15 down, 8 to go.
NINE games of footy saw a lot of teams record scores upwards of 2,200. I wasn’t one of the lucky ones, but as plenty of coaches were reminded just how important nailing out captain selection is. Now that there are no more loophole opportunities to bail us out, the importance of owning top-tier talent has only been amplified. Just a friendly reminder, there’s only one month until the fantasy finals begin and two months until the season officially ends.
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MY TEAM
2147 – The number of Carlton fans in attendance at Optus Satidum last weekend to see the Blues get a famous win.
God it feels good to field 22 players again. There were some uninspiring performances throughout my squad, however, Macrae (C) on debut and some other big numbers helped me move up 45 total spots in the rankings. The defense needs some tweaking, but my midfield is where I’ll likely steer my next few moves.
INJURY ISSUES
WHILE not all the players mentioned here are dealing with ‘injury issues’ exactly, none of them are certainties to appear in Round 16.
Taylor Adams – By all reports Adams is still a week away for the Pies.
Tom Bellchambers – Essendon’s ruckman suffered a calf injury that could keep him sidelined for up to six weeks.
Patrick Cripps – After missing last week with a foot sprain, Cripps is no certainty to take to the field this weekend. Monitor.
Charlie Curnow – Carlton’s key forward will be sidelined for about a month after hurting his knee early against Freo.
Patrick Dangerfield – A hip flexor injury is what Danger’s latest ailment is being described as. Geelong has also said they won’t take any chance with their superstar utility. Gulp.
Caleb Daniel – Daniel is facing 3-4 weeks on the sideline with a hamstring injury. Trade.
Max Gawn – Rolling his ankle in the second quarter restricted Max Gawn to just 50 points from 67% TOG. His status is still uncertain and nearly half the competition will be sweating when teams are announced on Thursday.
Kyron Hayden – Sadly, North youngster Kyron Hayden suffered an Achilles tear in his AFL debut.
Jack Riewoldt – There’s every chance Riewoldt will be back next week against the Giants.
Tom Rockliff – For those wondering just how healthy Rocky is, he posted 203 fantasy points in the SANFL last weekend, with 57 touches, seven marks and 12 tackles!
Brayden Sier – A lot of Draft coaches will be hoping Sier can overcome the concussion he suffered against the Roos.
Callum Sinclair – After dislocating his shoulder twice in the opening term Sinclair will miss at least the next three games with the rest of his season in doubt.
Lachie Whitfield – An outside chance to play against Brisbane this week, it’s time to start saving cash for Whitfield.
FRY’S FAVOURITE FIVE
Honourable Mentions: Scott Lycett (140), Adam Treloar (129), Dustin Martin (128), Jarryd Lyons (135)
+5. Dayne Zorko, Lions (MID, $711K – 143)
‘ZORKO the Great’ looks like a new player since his bye and he picked a superb time to drop his highest score of the season. With a 120 against St Kilda in Round 14, the Brisbane gun chalked up 31 touches and three goals en route to a round high 143. For those coaches who held Zorko despite his recent struggles, this one’s for you.
+4. Luke Shuey, Eagles (MID, $717K – 142)
WEST Coast left the MCG on the weekend with four points, thanks in large part to Luke Shuey. The midfield maestro was enormous for the Eagles, especially in the second half where he gathered 27 touches and 101 points, firmly entering trade considerations for a lot of coaches. With West Coast owning one of the cushiest runs to close the season, it’s time to look long and hard at Shuey.
Image from sen.com.au
+3. Jack Macrae, Bulldogs (MID, $775K – 135)
WHAT more can I say about Jack Macrae that hasn’t been said already? He’s looking a lot like the player who cost $890K to start the season with a whopping three-round average north of 150. With a breakeven of 63, Macrae’s only going to keep soaring in price, despite the Bulldogs clashing with the top of the table Geelong this weekend.
+2. Jaeger O’Meara, Hawks (MID, $667K – 136)
IT’S a shame that Jaeger O’Meara has been shut down by a tagger multiple times this season. If this wasn’t the case, his ownership would have spiked on the back of his attention-free 136 on the weekend. O’Meara helped himself to his third 130+ score of the season and if these numbers start to appear more regularly, he could be worth chasing.
+1. Nat Fyfe, Dockers (MID, $733K – 133)
NOT even a herculean Nat Fyfe could save his side on Sunday, as the Dockers’ skipper posted his highest fantasy score of the season. He broke out of the gates like a bull in a china shop and much like the rest of Freo’s outfit, slowly ran out of gas as the game wore on. Don’t let that deter you though, ever since I declared Fyfe wasn’t an ‘elite fantasy player’ six weeks ago he is averaging 113.4 and yes, I have swallowed my pride and traded him in.
FRY’S FRUSTRATING FIVE
Dishonourable Mentions: Rory Laird (78), Brodie Smith (56), Max Gawn (50)
-5. Jake Lloyd, Swans (DEF, $746K – 48)
I understand that the weather didn’t suit your style of play Jake Lloyd, but to record zero marks AND zero tackles is unacceptable. Just when we thought we could trust him again Lloyd went ahead and dished up a score comparable with an average rookie! He had better repay his owners with a day out against Essendon.
-4. Bachar Houli, Tigers (DEF, $730K – 72)
THERE are genuine question marks over which defensive fantasy players we can rely on week in, week on, and heading into Round 15, we thought Bachar Houli was one player we could trust. For the first time all year, Houli failed to chalk up double-digit kicks and went the entire game without a tackle. I expected the points to be flowing in Richmond’s back half against St Kilda, but that didn’t exactly go as planned for Houli.
Image from afl.com.au
-3. James Sicily, Hawks (DEF, $573K – 59)
STICKING with the trend, defenders weren’t producing unreal numbers last weekend as the weather took it’s toll on fantasy scorers. That was part of the reason James Sicily finds himself in the negatives for the second consecutive week with the man affectionately known as ‘Sic Dog’ leaving a lot of coaches feeling queasy after his efforts on the weekend. Maybe he should just be sent forward?
-2. Ricky Henderson, Hawks (MID, $734K – 67)
YOU’D be hard pressed to find many teams in the competition rocking Ricky Henderson in their side, but those who do own the Hawthorn elder were let down on the weekend. Emerging as a genuine unique thanks to his stellar form and low ownership, those who took the punt on Hendo last round were rewarded with his lowest score of the entire year. It might be wise to reconsider if he was in your trade plans, but I expect a bounce-back game vs. the Pies
-1. Tim Taranto, Giants (MID, $804K – 83)
TARANTO finds himself in this position thanks to our final loophole opportunity of the season. Plenty of coaches, myself included, were salivating at what Taranto could have done against the Bombers as a VC and instead, we were forced to watch him flounder around Marvel Stadium like a fish out of water. It wasn’t the score a lot of us were hoping for and as a result, plenty of coaches were forced to pick an equally disappointing captain. You’re better than that Tim.
TRADE TACTICS
IN – WITH two months left in the season, it’s getting to the point where top dollar targets like Josh Kelly (MID, $866K – 120) and Mitch Duncan (MID, $785K – 99) might not be affordable players for a good portion of the competition. Instead, though you could chase value in the form of Dayne Zorko (MID, $711K – 143) and/or Clayton Oliver (MID, $716K – 111), both of whom have the possibility to end the season on a tear.
CALEB Daniel’s latest injury setback means that some coaches have to find an alternative option for the pint-sized Bulldog and my two favourite targets are Tom Stewart (DEF, $623K – 108) and Jack Crisp (DEF, $645K – 108) probably in that order. If you want to go cheaper Connor Blakely (DEF, $561K – 104) could be someone to consider, despite his inconsistent scoring and role.
IF cash generation is what you covet, it’s hard to go past the likes of Mabior Chol (FWD, $245K – 106), Nick Hind (MID, $252K – 64) or the cheaper Oliver Hanrahan (FWD, $178K – 39) who was solid in his AFL debut. We could see another batch of youngsters enter/re-enter the fray as the injury lists around the league add up, but until then, these three are my favourite picks.
OUT – RECENT injury woes concerning Patrick Dangerfield (MID/FWD, $732K – 92) and Max Gawn (RUC, $807K – 50) might force coaches to be aggressive if they miss Round 16. Beware though, if you trade them out you may not be able to bring them back in before the end of the season. I’ve continuously stated that it’s wise to hold onto your ‘premium’ players and avoid shuffling them around, but I can understand why coaches are moving on someone like Angus Brayshaw (MID, $620K – 87) even though he plays the Blues this week, after he’s failed to fire for a continuous period of time
IF you haven’t done so yet, it’s time to move on from another batch of cashed out rookies. Willem Drew (MID/FWD, $402K – 47) was given another chance by owners after he earned a recall, but I expect him to return straight back to the SANFL. There is a glut of rookies who have made their money and could be considered a trade out candidate with Marty Hore (DEF, $443K – 50), Matthew Parker (FWD, $371K – 59), Nick Larkey (FWD, $316K – 29) and Tom Atkins (MID/FWD, $373K – 48) the quartet I’d rank as the highest trade out priority.
WAIVER WIRE WATCH
WITH Tom Bellchambers sidelined for almost the rest of the fantasy season, coaches in need of ruck help should be gunning for Zac Clarke (RUC, 9% – N/A) and/or Shaun McKernan (FWD, 12% – 92) who seem set to dominate Essendon’s ruck contests for the rest of the 2019 season. Regularly playing midfielders are always good targets to chase and Anthony Miles (MID, 43% – 111) continues to hang around on waiver wires across the competition. Lastly, Mabior Chol (FWD, 2% – 106) all but cemented his place in Richmond’s side for the next few weeks and is shaping up as a DPP candidate for ruck status in Round 18.
MY MOVES
I can still potentially turn Willem Drew into Dan Hannebery, as long as I execute another downgrade, but building my bank might be the smarter route. For now, Answerth and Drew make way for Chol and Hind, but the uncertainty around Max Gawn has me thinking about moving him should he miss. Plenty still to be figured out.
My Trades
N.Answerth → N.Hind
W.Drew → M.Chol
Peace ✌