THREE down, 20 to go.
A lot of coaches were brought back to earth this week, with popular rookies showing their true colours and top dollar players failing to fire. Three weeks is a very good sample size to inspect the fantasy season to date and those who invested in the right players are soaring, with Lachie Whitfield, Travis Boak and Rory Sloane popular players around the globe right now. If you were one of the 11,600,000 coaches that traded out Isaac Heeney last week though, I can understand your urgency in wanting to find the delete team button.
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MY TEAM
2010 – The year that Dane Swan, Matthew Boyd and Gary Ablett ruled the fantasy world.
MY goodness. Trading out Isaac Heeney and Alex Witherden might have netted me some extra coin, but I technically lost 60 points from the weekend. Not that it really mattered, with a few other duds littered across my lines. Don’t get me wrong I give out good advice, I just never listen to it, which is why I find myself floundering just inside the top 30K. SMH.
FRY’S FAVOURITE FIVE
Honourable Mentions: Jack Macrae (132), Angus Brayshaw (129), Marcus Bontempelli (129), Isaac Heeney (121)
+5. Lachie Whitfield, Giants (DEF, $797K – 164)
HOW does this guy continually avoid a tag? He PUNISHED Richmond for not sending him some attention, recording a huge 12 marks and 43 touches to post the highest score of the round. If you started with him, bravo, because at nearly $800K the rest of us have work to do getting Whitfield into our side.
+4. Lachie Neale, Lions (MID, $773K – 135)
ELITE consistency now coupled with a huge ceiling has Lachie Neale pushing for serious top-8 midfield contention. His second straight big performance in another Brisbane W had 13% of the competition rubbing their hands together.
+3. Patrick Dangerfield, Cats (MID/FWD, $801K – 132)
246 points is a great return from your captain and after Dangerfield’s performance on Thursday night, a lot of coaches locked in his score via the vice-captain loophole. His second straight week scoring 130+ has him clearly stepping up as the best forward in the game right now.
+2. Brad Crouch, Crows (MID, $629K – 128)
WHAT a star. Brad Crouch is handsomely rewarding coaches with his stellar start to the season with his performance against Geelong eye-catching, to say the least. Not only will he continue to soar in value, but he looks like a keeper for most of the season as well.
+1. Connor Rozee, Power (DEF/FWD, $385K – 121)
I would like to take this chance to publically apologise to Connor Rozee. The flashy Port youngster was meant to be an excitement machine who didn’t really score a bunch of points. Whoops. What a jet.
FRY’S FRUSTRATING FIVE
Dishonourable Mentions: Bailey Scott (46), Josh Dunkley (85), Rory Laird (84), Clayton Oliver (82), Elliot Yeo (71)
-5. Kade Simpson, Blues (DEF, $625K – 46)
THE Blues veteran is starting to show his age. 310 games for Carlton are taking their toll on Simpson, who seems to be suffering from Nic Newman’s presence. Averaging just 69 points on the season, it’s time to look for alternative options before he bleeds too much cash.
-4. Seb Ross, Saints (MID, $694K – 64)
CAN the real Seb Ross please stand up? After posting consecutive seasons as an elite fantasy midfielder, Ross has been anything but this year, averaging a disgusting 77 points through three contests. He’s gotta go.
-3. Jack Crisp, Magpies (DEF, $646K – 49)
THOSE who pounced on Jack Crisp after his stellar game last week were severely disappointed this time around. Nearly scoring 100 points less than his Round 2 total is enough to keep you up at night.
-2. Gary Ablett, Cats (MID, $690K – 69)
HANDS up if you were excited for a Gary Ablett addition when the DPP updates kick in at Round 6? Not only is he no longer a viable option, but those who took the punt on the Little Master are now sending him packing.
Image from afl.com.au
-1. Justin Westhoff, Power (RUC/FWD, $689K – 55)
DESPITE his heroics in the first game of the year, we have probably seen the best of Justin Westhoff. His 2018 form saw some coaches back him in to replicate those numbers this season only to be bitterly disappointed.
TRADE TACTICS
IN – IF you have managed to rob a bank lately then you need to allocate your cash to snagging Lachie Whitfield (DEF, $797K – 164). Don’t go expecting 150+ on a weekly basis, but he is the best player in fantasy right now, with every coach needing him in their side at one point or another. At the other end of the ground, Travis Boak (FWD, $758K – 118) wasn’t hampered by the return of Ollie Wines, posting another stellar game that has him firmly in top-6 forward status moving forward. While Brad Crouch (MID, $629K – 128) might now be too dear to invest in, now could be your last chance to land Tom Liberatore (MID, $514K – 119). Already rising $120K+ from his starting price this could be your last chance before missing the boat.
ON the rookie front debutant Sydney Stack (MID, $205K – 89) looms as the pick of the youngsters and with Richmond’s injury total piling up, his job security will gain a decent boost. There are a handful of underperforming rooks in the middle, making Stack one of the most popular trade targets this week. Versatile DPP gun Connor Rozee (DEF/FWD, $385K – 121) will be another popular pick this week, after his epic game against the Lions. Don’t expect him to kick five goals each week, but with his lowest score of 69, Rozee deserves recognition.
Image from richmondfc.com.au
OUT – JUST over one-third of the competition will be sweating on the health of Tom Rockliff (MID, $696K – 43) after he was KO’d in the Brisbane/Power game. He’s expected to be up and going against Richmond this weekend, but still needs to be monitored. Another premium midfielder with his own concussion woes is Nat Fyfe (MID, $736K – 78), with his prognosis not as optimistic. He went off in the third quarter after a huge head clash and 10% of the competition might have a forced trade on their hands. Along with aforementioned strugglers Kade Simpson (DEF, $625K – 46) and Seb Ross (MID, $694K – 64) some coaches might want to move Rory Laird (DEF, $730K – 84) on. If you can move up to the likes of Whitfield or even Jake Lloyd (DEF, $793K – 120) I’m all for it.
THERE are a handful of rooks in the firing line this week. Mainstream trio Bailey Scott (MID, $275K – 46), Michael Gibbons (MID, $232K – 24) and Tom Atkins (MID, $225K – 25) could all find themselves omitted and should they survive, then there’s still a chance they’ll be axed by coaches regardless. Will Setterfield (MID/FWD, $322K – 50) isn’t in as dire a situation, but owners’ patience is starting to wear thin.
WAIVER WIRE MOVES
A handful of Gold Coast Suns are emerging as serious options with Lachie Weller (MID/DEF, 56% – 91) one such player. He is still available in a lot of leagues along with Saints skipper Jarryn Geary (DEF, 14% – 91) who are my pick of the defenders following Round 3. In the middle, returning Roo Trent Dumont (MID, 41% – 105) is going to be a popular pick up this week, so don’t miss the boat and act quickly. Failing that, another Sun in Anthony Miles (MID, 50% – 73) could be worth taking a chance on. He might not possess an elite ceiling, but his ability to get 80 points every week makes him tantalizing. There isn’t a lot to report on the ruck front, with Rowan Marshall (FWD, 66% – 122) the only real candidate when his RUC status kicks in. He’s worth stashing on your bench or even in your forward line for the meantime with Tom Papley (FWD, 44% – 93) and Connor Rozee (FWD/DEF, 30% – 121) two other targets worth a look in for your forward crops.
MY MOVES
I’M facing a difficult week of trades with the potential to go in a lot of different directions. Sydney Stack is a smart downgrade target and if a MID rook is omitted he’ll certainly come in. With a little bit of money up my sleeve, I can potentially chop Dunkley out for Boak, however, landing Connor Rozee would help me pocket over $400K. Lots of work to be done.
My Trades
J.Dunkley → C.Rozee
T.Atkins→ S.Stack
Peace ✌