Over the weekend fantasy coaches were dealt with a significant blow when Matt Rowell dislocated his shoulder. The Suns have opted for surgery on the shoulder, meaning fantasy coaches need to move him on. So What Do I Do with Matt Rowell?
Embed from Getty ImagesTime to trade Matt Rowell
It’s come a few weeks earlier than we’d hoped, but now is the time to trade out Matt Rowell. Regardless of whether the Gold Coast look to send him in for season-ending surgery or just wait a few weeks, as a cash cow Rowell has done his job. It’s time to trade him to a premium performer. Have a look at the increases he’s made over the first few rounds of the year.
| Format | Starting Price | Current Price | Price Change | Breakeven |
| SuperCoach | $207,300 | $470,700 | $263,400 | 154 |
| AFLFantasy | $270,000 | $527,000 | $257,000 | 41 |
| DreamTeam | $252,200 | $546,300 | $294,100 | 104 |
If you have some spare salary cap
Lachie Neale is the leading midfielder in all formats of the game. But if you currently don’t own him, I can’t advocate for spending the amount of money on top of Rowell to get him. Depending on the format it’s between $300,000 – $400,000 to get him. No matter how good of a scoring option he is, you can match his scoring through spreading out the cash on multiple upgrades, not just one.
If you’re wanting a form option and looking for a unique, then Jack Steele meets the brief. Jack’s currently ranked as 7th best points scorer in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam and 8th in SuperCoach, and at the time of writing, he’s in less than 2% of teams in all formats of the game. It costs about $200k in all formats as an upgrade from Rowell. Another unique at a similar price is Mitch Duncan. He’s currently the third-highest scoring midfielder in SuperCoach and hasn’t scored below 113 all year. He’s not as dominant in AFLFantasy/DreamTeam but is still ranked 9th for total points in the midfield. In those formats (DT/AF) if I wanted a really unique (like less than 1%), I’d be strongly considering Jarryd Lyons. With Neale in his team, he’ll never get attention and has already three scores over 96 this year. I also quite like Zach Merrett.
Become a Patron!Adam Treloar might have played only one game, but it was a pretty decent one. A 119 in SuperCoach and 105 in AFLFantasy shows that should he stay fit the reduced game length hasn’t hampered his scoring output. The other topliners to consider are Andrew Gaff, Clayton Oliver and Patrick Cripps.
The only defenders I ‘trust’ across the formats this year are Sam Docherty, Jake Lloyd and if we need a third, then it’s Brayden Maynard. In AFLFantasy/DreamTeam, I just can’t advocate strongly for any other option with confidence. In SuperCoach it’s a different story both of Caleb Daniel and Nick Haynes are about $130k up on Rowell, but both are set to maintain an average of 100+ for the year based on current trends.
For a forward upgrade, I wouldn’t be spending any significant amount of money on Rowell. Most of the best candidates we have still present value for money.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe best sideways options
If you’ve got no salary cap to spare the good news is we’ve still got plenty of options across all formats to consider. In SuperCoach, you make money with a trade to Lachie Whitfield. It nets you a clear top tier forward and pockets you just shy of $30k. Elliot Yeo is coming off a 121 and has matches against Adelaide and Fremantle in the next two weeks. For less than $10k this premiership Eagle could be yours. Speaking of Eagles, Tim Kelly is only $12,000 more on top of Rowell. If you want a unique, then Geelong’s Sam Menegola could be your man. Three of his last four games he’s scored a ton, with the one sub 100 scores he missed the majority of the second half with an injury. The other option through the midfield to consider if you only have a small amount of salary cap is Stephen Coniglio at $493,000. The risk is regarding his role with Tim Taranto expected back shortly, but the upside for what the GWS can deliver is huge.
If your needing to use Rowell to improve other lines, then the leading defensive candidate is Jordan Ridley. He still presents the value and at $460,000 and given he’s coming off the back of a 134 and 122 expect his ownership numbers to skyrocket. On the topic of defenders, Harris Andrews ($471,600) looks like another low-risk pick and with an average of 92 and the lowest score of 83 and peak of 103 meaning his scoring variance looks minimal. If you already own Whitfield but need another forward, then Toby Greene ($465,000) and Brandan Parfitt ($474,100) both are good options. Bailey Smith is another popular name. However, he will drop another $50,000 at $459,600 Smith still $40K chapter than what you would’ve paid last week.
In DreamTeam we don’t have as many like for like replacements. The names you’re looking at for the most part aren’t guys you’d ideally want in a finished side. The best forward is Bailey Smith ($543,200), but would ideally be someone you get in another week or two. Jordan Ridley ($541,600) is on fire in SuperCoach, but in DT he’s one had one score over 80. So I’m not sure it’s worth the trade. The same is true for Brodie Smith ($576,000) three scores in the ’70s in a row is decent for ‘Coronaball’ scoring but not enough to excite me as a trade. Through the midfield, if you believe the form and role of Rory Sloane can change then at $547,900 he’s your man.
AFLFantasy is the format where you don’t necessarily move him to a season-ending keeper. Playing the breakeven game for a few weeks isn’t the worst move, especially if you’re strapped for cash. Adam Cerra ($485,000) is coming off the back of an 88, and with a breakeven of 6, he looks like he’ll make another $60,000 over the next two weeks. The same is true for Nic Coffield at $495,000 he has a breakeven of 0 and has scored 73, 61 and 84 in his last three. While that doesn’t sound ‘amazing’, it does have him inside the top 15 for averages of the last three weeks for defenders. In the midfield, there are no options I like, while upfront if you want a likely top tier option then Bailey Smith is the only one I like. Suppose your looking to make some money but not drop down to deep then Michael Gibbons ($542,000 and Andrew Brayshaw ($544,000) both have single-digit breakevens. New Adelaide Crow MID/FWD Ben Keays ($425,000) has a breakeven of -1 and has scored 68, 72 and 59 in his new midfield role.
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