NINE down, 14 to go.
THERE was a clear distance this week between the great coaches, the good ones and the ones sitting in the same group as me. Premium fantasy players came to the party with some outrageous scores and reliable rookies looked anything but, as some popular names failed to top 50. There are only four trades left until the bye rounds are underway with the majority of coaches looking to successfully pull off ‘Operation Get Lachie Whitfield’ before they begin.
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MY TEAM
2031 – Just 18 points less than what GWS (2049) scored against Carlton. Woah
Premiums looked like premiums and rookies looked like rookies. Andrew Gaff on debut was a nice add, but I’m still a clear step behind the pack. Facing a tough week of trades with plenty of question marks it’s time to prioritise ‘Operation Get Whitfield’.
FRY’S FAVOURITE FIVE
Honourable Mentions: Elliot Yeo (140), Dustin Martin (135), Shannon Hurn (137)
+5. Lachie Whitfield, Giants (DEF/MID, $800K – 190)
THERE are some performances that can’t be defined by words. Instead of trying to comprehend what I was watching, I sat back and enjoyed the Lachie Whitfield show against a lifeless Carlton outfit on Sunday. The definition of a must-have player.
+4. Brodie Grundy, Magpies (RUC, $823K – 152)
LAST week’s most popular captain choice came to the party for the second straight week. A monstrous 150+ was doubled for over 23% of the competition as Grundy flexed all over the Saints. He’s a fine captain choice again in Round 10 with a matchup against the Swans.
+3. Tim Taranto, Giants (MID, $751K – 155)
WE all know Tim Taranto is capable of these scores and with Stephen Coniglio on the sidelines there was no slowing TT down against the Blues. A career-best 155 points came via 38 touches and 12 marks and with the Gold Coast on the horizon, there’s no reason why Taranto will slow down.
+2. Jack Ziebell, Roos (FWD, $589K – 155)
JACK Ziebell’s form can no longer be ignored. Three scores of 100+ in the past month will likely see a spike in his ownership, especially coming off the back of an enormous 155. It comes with some risk as Ziebell’s role can sometimes shift and change, but a handy Round 14 bye makes him a hot trade target up forward.
+1. Brayden Fiorini, Suns (MID, $750K – 144)
TAKING away an injury-interrupted output of 76 against the Eagles, here are the last five scores from Brayden Fiorini. 110, 114, 126, 137 and 144 this week. A tough fortnight against Geelong and the Giants is worrying, but going off those numbers it might not matter, Fiorini is on another level!
FRY’S FRUSTRATING FIVE
Dishonourable Mentions: Patrick Dangerfield (88), Josh Dunkley (77), Charlie Constable (44)
-5. Patrick Cripps, Clues (MID, $737K – 45)
THE first blip on Patrick Cripps’ season came in an absolute drubbing, so don’t read into this result too much. However, Crippa was convincingly beaten by Matt de Boer on Sunday, marking the first time we’ve seen him be “well held” by an opponent. Expect him to come out breathing fire against the Saints.
Image from heraldsun.com.au
-4. Angus Brayshaw, Demons (MID, $630K – 65)
WATCHING a player fail to fire on Friday night is an assured way to start your weekend on a sour note. After a lot of forced trade moves, nearly 20% of Angus Brayshaw owners were forced to hold him and pray for a miracle. After a sub 70 score and another $40k price decrease, don’t go making the same mistake this week.
-3. Tim Kelly, Cats (MID/FWD, $694K – 56)
A week can be a long time in the AFL fantasy world, just ask Tim Kelly owners. After he was worshipped following his Round 8 performance, Kelly scored nearly 80 points less this week as he struggled to combat the Bulldogs midfield. Don’t lose too much sleep over it, but TK’s got to stop throwing up these 50’s.
-2. Caleb Daniel, Bulldogs (FWD/DEF, $645K – 64)
THE return of Matthew Suckling has hurt Caleb Daniel’s production, perhaps beyond repair. He’s only averaging 16.5 disposals in his last two and while it could be a short term issue, it’s time to at least consider other options for Daniel. I wouldn’t go offloading him right away, but in a few weeks, he could be Angus Brayshaw 2.0.
-1. Nat Fyfe, Dockers (MID, $601K – 74)
NAT Fyfe is a fantastic player and as a Freo fan, he’s one of my personal favourites to watch. However, he isn’t a fantasy star, plain and simple. When he’s on, a 130 is almost assured, but too often he’ll have games like he did against Essendon, holding him back from being a truly elite fantasy threat.
TRADE TACTICS
IN – THE hot trade target this week will obviously be Lachie Whitfield (DEF/MID, $800K – 190) following his masterclass against the Blues. Don’t go expecting it every weekend, but Whitfield is the best Fantasy player this season, so getting him ASAP is a pretty good tactic. If you haven’t robbed a bank to land Whits and are looking for cash, then perhaps Jack Ziebell (FWD, $593K – 155) suits your moves, with his form no longer considered a fluke. If you want a midfield upgrade, but can’t reach Whitfield, then it’s hard to go past Dayne Zorko (MID, $715K – 118) after his recent games. With the Dockers, Hawks and Blues coming up, he should stay hot and this week is probably the cheapest he’ll be in a long time.
WE were treated to plenty of fresh rookies in Round 9, with some proving to be better than others. A lot of people brought in Mitch Hinge (DED, $179K – 41) and/or Oskar Baker (MID, $173K – 31) who will hopefully both get another chance. Saints youngster Robbie Young (FWD, $187K – 55) and Port’s Joe Atley (MID, $238K – 54) were fine while Darcy Fort (RUC, $199K – 77) also impressed, however, this week Joel Garner (DEF, $189K – 60) is my favourite downgrade target. Should he keep his spot (obviously), Garner will look to keep trending in an upward direction against the Hawks.
OUT – THE health of Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield (MID/FWD, $667K – 88) is the big talking point from a trade out perspective this week. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. With a matchup against Gold Coast on the horizon, I’d expect Paddy to miss this one and return in Round 11 vs. Sydney. Nothing should surprise us though. For the coaches who held Angus Brayshaw, Demons (MID, $630K – 65) torment yourselves no longer and move him on. The outlook is grim for Zac Williams (DEF, $554K – 43) as well, with the Giants defender likely out for a few weeks with a hamstring issue and for the 10.8% of coaches hoping Devon Smith (MID/FWD, $580K – N/A) would be ok, his knee injury has effectively ended his season making him a must trade.
CHARLIE Constable‘s (MID, $500K – 43) stinker means he’s likely to be omitted from Geelong’s side again, making him a fine trade out candidate. Even if he does play a breakeven of 76 means cashing him in is a solid move. The same could be said for Sam Walsh (MID, $570K – 76) who has decreased in value back-to-back weeks. Unless you’re landing a top-8 MID for him, I’m not a huge fan of moving Walsh though. Other popular picks who are priority outs include Jack Scrimshaw (DEF, $396K – 42), Carlton duo Will Setterfield (MID/FWD, $366K – 48) and Michael Gibbons (MID/FWD, $380K – 35) with forward’s Jack Petruccelle (FWD, $377K – 49) and Matthew Parker (FWD, $314K – 32) rounding out the bunch.
Image from thewest.com.au
WAIVER WIRE MOVES
SUCCESSIVE 100’s against quality foes will see Luke Dunstan (MID, 43% – 100) near the top of Draft coaches wish lists this week. He squares off against Carlton too this week and may keep his triple figure streak alive. It may be too much of a gamble in Classic, but for Draft leagues, Jed Anderson (MID, 30% – 111) is stringing together some noteworthy performances. For the rucks, Geelong duo Ryan Abbott (RUC, 31% – 73) and/or Darcy Fort (RUC, 9% – 77) could be good plays if Rhys Stanley misses more game time while Reilly O’Brien (RUC, 59% – 87) continues to dominate.
FORWARD Shane Edwards (MID/FWD, 26% – 100) has come into some decent form and should produce more high scores while Cotchin is sidelined. If he’s not free and you need FWD help then turn your attention to Jake Stringer (FWD, 19% – 89) who has a juicy run leading into his Round 12 bye. Defenders Nick Vlastuin (DEF, 35% – 101) and Jarman Impey (DEF/FWD, 19% – 93) are probably the picks of the bunch down back after providing a few good performances in a row, potentially addressing injury/form issues down back.
MY MOVES
I’VE played around with my team a lot in the last 12 hours and rookie selection will dictate a lot. While Whitfield is now the must-have player in the competition, I’m torn over getting him or moving on two pieces to give me an ideal BYE structure. It’s a decision that’ll probably bug me right up until Friday arvo.
My Trades
A.Brayshaw → J.Ziebell
Z.Williams → J.Sicily
Peace ✌