going forward. 
MJOver the past eight seasons, Jackson Macrae has barely put a foot wrong. Since 2014 he’s had seven seasonal averages over 104 including 122 and multiple over 115.

In addition to his scoring consistency, Macrae has missed just two games in the past five years. he hasn’t missed a match since July 22nd 2018.  Jackson has just turned 27, and during the past 4 years, he’s averaged 115 or higher. I see nothing in the way he plays or Dogs use him to suggest his scoring dries up anytime soon.
For the 2021 AFL season, he ranked first in the league for disposals, 4th for score involvements, 5th inside ’50s, 3rd for Frees for, 10th for meters gained and 12th tackles.
This further highlights the scoring splits of Macrae and how near imp[ossible he is to stop. Despite having three scores of 145 or higher this year, the knock-on Macrae is a gradual dip in the conversion of his 100’s into big tons. But with the frequency he has hit and should keep hitting the triple figure mark, it’s a very small ‘knock’ at best.  
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Lachie Whitfield

KANELachie Whitfield’s upside is as good as it gets. Having a defender who can average 120 is unheard of, but that’s the ceiling Whitfield possesses. 
In 2019 he averaged 114 points, but when you remove his two injury impacted scores, that average rises to 122. 
In 2020 he averaged 107 adjusted points, but when you remove his concussion impacted game, that average jumps to 113. 
In 2021 he averaged 95 points, but when you remove his concussion impacted game that average goes to 100. 
I think you catch my drift now. When Whitfield is on the field and healthy, he’s one of the best scorers in the game, let alone as a back or forward. It’s worth noting too that in draft you have a time on ground injury threshold that allows you to avoid a lot of these types of scores and field your emergency. 
Clearly, the other factor you have to acknowledge is that for whatever reason Whitfield does miss games. This year it was a nasty liver injury in the preseason that saw him miss the opening six games of the season. 
There also is some concern about what role he has in the Giants team. Whitfield has been deployed as deep as the Giants kick in taker who attacks from D50 or as high as a half-forward who pushes into the midfield and roams the ground. I don’t see these different roles yielding massively different outputs but it’s not as clear cut as other players like Jake Lloyd. 
I’m always drawn to the upside and Whitfield is the type of guy that any season could be the most valuable player in the game and if you’re chasing premierships that’s exactly what you want. 
MJ12 months ago I would have argued like Taranto Lachie Whitfield is a top tier guy. In fact, a case could’ve been made that he’s the player you should pick with the first pick in a new keeper league.
However, in the eyes of some, the concerns are starting to build. For me, they aren’t significant enough to scare me from picking him. However, it’s probably enough to fade him a tier or two.
When fit he’s a jet, but the games missed and in game injuries are slowly building. From a ‘glass half full’ perspective, none of these injuries really are related and are more on the ‘unlucky’ scale than anything else. 
Over the past three season we’ve seen him as one of the most valuable commodities in the draft as both a defender and forward. In 2019 he averaged 113 from 16 games, which featured 13 tons and a likely career high 190. 11 of his 15 games in 2020 where a BCV adjusted 100+ score, while Kane has already touched on his 2021 season.   
Whitfield is a kick first player, and even when tagged still uses his elite endurance to get into damaging spaces.
With the departures of Callum Mills and Rory Laird from the fantasy backline it opens up the possibility of Lachie being the top defender for 2022. I for one believe he will be. 
There is a risk that he becomes a midfielder only in the future, but given his positional versatility he should have multiple seasons where he’s a top tier defender or forward should that eventuate. 

Christian Petracca

KANEIt’s been an incredible past two seasons for Christian Petracca. He’s played all 39 home and away games and averaged 110 points, which puts him top 10 for total points across that time. 
The incredible part of Petracca’s game at the moment is his consistency. Only once this year did he dip below 80 and 14 times he delivered a ton. One of the main reasons for his consistency to me is his score build. In 2021 he averaged 29 disposals, 14 contested possessions, five marks, four tackles and a goal a game. There’s literally no category he’s deficit in. Additionally, he doesn’t get the tag because there’s no one who can match his power in the contest, movement around the ground and forward craft inside 50. 
The thing I think a lot of people are missing is his scoring power. In the last 12 games of the season, which stretches from Round 15 post bye all the way to the Grand Final, he averaged 117 points. In that span he reeled off 10 tons, five of which were 125+. This indicates to me there’s room for Petracca to improve on that career best average of 111 in the upcoming seasons. 
Throw in the likelihood that he’ll finish his career as a mid-forward and there’s not a lot not to like about Trac!
MJChristian Petracca is one of my favourites to own in a keeper league. The breakout took longer than keeper coaches wanted, but now that it’s happened it’s a thing of beauty.
With the adjusted game time and scores of 2020, it’s always challenging to put too much weight into the breakout. While he delivered an adjusted 108 keeper coaches will feel validated in his scoring potential after his 2021 season. 
In 2021 he averaged 110.8, scored 14 tons including 7 over 120. Oddly, he had a seven games stretch midseason where he had only 2 tons. But the front and back end of the season was fire!  CP5 averaged 115 over the first 6 and again 115 in the last 10. So arguably, he’s still got some more upside in him.
Equally as valuable as his scoring ability is his durability. Petracca has missed only one game in five years. I believe he’s the best player in the game right now, and opposition coaches can attest that night now he’s near impossible to stop. 
As we discussed in the podcast, don’t be shocked to see him regaining MID/FWD DPP in various parts of his career not just in his final few seasons. 

Callum Mills

KANEWe finally saw the role change we’d all been waiting for in 2021 from Callum Mills and he didn’t disappoint. 
Mills averaged 110 from his 18 games, but it jumps to 112 points if you remove Round 23 where he was subbed out with Achilles soreness in the third term. 
Consistency was the key to Mills’ fantasy game. In all 17 of his healthy games he scored 85 or more points and in 13 games he scored triple figures, including a 152 and 142. And again it’s no surprise that Mills has an extremely well-rounded scoring profile (28 disposals, 10 contested possessions, six marks and five tackles.)
The key for Mills going forward is can he start producing more ceiling games. Outside of his aforementioned 152 and 142, his only other 120+ scores were 133 and 121. We can’t expect a better floor but if he can start converting his 110s into 120-130s then a 115 average is within reach. 
Even if Mills is unable to up those ceiling games at 24 years of age he shapes as a top 10 midfielder for the next 5 years and there’s always the possibility for him to regain back status at the end of his career. 
MJThe role and scoring breakout finally happened! Keeper league owners for multiple seasons have been awaiting what we saw in 2021.
Callum Mills is an unassuming fantasy scorer. Those who watch the game (not the fantasty scoring during it) can be fooled into thinking he’s not scoring well. However, as Matt Boyd did for the better part of a decade, Mills just finds a way to get involved in everything and without copping much attention.   His scoring breakdown is well rounded. Consisting of 39% kicks, 24% handballs, 16% marks and 19% tackles.  To average 110 and to only deliver 3 games over 130 highlights his low scoring deviation and consistency. 
Mills will enter the 2022 season as a midfielder and farewell his defensive eligibility. The only thing we haven’t seen Callum encounter or overcome is how he handles a tag. But at 187cm and spending the majority of his AFL career as a defender, I think he’s had a solid apprenticeship to handle whatever comes his way. 
He may never become a player that delivers you a 120+ season, but he should be a highly valuable keeper commodity for the next 8+ seasons. 

Tim Taranto

KANETim Taranto bounced back from an injury-interrupted 2020 in a major way averaging 108 points. While his average wasn’t quite the same as his career best of 113 in 2019, for the majority of the season he was on pace for a career-best year.
From Round 1 to 18 he averaged 114 points, which included 13 tons and a lowest score of 86. However, in Round 19 there was a clear role change from centre bounce midfielder to forward. In the four games he played as a predominant forward he averaged 77 points and had a highest score of 98. 
This is clearly a massive concern for a player you’re drafting in the first two rounds of a keeper and while there’s some risk this role shift could continue I don’t think it’s that likely. 
I tend to think Taranto might have been carrying an injury and thus moved out of the midfield to protect him. Across his first 91 AFL games only once did he fail to lay a tackle and that was a 61% time on ground performance in his first season. In Round 19 and 20 this year he failed to lay a tackle and those were the two games he spent bulk time forward. 
To have a 23-year-old that has already produced averages of 113, 108, 94 and 91 inside his first five seasons at AFL level is insane. At worst you’re getting a top 30 midfielder for the next five years at best you could be getting a top five midfielder for the next 10 with the possibility of picking up dpp along the way. 
MJTim Taranto is the perfect reminder of how a player can move up and down the tiers within a season for keeper leagues. If this were being created mid-season you’d be hard pressed to not put him into one of the top 2 tiers.  So why the slide to tier three? It’s relatively simple. Role! I never in a million years thought that Leon Cameron would use ‘TT’ in a primary role other than as an inside midfielder.
However, in the final 5 weeks is when the role shifting started and he started playing more as a half-forward.   
During the first 17 games of the season, he averaged 113, posted 13 tons and had just one score under 90. In the final five games, he averaged 88. But that’s inflated as his big sole ton (132), was where he played back as a midfielder when Josh Kelly was a late out.  
His scoring ceiling is certainly limited if he plays significant midfield minutes. The potential upside is that if that role holds long enough he’d be a candidate to gain MID/FWD DPP. 
I don’t see any risk of selecting ‘TT’ in this tier, and at this point of a keeper draft, you cannot afford the risk. At best the 23 year old delivers on his proven history as a 110+ midfielder. Worst case scenario is he splits his time between midfield and forward but not enough to gain DPP. Therefore he probably becomes a 95 mid.
Taranto will give his owner another 7-8 seasons of top tier scoring potential.  I for one, see him delivering a ton in every single season during that stretch of time. 

Josh Dunkley

KANEI have to preface this article by saying I may be Josh Dunkley’s biggest fantasy believer. If you’ve listened to me talk about him on any podcast you’d know how highly I regard him and I think it’s warranted.  
So far his fantasy journey has had everything. In his first season he averaged 80 points and was part of the Bulldogs historic premiership. Year two a shoulder injury restricted him to just six games. 
Year three and four is where the fantasy potential started to become obvious to everyone. In 2018 he averaged 96 points, but in his 10 games post bye he went at 109. In 2019 he averaged a career-high 111 points but his season average again doesn’t tell the full story. In the first six games of the season he played forward for an average of 78 points. In Round 7 and for the remaining 16 games of the season he became a pure centre bounce midfielder and exploded, averaging 124 across the stretch. Included in that run were scores of 189, 158, 150 and 145, to showcase his elite ceiling. 
Unfortunately for Dunkley, year five and six have mirrored each other. An injury to his ankle in 2020 limited him to 11 home and away games, while a shoulder injury in 2021 kept him to 11 home and away games also. Despite missing large chunks of both seasons he’s still averaged 90+, which far from kills you. 
A lot of coaches will be scared off by his recent run of injury and inconsistent scoring (I think the two are closely linked) and overlook him inside the first two rounds but I think the upside is so high that he could be the best scorer in fantasy across the next five seasons. 
MJSome might be too turned away to grab Josh Dunkley this high in a keeper league, but his upside has his scoring potential up there with the best.
Unlike others on the list, his scoring forecast isn’t based on an unproven potential. Rather on what he has done. Over the ​​final sixteen matches of his 2019 season, he scored 14 tons, 9 of them were above 120, and 4 over 140 and an average of 123 after the move.
This is a perfect foreshadowing of what he delivered at the stuff of 2021. Before succumbing to a shoulder injury that required a reconstruction he was averaging 115 in the first six weeks of the year. In all of these games, he scored a ton, with a seasonal high including a 151.
Coming back from such a serious injury in season is an incredible effort. Throw in the fact he had to quarantine for 2 weeks after visiting a covid exposure site and it was a slower return to scoring than what he and his owners would’ve liked. Yet, over the last three finals, his tackle count started to return along with his contested possessions. In these games, he scored 95, 101 & 83.
Josh is still just 24, so time is on his side for his owners to continue to reap the benefits of his scoring. Personally, I believe he’ll retain MID/FWD status and be the top scoring forward of 2022. 

Rory Laird

KANEWhat a fantasy player Rory Laird is. Recruited off the rookie list he’s already produced seven premium seasons and none better than 2021. 
Playing as a centre bounce midfielder Laird averaged a career-high 112 points and reeled off 18 tons. Only once did he score sub 90 and that was a 75. 
The standout number for Laird though is clearly how he finished the season. From Round 12 to Round 23 he hit triple figures in every game and averaged 120 points. 
We know Laird is an incredible ball-winner (he averaged 32 disposals this year) but it was his six tackles a game that impressed me as his previous best was four and shows how well he adapted to the role change. 
In addition to his scoring prowess, Laird boasts near-perfect durability and always has the possibility of regaining back status at some point in his career. 
The one concern I see floated is the return of Matt Crouch and what impact that could have. I’m not overly fussed as I don’t see Crouch’s return reducing Laird’s CBA’s, particularly with Sloane likely to be phased out of the midfield as he enters the twilight of his career. 
At 28 years old you still have 3 years at least of strong scoring from a player who has shown to be a premium as a midfielder or defender. Throw in that he’s available every week, you can’t go wrong with Laird. 
MJRory Laird has been one of the best defensive premiums for years.  Between 2016 – 2020 he’s averaged  97, 100, 108, 97 and an adjusted 99 BCV. 
Midway through 2020, he had a role change as a pure midfielder. From then on in he averaged an adjusted 112, a foreshadowing of what was to come this season.
In 2021 this scoring trend continued. He averaged 111, scored 18 tons including 6 over 120. Throw in the fact he dipped his scoring beneath 90 just once and it was a near perfect season. 
Kane’s already highlighted the strong end to the season which would provide coaches with some confidence that perhaps he’s only getting better in the role. 
Over these podcast episodes, you’ve heard us discuss the value of a player having multiple scoring columns. Why does this matter? Simply, it enables a player to have a diversity of scoring options should one be limited either by oppositions game style or other variables.
Last year his scoring split was made up of 37% Kicks, 31% Handballs, 9% marks and 20% tackles. Laird has a near perfect fantasy game. He’s a ball winner, knows how to defend, boasts strong endurance and has the footy IQ to get into space for both offensive and defensive setups.
Not having Matt Crouch play did aid his scoring and midfield development. But Laird is so clever if anything I can only see a 5 ppg regression. Equally as likely is he hits the rare terrority of premium midfielders and backs up his 110 seasonal average. 

Jake Lloyd

KANEIt says a lot about Jake Lloyd that people are disappointed with a 98-point average but that’s the sense I’ve got from the community. 
I think most of that disappointment is rooted in just how well his previous two seasons were. In 2019 he averaged 107 and in 2020 he averaged 114*, which are mind boggling numbers for a defender and place him firmly among the top five most valuable players during that stretch. 
But you’re not here for the past and we want to know how he’ll go in the future. I have Lloyd as 90-100 defender for the next three years and wouldn’t be surprised with his elite durability (missed just one game in the past four seasons), fitness and foot skills that he can’t stretch that scoring for even five years. 
Doesn’t have the upside of some others in this tier but he’s just so safe and gives you a player to build your backline for the medium term at least. 
MJ12 months ago, Jake Lloyd was a genuine first round selection in a keeper league. Lloyd had developed his scoring to such great heights, that he was now seen by many as the undeniable clear best defender. 
While Rory Laird and Callum Mills amongst others went past his scoring last season, Jake still has something that these two no longer possess. Defensive Status!
At 28 years of age, Lloyd still delivered a solid 2021 season. It featured twelve tons and an additional five scores of 90-99. Where his scoring dried up was in his ceiling, last year he failed to deliver anything over 120. 
Regardless of this, he is still one of the most reliable and durable defensive options available. During the past six seasons, he’s missed just two matches.
The departure of Jordan Dawson doesn’t hurt his scoring upside, but it probably doesn’t drastically mean he’ll return to the 110+ seasons. However, over the next 3 seasons, I still see Lloyd as a 95-15 defender and in a keeper league given he’ll hold his status that’s a highly valuable asset.  
Keeper League Ranks | Tier Eight | Patreon Exclusive

So you’ve decided to start up a keeper league! But not sure where you should rank players, especially early on? Good news, MJ & Kane have ranked the top 50 players into eight different selection tiers! This article accompanies the podcasts to help give you a quick reference guide when wither creating your new keeper ranks. Or if in an existing keeper, to target some potential trade candidates.

If you want to understand more about tiering by ranks, listen to this podcast explaining it all.

TIER EIGHT

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Ben Keays

KANEIf Ben Keays was a top 10 pick with an 108 average to his name at 24 years of age there would be a lot more hype around his name. However, in many coaches eyes he’s still a guy that was delisted from his first club and not long for AFL level.

What I’ve seen from Keays at Adelaide doesn’t support this narrative. He’s already played more games in his two years with the Crows (38 games) than he did with four years at Brisbane (30 games). Only twice at the Lions did Keays have more than 20 disposals in a game, this year at Adelaide he had 20+ in all 22 games, including 10 games where he had 30+ and a career-high 38. 

I think it’s safe to say Keays is a different player at Adelaide to Brisbane and a lot of that is due to his role as an inside midfielder. While many will be scared that the role could depreciate with the return of Matt Crouch and growth of Harry Schoenberg, I still have faith in Keays to average 95-100 at a minimum.

The coaching staff clearly rated his efforts in 2021 as they rewarded him with a runner-up finish in the best and fairest and it would take a massive role change for his scoring to fall away in the prime of his career.
MJEverything clicked for Ben Keays in 2021. Keays played 22 games, averaged 108, scored 13 tons, with six of them above 120. He had just one score beneath 80 all year and ranked 13th for total points scored. 
From a fantasy perspective, he does it all. He wins the contested footy, works both ways and is prepared to do the defensive team stuff. And gets involved in the uncontested, running wave of the Crows. Last year he ranked 10th in the AFL for inside ’50s and has developed a clever knack of booting the odd goal.
The question for me isn’t can he score well again next year? Clearly, he has the game build for it. Rather, the uncertainty comes not knowing what impact does a healthy Matt Crouch have on his numbers? Along with an increased midfield presence of Harry Schoenberg, Luke Pedlar and Sam Berry? 
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Connor Rozee

KANEConnor Rozee burst onto the scene in 2019 playing all 22 games and averaging 72.5 points. It only took Rozee three games to post his first career ton, an electric 121-point effort against Brisbane on the back of  21 disposals, seven marks and five goals.

Rozee produced another ton before his debut season was out to showcase it was no fluke but since has battled injury and inconsistent form. 

The beautiful thing with Rozee is that he’s already played 59 AFL games, including four finals, and will be 22 years old when the 2022 season starts. That’s an incredible amount of experience for a player of his age. 

Rozee is already a solid scorer playing primarily forward, which should mean any sort of midfield uptick, and let’s face it Port need midfield help to support Travis Boak and Ollie Wines, should result in him reaching top 10 forward status comfortably. 
MJA stat that’s very important to me in keeper leagues is the number of games played before converting your first fantasy 100. It took only three games for Connor Rozee. Injuries have frustrated his past two seasons, but it’s clear that Connor is a star footballer when fit, and unlike some others, it does correlate to fantasy scoring. 
In his debut season, he averaged 72, with five scores over 90. This season from his 19 games, he had five scores over 85, not bad for a guy carrying niggles most of the year. I believe he’s a long term MID/FWD.  The most significant value piece is if he retains this long term, he’s a potential 80-85 guy with a small ceiling. If he moves into the midfield, then he’s a 100+ performer. Either way, you can’t lose. 
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Noah Anderson

KANEIn keeper leagues like all fantasy you always have to remember you’re paying for future performance. 
I know a lot of coaches want to see a player deliver before jumping on board but in keepers in particular you don’t have that luxury. If you want to secure the next generation of stars you have to be prepared to jump earlier than most would feel comfortable and Noah Anderson is certainly that type of player.
In his two seasons at AFL level Anderson has played 37 of a possible 39 games and averaged 77.6 across that time. However, it’s the ceiling that is most impressive for me. To already have two 120 scores under your belt and five games with 30+ disposals in your second season is extremely rare. 
I see Anderson a 100 midfielder for the better part of a decade and if he’s moved into a predominately inside role could have a couple of 110 years mixed in. 
MJForecasting is an important factor in keeper leagues. You need to ‘jump’ earlier than others might to get the future’ guns’ to secure them. For example, to pick Noah Anderson inside the top 50 for some might be early, but all his trends suggest he’s on the way to be a highly valuable asset. 
In his debut season, he averaged a more than respectable 73.5. Contrary to some former keeper league stars, Scott Pendlebury averaged 62 in his first year, while Jackson Macrae went at 63. 
Entering into 2021 he lifted his average up to 81 and importantly posted 4 tons, all of which were over 115. With 5 additional scores 80+. This scoring trajectory is very healthy and will only get better as he enters into the famed ‘3rd-year breakout next season. The Gold Coast midfielder looks destined to become a long term 100+ performer for the next decade. 
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Brad Crouch

KANEFor many coaches, Brad Crouch still has a stink due to the injury issues that plagued the first six years of his career and because of that he’s often undervalued.  
The past three seasons are as far back as I base my fantasy research as too much changes beyond that. Looking at Brad’s past three seasons he’s played 54 of a possible 61 games and averaged 99.8 (2020 averaged adjusted to full game time by multiplying the average by 1.25). 
In that three-year window, Brad missed two of the games due to an off-field suspension, so I’m comfortable with his availability. Moreover, my confidence in his scoring has never wavered, he scores when he plays, largely due to the fact he absorbs a prosperous inside midfield role. 
Clearly Jack Steele is the Saints No. 1 man but that’s perfect for Brad who can just hunt ball and man and deliver 100 point seasons for the next 3-5 years. 
MJOver the last few seasons, Brad’s been a rollercoaster ride to own in drafts. In 2015 & 2018 he played zero footy. However, in 2019 he averaged 107.9 and was ranked 7th for total overall points.
Promisingly over the past few seasons he’s only had one minor hamstring setback and finally appears to be over the ‘injury-prone tag’.
In his first season as a saint, he averaged 95.2, scored 11 tons and had 4 over 120. Not amazing, but the 27-year-old has shown now across multiple seasons and clubs he has the ability to deliver a strong run of tons.
At St Kilda, he’ll never get tagged over Jack Steele. But like his captain, he has an uncanny ability to find himself near the footy. He might not get back to his PB season of a few years back where he was a top 10 scorer, but he’s one of the safest 95+ performers going around. 
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Toby Greene

KANEToby Greene is a polarising footballer and that extends to his fantasy game. A lot of the traits we look for in a fantasy prospect Greene lacks: namely availability and consistency. 
His propensity to get injured or suspended can drive coaches mental. While the nature of his ‘key’ forward role naturally invites volatility in scoring.
Yet he still makes the top 50. So he must be doing something right. 
What Greene does right is maintain forward status year on year, which can’t be understated. Reliable scoring forwards are so hard to come by and when Greene plays he’s near on guaranteed to score 80+ if not 90+. Some coaches will put a line through him because they can’t stand him but he’s the exact type of player that can deliver you a flag if the stars align. 
MJWhether you’ve played the ‘classic’ games of fantasy before or always been a ‘draft coach,’ you’d know that the greatest player positional security line is the forwards. 
It’s why players like Toby Greene even with his suspension tendencies to miss multiple games a year is a highly desirable asset. Even though the Giants love him occasionally in the midfield, it’s inside forward 50 he’s the most prolific.
Since 2014 this is his seasonal averages: 103, 86, 93, 91, an injury impacted 67, 98, 82 (BCV) and last year an 84. 
It says it all really, at 27 he’s got at least another 4-5 seasons of high performing top end forward scores for his keeper league owners. 
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Jy Simpkin

KANEJy Simpkin has so many elements to his game that make him a great keeper. At 23 years of age he’s already got 95 games under his belt at AFL level, which demonstrates not only his durability but adaptability. 
Simpkin started his career as a small forward and looked every part a good one, but his move to the midfield has catapulted his fantasy stocks.
In 2021 he played every game and averaged an impressive 95 points (105 post bye across 11 games). But for me it’s not just the 27 disposals, four marks and four tackles that jump out to me but the eye test. 
Simpkin provides something different to that Roos midfield. He has a contested game, but his ability to operate cleanly in traffic and spread will make him a mainstay in his current role.
MJIn 2020 we saw the breakout of Jy Simpkin. He elevated himself from a mid 60’s averaging performer into a respectable 88.5 BCV. This year that development continued as he averaged 95. 
At first glance, a 95 might not feel enough to qualify for this tier, but at 23 years old getting 8 seasons of 95+ averages is something of high value. The good news is the year is slightly deceiving. Over the first 11 games, Simpkin post just 4 tons and averaged 86. However, in the final 11 games post-bye, he scored 8 tons and had just one score below 96.
Encouragingly, he’s proving to be quite durable, with him missing just one match over the past 4 seasons. 
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Tarryn Thomas

KANEI can’t lie I didn’t see Tarryn Thomas’ 2021 breakout coming at all. After his 2020 campaign was struck down six games in due to a left foot injury I thought 2021 would be a gradual step forward. What we got though was a glimpse at a player that could be a genuine star of the competition and exactly what the Roos would have dreamed of when they selected their Next Gen Academy prospect. 
The tailend of the season is what has Thomas in the 50. First, to average 93 postbye across 11 games and most notably 107 in the final five games, which included the four highest scores of his career – 96, 115, 120 and 126.Those are serious numbers!
The major concern I had for Thomas he answered in that postbye stretch.Ball winning: Averaging 21 disposals (high of 26)
Ticking that disposal box combined with his ability to take a mark, lay a tackle, and kick a goal demonstrates that he can build his score in many different ways, which is exactly what it takes to be a premium player long term. 
MJIt was a breakout season for Tarryn, averaging 81 and playing 21 games. However, looking into his season with more detail, the breakout is still deceiving to his accurate scoring. In the first 14 games, he had just one score over 90 and 5 scores between 50-59. However, it’s his final seven game stretch that should excite coaches. A top score of 126, two additional tons and the lowest score in that run of 78. In this stretch of games, he averaged 101.
Like some others on this tier in Rozee and Heeney, Thomas is so valuable and damaging inside forward 50, it would be doing the Kangaroos a disservice to exclude him from big minutes as a forward. That said, I think North Melbourne do need his class and Xfactor through the midfield. 
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Isaac Heeney

KANEYou don’t have to watch much football to know Isaac Heeney is a special player. To be 25 years old and already have three genuine elite forward seasons under your belt is impressive. 
However, we can’t sugarcoat that the past two years for Heeney have been underwhelming. Injuries restricted him to six games in 2020, while this year saw him play 20 home and away games, injuries again curtailed his output in what was his lowest seasonal average since his first year.
The fact remains though that year on year forwards that can score 85+ don’t come around too often and that’s what Heeney is. So don’t be scared off by the past two years, remember we’re selecting him for future performance. To think that Heeney could finish his career without an All-Australian honour just doesn’t sit right with me, the best is definitely still to come.
MJOne of the significant challenges in managing a keeper list is ensuring that you don’t have an annual issue of positional insecurity. By that, I mean a yearly transition of eligible players in either the back or forward lines. 
While Isaac Heeney might never be a top 5-6 averaging forward, he’s a super consistent performer year on year. Between 2017 and 2019, he averaged 92, 90 & 89. This season, we did see a scoring dip with an average of just 76. However, even with this poor season, he still ranked as a top 30 FWD by averages. 
What we saw from Isaac was a greater variety of scoring. For example, he gave us multiple scores over 130, but also four scores sub 50. 
If he can get that scoring basement back towards his consistent 70’s of years gone by, then at 25, he’s one of the most dependable forward stocks to build around. 

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