THE AFLW pre-season goes fast! Somehow, the first bounce of the season is almost upon us. Before we knew it, the time set aside to actually prepare our teams has slipped away once again.

Well don't worry! We've got you covered. Below, you will find everything you need to set your Fantasy team up for success in 2024.

Listen to the AFLW Fantasy Podcast with Free Kick at Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Defenders

Eilish Sheerin (Richmond, $925,000)
A shift into the midfield has this Tiger primed to be the No.1 defender in the game in 2024. Already boasting an impressive average of 71.4, Sheerin has showed her midfield scoring power with a 118 in round 10 last season and a 64 from three quarters in the practice game this pre-season. A great starting premium choice!

Kate Lutkins (Brisbane, $369,000)
Lutkins is drastically underpriced for what she can deliver, with the superstar veteran heavily discounted due to missing seasons for an ACL injury and pregnancy. The 36-year-old is one of the AFLW's superstar big-time performers and it will be a pleasure to watch her back on the field in 2024, let alone delivering big for Fantasy coaches!

Midfielders

Charlie Rowbottom (Gold Coast, $1,463,000)
Very few midfielders have the contested strength of Rowbottom, with the talented youngster proving a massive asset to the Suns in 2023. She battled injury last year but still managed to average 113 from nine games. With Rowbottom looking in powerful form in the lead up to the season, she is a top-line captain option, capable of outperforming her massive price tag and making her one of the best Fantasy options heading into 2024. 

Shineah Goody (Port Adelaide, $300,000)
The pre-season expansion signing has quickly become the heavy favourite for the Telstra AFLW Rising Star Award (according to AFLW club captains). Her practice game performance of 25 disposals, seven marks, five tackles and seven clearances for 110 Fantasy points shows just how ready Goody is to deliver at the AFLW level. You will not want to miss out on this rocket ship.

Rucks

Alice Edmonds (Western Bulldogs, $1,044,000)
Edmonds exploded onto the Fantasy scene in season 7 (2022B), taking over the No.1 ruck mantle at the Bulldogs. That season, she averaged a League-high 26.2 hitouts and 4.6 tackles per game for a 69.8 Fantasy point average to be the best ruck of the season. She backed that up in 2023 with an 80.2 average leaving her as the No.3 Fantasy ruck and, with the departure of partner-in-crime Celine Moody, Edmonds is set to push that average up even further.

Eilish O'Dowd (Greater Western Sydney, $300,000)
The Irish recruit may be new to football, but she boasts exceptional athleticism and has talent to boot. O'Dowd's physical presence at the contest should see her feature prominently for the Giants in 2024 and, as she adjusts to the game, we are likely to see her Fantasy points follow as the season progresses.

Forwards

Kate Hore (Melbourne, $1,111,000)
The Demons captain is switching it up in 2024, with the co-leading goalkicker of 2023 preparing to run through the midfield. Hore seems to be able to find the ball at will and is a weapon with ball in hand. If the practice game against the Power is anything to go by – where she scored 121 Fantasy points from 24 touches, eight marks, seven tackles and two goals – then Hore is a lock to be a top-five forward again in 2024.

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Mikayla Pauga (Greater Western Sydney, $363,000)
Fresh off a premiership with the Lions, this dynamic small forward has moved south to the Giants on the promise of more midfield time. In the practice game against a dominant North Melbourne, Pauga led the Giants for tackles in an exciting first-up display. With a softer fixture to start the year, Fantasy coaches should be able to rely on Pauga for some quick cash generation.

Some key things to stay on top of

Beyond adding a roster of talented Fantasy players, there are a few things you might want to be aware of.

Fixture challenges
Every AFLW team will play 11 games during the home and away season, but they will be played across 10 weeks. This means that from weeks four to seven inclusive, some clubs will feature twice across a single week. Players who play twice in one week will have both of their scores count towards a team's total for that week.

When developing your team, keep in mind that these players who play twice in one week are likely to outscore those who do not, so having more players with the double fixture early in your team may give you a leg up to start the season!

When does each team play twice?

• Week four: Collingwood, West Coast, Brisbane, Western Bulldogs
• Week five: Richmond, Port Adelaide, Carlton, North Melbourne
• Week six: Geelong, Fremantle, Hawthorn, Gold Coast, Essendon, Sydney
• Week seven: St Kilda, Greater Western Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne

Captains
Each week, your captain will score double points for your team. Picking the right player as captain can be a huge boost to your overall score, so make sure that you lock in the best player you can. Liam ran through his favourite options on the podcast ahead of week one.

Get expert advice from Free Kick during the pre-season in the Fantasy Hub. Follow AFL Fantasy on Twitter and Instagram and 'like' the Facebook page to join in the conversation.