RANKING players for a pre-draft list leading into your AFL Fantasy Draft is important. Yes, there is the available player list that is able to be sorted by previous season's data and ADP (average draft pick), but the pressure of draft day can cloud your judgement.

Move players up and down the list based on where you see them performing this year. Base this on their scoring potential, durability, consistency and the x-factor of your gut feel.

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In Fantasy Draft you don’t want to speculate too much, especially early. Look to grab the players who have the points on the board over a period of time.

A wise Fantasy Draft coach once said, "Don’t reach, young blood. There is no point in identifying a slider/smokey and drafting him way earlier than anyone else would".

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Midfielders can be a dime-a-dozen. Last season, 28 players averaged more than 100. So there are arguably plenty of premiums to go around.

If you have the captains setting turned on for your league, the top echelon of midfielders carry extra value as points are doubled for the player you choose.

Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Rockliff, Zach Merrett and Adam Treloar will be taken very early due to their high ceiling and the likelihood that they’ll score more than 110 most weeks.

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No less than 23 pure midfielders have been taken in the top 50 based on ADP (Average Draft Pick) so far this pre-season. In a league of 16 coaches, nine midfielders would be taken in the first round.

While a lot of midfielders go early due to their high scoring, smart drafters like to leave a lot of their midfielders until late. In a 16 team league, using the 3-4-1-3/4 format, 64 midfielders will be taken to play on the field.

Based on last year, 59 midfielders averaged over 90 points per game. 12 defenders, three rucks and seven forwards managed this. Therefore, you can wait on your midfielders for longer than other positions.

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The Traders' midfielder rankings
Our consensus picks for the midfield saw just one player ranked the same between the three of us – Adam Treloar at No.3. ADP (Average Draft Pick) is based on data from completed drafts at the beginning of this week and refers to the overall average position players were drafted.