TOM MITCHELL is truly unique in NAB AFL Fantasy. He's clocked a total of 218 points in his two outings this year and not one Fantasy coach would have batted an eyelid at those numbers.
There's only one problem – he could be dropped at any moment. And he knows it.
John Longmire was happy to make the young Swan sweat for a spot last season, handing him just the six games, and it was the same story this year with Mitchell having to wait until round five for his first game of 2015.
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Simply put, Mitchell [FWD/MID, $464,000] is the best Fantasy player in the game who is not an automatic selection for his club. He is, however, an automatic selection in Fantasy the second Longmire confirms he will play for the Swans each Thursday night.
Meanwhile up north, there’s an injury crisis for the Suns, and therefore an injury crisis in Fantasy. 2015's top cash-cow to date, Adam Saad, is out with a hamstring injury and mature-aged rookie upgrade Josh Glenn looks set to join him on the sidelines.
Gary Ablett [MID, $603,000] could still be a month away, David Swallow [MID, $480,000] likewise, Jaeger O’Meara [$525,000] is cooked for the year and there are even concerns about Tom Lynch [FWD, $409,000], who has stood tall in many a Fantasy forward line this year.
However, Fantasy crisis creates Fantasy opportunity, and Henry Schade [DEF, $150,000] and Alex Sexton [$256,000, FWD/MID] both have break-even scores in the negative this week. That is, all they have to do is get on the park against the Eagles on Saturday and their prices will rise.
Down at The Kennel, Luke Beveridge's decision to teach Will Minson a hard lesson on topics other than the German language has been a bonus for coaches with Ayce Cordy [FWD/RUC $178,000] in their side.
Cordy's Fantasy average is just 35.8 this year but he pulled out a 91 against the Saints last Saturday, and if you need a downgrade target, he’s the perfect candidate with a break-even this week of -11.
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Sorry, who broke the ton this week?
Lee Spurr [DEF, $379,000] – 109 points v Essendon: Spurr has proven durable in the past, but not prolific. A century against the Dons and a subsequent break-even of 41 make him a tempting defensive choice if you want to make some money off the suspended Luke Hodge.
Kyle Cheney [DEF, $341,000] – 107 points v Gold Coast: The flame-haired former Hawk has settled in nicely with the Crows and picked off the Suns' errant kicks at will last Saturday. A smart point-of-difference pick.
You! My team. Now!
Jake Kelly [DEF, $230,000] – avg 65.5: Speaking of Crows, this rookie upgrade has Fantasy's lowest break-even score for round seven. Kelly’s 2014 SANFL numbers showed his potential, and with Collingwood passing up the chance to draft Craig’s boy as a father-son selection, Adelaide and Fantasy coaches look to be the big winners.
Mark Blicavs [RUC/MID, $465,000] – avg 94.0: Blicavs has mainly been a point of interest around whether he could be Fantasy’s first triple-position player. While that won’t be happening this year, he’s putting in a sensational season as a RUC/MID, and the Cats just won’t stop banging on about how much they love him.
I'm not angry, just disappointed
David Zaharakis [MID, $426,000] – 45 points v Fremantle: Zaka is at the cross-roads. A crunch game against the Dockers should have brought out his best but he still looks troubled by ankle soreness and you'd be wise to trade him out sharpish.
Kamdyn McIntosh [MID, $327,000] – 43 points v North Melbourne: All good things must come to an end, and the round one rookie sensation is joining the Tigers in a downward spiral. McIntosh's break-even will be 65 this week and it's hard to see him reaching it against the Magpies.
Get 'em in
Jake Kelly [DEF, $230,000]
Jackson Thurlow [DEF/MID, $327,000]
Brodie Grundy [RUC, $484,000]
Liam Picken [DEF, $485,000]
Luke Parker [MID, $496,000]
Farewell for now
Adam Saad [DEF/MID, $311,000]
Isaac Heeney [MID/FWD, $284,000]
Rory Sloane [MID, $523,000]
Dayne Zorko [FWD/MID, $465,000]
Ben Cunnington [MID, $419,000]
