"O CAPTAIN, my captain!" rang out across the nation on Sunday evening, as Ebony Marinoff put on a performance for the ages with an AFLW Fantasy record high score of 191.

This brilliant performance – punctuated by 26 kicks and an absurd 19 tackles – has pushed Marinoff's price so high that we are now on watch for an incredible first: will Marinoff be the first player priced at $2 million?

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Not ones to be left out of the action, Charlie Rowbottom (163), Ally Anderson (161) and Jas Garner (130) also posted massive Fantasy scores to ensure most coaches could improve on their week one scores. It's becoming harder and harder to justify cheaper options with these types of Fantasy ceilings around, but Brit Bonnici (120) and Tilly Lucas-Rodd (108) stood up for their small number of owners.

The most highly traded in options for the week were a mixed bag – heroes of week one Jess Hosking (36) and Aisling McCarthy (78) were noticeably down, while forward options Zali Friswell (87) and Aine Tighe (68) managed to back up with strong performances. Eilish O'Dowd also backed up a terrific debut with a 76 against the Tigers, encouraging Fantasy coaches to examine the impact of moving her on field.

A number of injuries over the weekend will have huge Fantasy implications, none bigger than Chloe Molloy's ACL heartbreak, while news of Lauren Pearce's six-week absence will cause yet another reshuffle of the Melbourne talls.

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Top five price rises

1. Ally Anderson (MID, $1,520,000): +$194,000
2. Eilish O'Dowd (RUC, $594,000): +$188,000
3. Dayna Finn (DEF, $542,000): +$170,000
4. Ebony Marinoff (MID, $1,812,000): +$167,000
5. Madeleine Guerin (MID, $557,000): +$150,000

Top five price falls

1. Georgie Prespakis (MID, $998,000): -$210,000
2. Jenna Bruton (MID, $1,004,000): -$206,000
3. Gabby Seymour (RUC, $595,000): -$161,000
4. Jess Fitzgerald (MID, $593,000): -$148,000
5. Meghan McDonald (DEF, $336,000): -$146,000

Treat

Daisy D'Arcy (DEF, $881,000)
While she may have fallen millimetres short of saving the day for Gold Coast on Sunday, D'Arcy was a saviour for plenty of Fantasy coaches – her score of 84 was a pillar of strength in our backlines. In tough windy conditions, D'Arcy was a class user of the footy, collecting 25 touches and driving the ball forward often with a career high 546m gained. The Suns love the ball in her hands, and with a promising fixture over the next month, D'Arcy presents as one of our most reliable premium defenders for 2024.

Madeleine Guerin (MID, $557,000)
After a slow start to the season, Guerin showcased her elite potential in the Blues' win over the Suns. In addition to kicking the winning goal, she managed to lay seven tackles and have 12 touches. Guerin is getting regular midfield opportunities, having jumped up the CBA order this season in her ACL return, and is phenomenally underpriced for what she can deliver for Fantasy coaches this season.

Chelsea Randall (FWD, $827,000)
The Crows have given the midfield mix another whirl this off-season, and so far this year it is Randall who has benefitted the most. Randall has featured in nearly 90 per cent of CBAs so far this season, returning to the role she posted a career high average of 78 in season seven. The impending return of Teah Charlton may shake up the mix again, but so far the Crows have had nothing but success out of the middle this season.

Trick

Maddison Gay (DEF, $780,000)
The Bombers were dominant against the Eagles, with consistent territory dominance across the day. Gay was the big beneficiary, racking up seven marks and 15 intercept possessions as part of the Bombers' defensive wall. While she was excellent on the day, this is the type of scoring that will vary greatly between games depending on match-up.

Georgie Prespakis (MID, $998,000)
The prospect of Prespakis costing less than a million dollars would have a lot of Fantasy coaches excited, but something is almost certainly amiss over at the Cats. Prespakis' 39 Fantasy points and 11 disposals on Sunday was her lowest count since her debut season. The quad injury that hampered her in the off-season appears to have some lingering effects, and Fantasy coaches should temper the instinct to jump aboard the superstar at a bargain price for now.

Bridie Hipwell (FWD, $574,000)
The Hawks have had an inspired start to this season, with comprehensive wins over inaugural clubs Carlton and Collingwood. Hipwell has benefitted from an efficient Hawks forward line with great delivery coming from the middle. But the Hawks are in for a top-of-the-table clash with third-placed Adelaide in week three and second-placed St Kilda in week four, and may be without key forward Aine McDonagh to take the best defender. It would take a brave coach to bet on Hipwell these next few weeks.

Sell

Ally Morphett (RUC, $930,000)
It's a tough situation for anyone that started last year's best ruck. Sadly, her time on ground suggests that she is struggling to maintain her AA form while she recovers from an injury in the pre-season. Running Eilish O'Dowd as your ruck and turning Morphett into a premium midfielder should be actively considered.

Darcy Vescio (FWD, $431,000)
Vescio spent a lot more time forward against Gold Coast after Marianna Anthony was recalled into the 21. 'DV' tricked us with some excellent performances in the match simulation and pre-season game, but hasn't gotten close in the home and away season.

Tarni Evans (DEF, $749,000)
Much to our chagrin, Evans' move to the forward line persists and her scoring has struggled to match her top-five form of 2023. Looking to move her to D'Arcy, Lucy McEvoy or Charlie Thomas is advisable.

Kerryn Peterson (MID, $619,000)
Peterson missed the pre-season games and doesn't appear to have been present as a score in weeks one and two. Turning this mid-pricer into an option from the W4 double game teams (such as Jordyn Allen or Elisabeth Georgostathis) is preferable to fielding Peterson's unfortunate scores below 30.

Ellie McKenzie (MID, $773,000)
Topped the coaches' votes for her work against Greater Western Sydney, but couldn't score over 60 – that's a bad sign for anyone running McKenzie at M3/4. With Eilish Sheerin slated for a return in the next fortnight, I'd be very comfortable trading McKenzie out and replacing with one of the midfielders capable of hitting 110+ scores.

Top rookies

Defenders
With lacklustre performances from popular rookies Kate Lutkins and Lulu Beatty, teams will be looking for some defenders who can generate some cash at D5/6. One bargain option is Magpie Muireann Atkinson ($304,000), who missed W2 recovering from a concussion, but looked good in her first game, with her score limited by low time on ground. If you've got more cash, West Coast interceptor Beth Schilling ($429,000) was this week's Telstra AFLW Rising Star nominee, and looks likely to generate money fast after a 68 in W2.

Midfielders
Now that a handful of bench rookies have generated $150k - $200k, downgrading to a cheaper rookie might be the key to unlocking an upgrade elsewhere. The two best options are probably the duo of injury replacement players Carly Remmos (Collingwood, $342,000) and Jayme Harken (West Coast, $300,000), who both tick a lot of boxes – decent W2 scoring, midfield roles, and previous experience in the VFLW/WAFLW.

Rucks
One ruck presented themselves as downgrade options this week, with Brisbane's Eleanor Hartill ($380,000) scoring a 42 against Melbourne, and looking solid in her first game in new colours. Georgie Cleaver ($372,000) is also a possibility, with West Coast sharing the W4 double gameweek with Brisbane.

Forwards
Sadly, the forward rookie pool is very shallow this week (to be fair, it's been shallow for the whole season). For an option below $400,000, I'd be looking at Amy Franklin ($328,000) who has a date against the Bulldogs this week. If you're cashed up, third-year Crow Keeley Kustermann ($431,000) showed a heap of polish off the half-forward line against Fremantle, and has put together two decent games.

Captains

This week is the final week where Marinoff can reliably be included as the top captain option. Rowbottom is rewarded for her 163 with second spot. Make sure you're confident in captaining either of the North premiums, as both Garner and Riddell have struggled to score highly against the Demons in past seasons.

No.1: Ebony Marinoff (v HAW)
No.2: Charlie Rowbottom (v GWS)
No.3: Anne Hatchard (v HAW)
No.4: Ally Anderson (v COLL)*
No.5: Alyce Parker (v GCS)

Other options to consider: Jas Garner (v MELB)*, Amy McDonald (v CARL)*, Ellie Blackburn (v WCE), Ash Riddell (v MEBL), Aisling McCarthy (v PORT)
*Able to be vice-captained

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