TWO down, 21 to go.
ANOTHER high scoring round and yet, I still found myself sliding. I can point the blame at a few of my failing premium players, but I know I’m not alone dealing with the struggles. History suggests that this is one of the most important weeks to nail those rookie selections, something that I think I’ve managed to do so far. Hopefully, you’re sitting in a better place (ranking wise and mentally) than me as we approach the third weekend of the AFL Fantasy season.
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MY TEAM
2117 – The number of times each coach tried to refresh the malfunctioning apps during the Brisbane/North game.
ONCE again the rookies came to play, but a handful of underperforming ‘premiums’ held me back from rising in the rankings. The midfield and the big names did their job, with the exception of Heeney, Dunkley and Witherden. All three of them will be sweating come selection time for the Large Fry’s & Coke team to start Round 3.
FRY’S FAVOURITE FIVE
Honourable Mentions: Jack Macrae (124), Jake Lloyd (127), Clayton Oliver (130), Charlie Constable (106)
+5. Adam Treloar, Pies (MID, $826K – 152)
ADAM Treloar made designating a captain easy for those who used the loophole option on him. A Round 2 high 152 points to kick off the weekend was an unreal performance from the Pies gun back on Thursday night. He hasn’t really showcased this huge ceiling before so kudos to those who took a chance on starting him.
+4. Travis Boak, Power (FWD, $717K – 138)
THIS man is making a fantasy name for himself to start the season. Some are concerned about the potential Ollie Wines effect, but Boak’s putting forward complete performances making himself look every bit like a top forward.
+3. Lachie Neale, Lions (MID, $742K – 146)
THE consistent Lachie Neale dropped his first BIG game for the Lions on the weekend chalking up 43 touches. You’ve gotta love what Neale is capable of and a new club could see him reach a 110 average for just the second time in his career.
Image from theaustralian.com.au
+2. Patrick Dangerfield, Cats (MID/FWD, $780K – 134)
AGAINST the Demons we got to see the contested ball-winning beast we all love in Patrick Dangerfield. Back to his best, it’s hard to argue with Danger being the best forward at the moment (don’t tell Boak I said that) and he’s must have property.
+1. Lachie Whitfield, Giants (DEF, $751K – 133)
THE only bright spot on an ugly night for the Giants against West Coast. Whitfield’s huge 130+ has him jostling with Jake Lloyd for the title as the top fantasy defender and he’s a hot trade target for those looking for a defensive upgrade.
FRY’S FRUSTRATING FIVE
Dishonourable Mentions: Kade Simpson (68), Bailey Scott (30), Rory Laird (83), Alex Witherden (75), Justin Westhoff (65)
-5. Stephen Coniglio, Giants (MID, $781K – 50)
TAGGED by Mark Hutchings, Cogs was held well below his standards on Saturday. Making matters worse for coaches, he was the fourth most popular captain option following his mammoth score a week ago. Ouch.
-4. Dustin Martin, Tigers (MID, $638K – 59)
YUK. What the hell was that Dusty? I mean 81 points last week was excusable, but a score in the 50’s? Not good enough. Luckily I traded him out last week and considering he’s had no tackles through two games I’d prioritise moving him on if I was an owner.
-3. Isaac Heeney, Swans (MID/FWD, $629K – 58)
NOTHING went right for Isaac Heeney on Friday night. Horse Longmire did mention that Heeney was nursing an ankle injury which led to him spending more time forward, but he just couldn’t get his hands on the pill. Spud. See ya.
-2. Josh Dunkley, Bulldogs (MID/FWD, $658K – 68)
DON’T you laugh Josh Dunkley, you weren’t much better. Similar to Heeney, Dunks was around the vicinity, but just couldn’t add points to his score. He might survive another week for me with the Suns on the horizon (pun intended), but with Libba stealing his midfield minutes I’m alarmed.
-1. Todd Goldstein, Kangaroos (RUC, $661K – 68)
THE Goldy experiment hasn’t worked out for coaches who took a punt on the North tall. Chasing a Max Gawn alternative, the popular R2 managed just 10 touches against Brisbane and the presence of Tom Campbell has owners sweating. Explore other options.
TRADE TACTICS
IN – IF you have a weak link in your midfield then in my eyes Brad Crouch (MID, $580K – 109) is a must-have talent. He’s likely to put up 100-105 and continue to rise in value weekly giving you a great money making play. Tom Liberatore (MID, $454K – 106) is in the same boat living up to the hype early on. The return of Andrew Gaff (MID, $803K – DNP) this week will be worth keeping an eye on, especially if you’re a Dom Sheed (MID, $614K – 106) owner. I don’t think it will hurt Sheed too much, but Gaff’s presence will still likely have an effect. You couldn’t consider starting Gaff, who is still priced at top dollar, however, he could be an option in a few weeks.
IN your forward line, there’s nothing wrong with adding Tim Kelly (MID/FWD, $662K – 111) and/or Travis Boak (FWD, $717K – 138) for an underperformer. As I’ve talked about a bit already I think the Ollie Wines effect is a factor that understandably gives you pause, but Boak is getting it done across the board. On the rookie front, it’s hard to go past tons from Xavier Duursma (DEF/MID, $316K – 102) and Charlie Constable (MID, $277K – 106) as the best options.
OUT – TIMES up for Dustin Martin (MID, $638K – 59), Josh Dunkley (MID/FWD, $658K – 68) and Isaac Heeney (MID/FWD, $629K – 58) after two consecutive letdowns. It’s tough to give up on these experiments after such a small portion of the season, but it’s time to accept our mistake and move on. Alex Witherden (DEF, $623K – 75) could be moved, but I’m giving him one more week to find his mojo. If you can reach up and get Jake Lloyd (DEF, $773K – 127) or Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $574K – 133) though go for it.
IF you’re stuck with Todd Goldstein (RUC, $661K – 68) or Stefan Martin (RUC, $682K – 83) or Sam Jacobs (RUC, $661K – 68), then it’s time to pay up for the big dog in Max Gawn (RUC, $762K – 113) as well, presuming you already have Brodie Grundy (RUC, $826K – 112) in your side. If you are an owner of Jack Petrucelle (FWD, $222K – 74), Gryan Miers (FWD, $220K – 73) and/or Bailey Scott (MID, $249K – 30) then I would be watching team selections with keen intent. Each respective side could welcome the return of Jamie Cripps, Quinton Narkle and Paul Ahern could mean bad news for the aforementioned rookies.
WAIVER WIRE MOVES
STARTING in your back line and there is nothing wrong with targetting a young gun in Xavier Duursma (MID/DEF, 28% – 102) for your side. His impact may be hurt slightly by Hamish Hartlett returning, but he’s cemented his place in the side over the last fortnight. Adam Saad (DEF, 22% – 83) can’t be slept on either as a nice depth piece for your draft side. In the guts, depending on your league structure the likes of Paddy Dow (MID/FWD, 13% – 85), who looks to have taken the next step in his development and David Swallow (MID, 50% – 118) are good targets. Swallow might not be available given his ownership percentage in bigger leagues, but if he is snap up the Gold Coast skipper.
I talked about Andrew Phillips (RUC, 43% – 84) last week for the rucks and he still shapes up as the pick of the bunch. However, after leading the Saints ruck attack last week Rowan Marshall (FWD, 23% – 103) could become fantasy relevant, especially if he is granted RUC status in Round 6. Could be worth stashing if you have a bench spot spare. Will Powell (FWD, 45% – 74) is a slightly risky pick but backed up his ton with a solid 74 against the Dockers while big man Matt Taberner (FWD, 21% – 92) is making himself heard. Playing a bit further up the ground and taking a bunch of marks (17 in two games) has Tabs looming as a high risk/high reward waiver wire add. I wouldn’t do it but if he keeps up these numbers an average in the high 70’s is there for the taking.
MY MOVES
I’M facing a difficult week of trades right now. As I’ve stated above Dunkley might survive, but I’m rage trading him to Billings right now. That gives me enough money to turn Heeney into Tim Kelly and unfortunately, I can’t make that move without generating a bit of dough. A rookie downgrade could help if team selection forces my hand, but one way or another Heeney has to go.
My Trades
J.Dunkley → J.Billings
I.Heeney → T.Kelly
Peace ✌