AHOY there me hearties, I’m back! My name is Calvin and welcome to Calvin’s Captains.
It’s round two and it’s time to find everyone an AFL Fantasy captain, so you can score double points from your selected superstar.
Eagles will fly!
On Sunday afternoon at the MCG, expect the Eagles to fly like they did last week against the Bulldogs when six players scored over 100 points.
Last year when they played Melbourne in round three, four players scored over 120 points, none better than Scott Selwood’s 142 points. He even had 131 against them in 2012 and is coming off an impressive 113 points last week. He has averaged 120 points at the MCG in his last three games and should be unstoppable again this week.
Chris Masten also chipped in during last year's Demon demolition with 120 points, backing up the 113 he scored against Melbourne in 2012. Mark LeCras opened his AFL Fantasy account with 139 points last week and appears to be in great form this season.
But it’s Dean Cox who should be strongly considered this week as he carries a lowest score of just 96 points in his last six games against Melbourne and should be too good again. He scored 108 points last week and dictated terms when he scored 132 points against the Demons last year.
Beware of taggers
The message is plain and simple. Taggers try to restrict the scoring of our precious premium stars and if your captain is tagged, it can be disastrous!
Gary Ablett will be tagged by Ryan Crowley on Saturday afternoon at Patersons Stadium. He ran with the superstar in 2013, when Ablett scored 101 points. Although Scott Pendlebury still managed 122 against Crowley last week, a dangerous tag from the best stopper in the business is still very concerning.
Ablett has scored 89 and 102 in his last two games in the west and should be selected with caution this week.
Opening the round on Thursday night will be Trent Cotchin who is destined to be confronted by Carlton’s Ed Curnow as he has on many occasions before.
Cotchin won two of the three battles last year though scoring 109, 51 and 101 on Curnow from their three encounters.
Last week, Ollie Wines (136 points) and Kane Cornes (128 points) were amongst five Port Adelaide players to score over 100 against Carlton, but did so without a tag.
Ablett and Cotchin are both champions and should still score well, but being cautious of taggers when selecting a captain is always a wise strategy.
It’s very black and white
If you are my number one captain choice and score 97 points, it’s very black and white what happens next week. So Dane Swan my friend, you are having a week off.
Decisions like this tend to always bite back, but last year Swan scored under 100 just five times for the season, and two of those times were against the Swans.
So after considering his 2013 form the team from Sydney and his 97 point effort last week, he’ll fail to make my top five this week. It’s decision that really hurts me as his number one fan, and a judgement that could backfire like a rusty cannon.
Despite a tag from Ryan Crowley, Scott Pendlebury still managed a very solid 122 points against Fremantle last week. He scored 95 and 117 points against them last year and has a lowest score of just 95 against the Dockers in his last five games. He’s always reliable and such a consistent captain option every single week.
But if it’s buried treasure you’re after, then look no further than Dayne Beams who had an impressive score of 122 points last week against a quality Fremantle line-up. He only played the Swans once last year for a score of 108 but did have 91 and 131 against them in 2012.
Beams also loves playing at ANZ Stadium where he has scored 108 and 131 in his last two encounters. If the young GWS midfielders, Stephen Coniglio (130 points) and Adam Treloar (124 points) can dominate the Swans like they did last week, just imagine what an in form Dayne Beams will do.
The mighty Magpie has form and history on his side this week and I’m expecting very big things on Saturday night.
Just quickly…
Here are few more of the popular players that I've been looking at this week. If I have missed your favourite, message me on Twitter and I’ll do my best to cover them next week.
Patrick Dangerfield v Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval: After just 68 points last week, I’ll be passing on Dangerfield again in round two. He has only scored over 100 once during his career against Port Adelaide after playing them nine times. Argggghh, a big pass.
Joel Selwood v Brisbane Lions at the Gabba: Selwood proved that his hamstring is fine after scoring 132 points last week. He scored 97 and 121 in Brisbane last year and even had his second best score ever of 162 points against them in 2010. Worth a thought.
Tom Liberatore v North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium: Liberatore had one of his worst scores ever against North Melbourne last year (54 points) and after having scoring just 84 points last week, we have to pass on this young gun in round two.
Michael Barlow v Gold Coast at Patersons Stadium: Barlow scored a massive 134 points in round one but only managed 81 and 67 in his last two games against the Suns. Last week, Deledio (132 points) and Cotchin (127 points) scored well against Ablett’s men but based on these stats, Barlow does come with a small risk this week.
Steve Johnson v Brisbane Lions at the Gabba: Johnson had 121 last week and played the Lions twice last year for scores of 129 and 84. He was tagged in the last encounter by Andrew Raines, but should run free on Saturday night.
Kane Cornes v Adelaide at Adelaide Oval: The veteran keeps getting it done. He had 128 in the opening round and scored 128 and 104 points against Adelaide last year. He’s a huge smokey this week!
Brett Deledio v Carlton at the MCG: Unfortunately, Deledio plays one his worst teams to score Fantasy points on this week and although he scored 91, 114 and 78 against Carlton last year, I’ll be shopping elsewhere for my captain.
Jobe Watson v Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium: Watson didn’t play against Hawthorn last year but was very impressive with the highest score of the round last weekend with 153 points. He’s on fire.
