Another offseason of AFL player movement is in the books with 20 players in total changing clubs during this year’s free agency/trade period. Of course, there are bound to be fantasy ramifications, both good and bad, for those who have found a new home and coaches will instantly be searching for the names that matter and adding them to their 2022 watchlist. There wasn’t a lot of relevant players who switched postcodes, but there was certainly some who are worth keeping an eye on…

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20. Robbie Tarrant

Kangaroos receive: Callum Coleman-Jones, Pick No. 42, Pick No. 47, 2022 4th round pick (via North)
Tigers receive: Robbie Tarrant, Pick No. 40, 2022 2nd round pick (via Richmond)
Great get for Richmond to potentially keep their premiership window open. However, there’s no value here for fantasy coaches.

19. Jake Kelly

Free Agent Signing
Ditto. Almost a carbon copy of Tarrant we can’t consider choosing Jake Kelly for our fantasy sides, despite his move to the Dons.

18. Jeremy Finlayson

Giants receive: 2022 3rd round pick (via Port)
Power receive: Jeremy Finlayson
Key forward’s are almost as bad as key backmen when it comes to fantasy production and despite a change of scenery Jeremy Finlayson remains irrelevant.

17. Jonathon Ceglar

Hawks receive: 2022 3rd round pick (via Brisbane)
Cats receive: Jonathon Ceglar, 2022 4th round pick (via Hawthorn)
Geelong needed a No. 1 ruck after a few years of the Rhys Stanley experiment and Jon Ceglar could help plug that hole. With that being said, there’s probably not a lot of upside in picking the former Hawk and while he may hold some Draft relevance, he’s a no-go for Classic teams.

16. Peter Ladhams

Power receive: Pick No. 12, 2022 3rd round pick (via Sydney)
Swans receive: Peter Ladhams, Pick No. 16
I can’t see Peter Ladhams thriving from day one as Sydney’s sole ruck, thanks to a strong 2021 campaign from Tom Hickey. Sinclair and Naismith are also still on Sydney’s roster and unless Ladhams is giving a license to roam solo, there’s not much point in selecting him for 2022.

15. Mabior Chol

Free Agent Signing
Mabior Chol’s move up north could offer some upside, especially if he’s playable as a RUC/FWD; although, it’s hard to see his scoring improving dramatically from his time as a Tiger. If Jarrod Witts continues to battle injury woes then that could open the door for Chol’s fantasy relevance. Until that point, he’s probably worth ignoring.

14. Callum Coleman-Jones

Tigers receive: Robbie Tarrant, Pick No. 40, 2022 2nd round pick (via Richmond)
Kangaroos receive: Callum Coleman-Jones, Pick No. 42, Pick No. 47, 2022 4th round pick (via North)
CCJ should play regular games for North now, but he doesn’t offer a lot of upside from his initial starting price. A string of late games last season with Richmond ruined any chance he had of becoming a value pick and with his price tag expected to hover a hair under the $600K mark, it’s a no from me.

13. Darcy Fort

Cats receive: Pick No. 50, 2022 3rd round pick (via Brisbane)
Lions receive: Darcy Fort, Pick No. 41
Brisbane pounced on Cats ruckman Darcy Fort to enhance their big man stocks as he looks to improve on his 8 AFL games to date. Poised to enter next season priced around $350k, there is the potential for Fort to increase in value while he fills the void left by Eric Hipwood. However, it’s unlikely that will happen given he’ll play most of his footy as a target inside-50.

12. Luke Dunstan

Free Agent Signing
Don’t get me wrong, Luke Dunstan can certainly play and has a fantasy game about him, averaging 94.5 points during his dozen matches last season. Still, it was puzzling to see him sign with Melbourne given their loaded engine room and his eagerness for more opportunities at AFL level. There is a chance he proves me wrong and he becomes more than a fringe player at the Dees, but he’s too risky to consider at the start of the season if you ask me.

Image from melbournefc.com.au

11. Lewis Young

Bulldogs receive: Pick No. 52
Eagles receive: Sam Petrevski-Seton
Blues receive: Lewis Young
A change of clubs can sometimes unlock a player’s fantasy potential, but it’s hard to see Lewis Young’s numbers improving. The Dog-turned-Blue was utilised as a second ruckman at times last season although it doesn’t appear like he’ll maintain that role at Carlton. Pass.

10. Tim O’Brien

Free Agent Signing
Now things start to get interesting. The newest Bulldog averaged an intriguing 84 points in his final three matches, with his best score of the bunch ironically coming against his new team when O’Brien scored 102 points with 10 marks and 24 touches. It would be foolish to expect O’Brien to replicate those numbers at his new home, even if he can feature as an intercept defender, however, he’s worth keeping half an eye on this preseason.

9. Max Lynch

Magpies receive: 2022 3rd round pick (via Brisbane), 2022 3rd round pick (via Hawthorn)
Hawks receive: Max Lynch, 2022 3rd round pick (via Freo), 2022 4th round pick (via Gold Coast)
Of all the ruckmen who switched clubs in the offseason, Max Lynch is my favourite from a fantasy point of view. Hawthorn skipper Ben McEvoy and up-and-comer Ned Reeves are enough to make the job to lead the ruck department competitive, but if Lynch can hold the role down by himself, he may become a factor. It’s a shame his price will likely reside over the $300k threshold, making him a bit too rich for my blood, but a score of 68 against Max Gawn last year is an indication of what Lynch may produce if he can capture the solo role.

8. Sam Petervski-Seton

Bulldogs receive: Pick No. 52
Blues receive: Lewis Young
Eagles receive: Sam Petrevski-Seton
The near $500,000 question for fantasy coaches is does SPS get the MID minutes he wants? I’m not so sure, but Petrevski-Seton is hell-bent on forcing his way into West Coast’s midfield rotation. If he does and he performs well during the preseason then there’s certainly merit in picking the newest Eagle.

Image from perthnow.com.au

7. Nathan Kreuger

Geelong receive: Pick No. 41
Magpies receive: Nathan Kreuger, Pick No. 55
Collingwood recruit Nathan Kreuger managed to play two games late last year for Geelong and now that he’s on the move, there’s a chance he’ll get more chances at AFL level. Set to commence the season as a $170k rook, if Kreuger plays he could have some value and emerge as a noteworthy cash cow but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

6. George Hewett

Free Agent Signing
It’s a smart idea to add George Hewett to your preseason watchlist, although I wonder how he’ll feast in a midfield that boasts Sam Walsh, Patrick Cripps and now Adam Cerra (more from him soon). The Swans utility saw his magnet thrown all over the board during his 120 games for Sydney and there’s room for improvement from his 2021 average of 63.9 if he stays closer to the pill. Thanks to his high tackle tendency, Hewett could bump that average up 10-20 points, but there’s bound to be some inconsistent scores along the way.

5. Jordan Clark

Cats receive: Pick No. 22, 2022 3rd round pick (via Carlton)
Dockers receive: Jordan Clark, 2022 4th round pick (via Geelong)
A wide majority of fantasy coaches will find it hard to pick Jordan Clark in their starting sides next year after being trapped a season ago, but there’s a chance he can thrive in purple for Freo. He isn’t shaping up to be as cheap as first thought and if there’s not a lot of value in picking him, I’d rather chase value with other defenders over the former Cat.

4. Adam Cerra

Dockers receive: Pick No. 6, 2022 3rd round pick (via Carlton)
Blues receive: Adam Cerra
Now things really start to get interesting. With an average of 87.3 on the season, there’s hope amongst some Blues fans that Cerra can thrive and hit triple figures during his first year at Carlton. He did go at a clip of 111.7 points over his final 4 games, but that was buoyed by some BIG outings. Can he do that next to Walsh and Cripps? I need to see it first.

There's a lot to like about Adam Cerra 🌟@CarltonFC fans, here's what you're getting with your new recruit ⬇️#AFLTrade pic.twitter.com/Lytudd5aOs

— AFL (@AFL) October 7, 2021

3. Patrick Lipinski

Bulldogs receive: Pick No. 43
Magpies receive: Patrick Lipinski
Patrick Lipinski’s fantasy value relies on how quickly he can become a part of Collingwood’s weekly outfit. If so, there’s every possibility he improves on his average of 65 from last season. There’s even a slim chance he can capture FWD status, but even if he’s only available as a pure MID, there’s plenty of upside available for Lipinski that will entice fantasy coaches.

2. Will Brodie

Suns receive: 2022 2nd round pick (via Freo), 2022 4th round pick (via Freo)
Dockers receive: Will Brodie, Pick No. 19, Pick No. 61, Pick No. 69
The big question surrounding Will Brodie is will he be part of Freo’s best 22? If he is, then his starting price (approx. $350K) might make him too good to pass up! While he struggled to squeeze his way into the Suns’ senior side last year, his VFL form was impressive with the new Docker averaging 117.4 points and 31.6 disposals from 9 games. An added bonus could be Brodie retaining MID/FWD status and if the stars align and all these boxes are checked, expect him to be in A LOT of teams to start the 2022 season.

1. Jordan Dawson

Swans receive: 2022 1st round pick (via Melbourne)
Crows receive: Jordan Dawson
Which position Dawson plays for the Crows will dictate a lot of his fantasy scores, but make no mistake, there’s a huge chance for him to end up being a top-6 DEF in 2022. An average of 100.4 following the byes and a MONSTER score of 158 in the fantasy Grand Final will make Dawson one to seriously consider for your initial squad – especially if he takes up residence on one of the wings at West Lakes.

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