AFTER the relative chaos of week four's double games, week five delivered Fantasy points in spades.

Ash Riddell has set a new benchmark for Fantasy captains, posting a massive 233 points across the week (138 v CAR, 95 v RIC)!! Keeley Sherar (231), Mon Conti (222) and Jas Garner (212) were not far behind, with the impressive captaincy scores resulting in most teams putting up their best score of the season.

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With many common defender and forward options also posting impressive scores, you might think this was a casualty free weekend. But this is, of course, ignoring the notable exception of Emma Kearney (DEF, $697k). With the eight-time All-Australian now out of action for the remainder of the home and away season, more than 20 per cent of Fantasy coaches will be searching for a defensive replacement.

As we pass the halfway mark of the season, now is a wonderful time to take stock of how your team is shaping up and who you might be fielding once these double week games are beyond us. Aggressive sideways trading has been a popular strategy for those in the high ranks so far, but how to improve the overall squad at the same time will be crucial in taking home the ultimate prize this season.

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Here is a breakdown of the teams yet to have their double game weeks, and when they are.

W6: Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, Gold Coast, Hawthorn Sydney
W7: Adelaide, Greater Western Sydney, Melbourne, St Kilda

Top five price rises

Gab Pound (DEF, $798,000): +$185,000
Bella Eddey (FWD, $706,000): +$168,000
Lucy Wales (RUC, $1,062,000): +$154,000
Lisa Steane (DEF, $753,000): +$152,000
Tarni White (MID, $857,000): +$152,000

Top five price falls

Emma Kearney (DEF, $697,000): -$273,000
Charlie Rowbottom (MID, $1,432,000): -$178,000
Grace Campbell (FWD, $674,000): -$171,000
Orla O'Dwyer (MID, 565,000): -$160,000
Claudia Whitfort (MID, $1,041,000): -$158,000

Week six 'double game' targets

Emma O'Driscoll (DEF, $880,000)
This star defender has been in ripping form the past few weeks, averaging 76 in her past three games. Her intercept marking and kicking is a terrific formula to score well against the best teams in the competition. So, with tough games to come against Geelong (2023 preliminary finalists) and Hawthorn (current top four), O'Driscoll is exactly the game changer they will need to have a big week in defence for them to jump into the top four themselves.

Georgie Prespakis (MID, $936,000)
Prespakis is the easy value pick of the round. Capable of matching it with the best Fantasy midfielders in the game, this Cat has been hobbled with a quad injury through the first half of the season. But against the Hawks in week five, Prespakis looked to be moving well and back to her best with a 96. With Geelong needing to bounce back after a poor stretch and no fellow mid in Amy McDonald to rely on, Prespakis could display her massive Fantasy ceiling any game now.

Lucy Wales (RUC, $1,062,000)
We knew Wales would improve after the difficult ruck fixture early, but she has taken her game well beyond all expectations. We have seen ceiling scores with 121 and 107 in her last two games, and arguably there is still room to improve - her scoring has mostly come from her work around the ground, but both her opponents this week have high stoppage game styles. If you are looking to swing back around to a premium ruck coming out of the double weeks, Wales is a great option to jump on.

Aine McDonagh (FWD, $771,000)
The Irish forward is having a grand season, reaping the rewards of the Hawks fast ball movement to get plenty of ball in transition forward (averaging 6.2 score involvements per game) plus get on the end of a couple goals each week. Whilst her consistency is certainly appreciated, the opportunity to play the 18th-placed Gold Coast first up suggests she may even have a little score boost to make the decision to trade her in that much easier.

Other targets

Chelsea Randall (FWD, $966,000)
The return of Chelsea Randall to the Adelaide midfield has been a welcome sight, with consistent high scores rewarding Fantasy coaches that jumped on early. Despite a tough game against the in-form Lions, Randall posted her best score (93) for the season on Sunday from stats across all lines. Trading in Randall now is not only a safe improvement for your team long term but should also give a unique & handy boost in the final double week in Week Seven.

Isabel Huntington (FWD, $669,000)
The intercepting prowess of Huntington was on full display against the Eagles, with eight of her 10 marks coming from opposition kicks. She has now firmly cemented herself in that role, and shown she has the skills to jump massively in price over the coming weeks. The Giants have a tough fixture coming up that should result in plenty of opportunities for Huntington in defence, and by the end of her double week, she could easily rise another $150k.

Sinead Goldrick (DEF, $935,000)
The Demons' season may have sunk to a new low over the weekend at the hands of the Bombers, but one bright spot they can look at is the efforts of Goldrick. Her move to the midfield has been terrific, providing plenty of run and tackling pressure. While the Demons may need to tinker with their set up to arrest their downward trajectory, I think Goldrick is likely to stay in her Fantasy-friendly midfield role.

Sell

Emma Kearney (DEF, $697,000)
The ever-reliable Kearney has sadly succumbed to a hamstring injury that will sideline her for six weeks, and she needs to be moved on. The massive drop in cash will have Fantasy coaches tearing their hair out but there is no choice but to trade here.

Shineah Goody (MID, $673,000)
The youngster has done enough cash raising and is now priced close enough to be a handy stepping stone to many of the options above. Fresh off the double week and returning to normal scoring again, these younger rookies will not be scoring enough to field again reliably. Finding a way to take rookie scores off the field now will leave coaches with a leg up in the later weeks of the season. The same logic applies to other highly owned rookies like Piper Window, Sachi Syme, Caitlin Wendland, Dayna Finn and Lulu Beatty.

Sabrina Frederick (RUC, $804,000)
Frederick started the season on fire but has started to haemorrhage cash of late. Three scores under fifty in her last four is not particularly inspiring, particularly with difficult ruck match-ups against Adelaide and Carlton to come this season. Jump off to preserve what value you can!

Top rookies

Double game rookies:

Laura Stone (MID, $363,000)
Sarah Verrier (DEF, $384,000)
Ebony Antonio (FWD $393,000)
Paige Scott (FWD, $483,000)
Charlotte Wilson (DEF, $394,000)

Best of the rest:

Alyssia Pisano (FWD, $319,000)
Lily Johnson (DEF, $405,000)
Annise Bradfield (MID, $389,000)
Erika O'Shea (DEF, $455,000)
Tess Lyons (RUC, $329,000)

Captains

With six teams on the double week, there are more options to choose between than any time in the last fortnight. Charlie Rowbottom’s form may have slipped a little lately, but she is still the best option available given her incredible ceiling. Laura Gardiner has slowly been ramping up her scoring as the season progresses and would make a great alternative for the 45% of the competition with Rowbottom.

No.1: Charlie Rowbottom (v HAW and ESS)
No.2: Laura Gardiner (v ESS and GEE)
No.3: Eliza West (v GC and FRE)
No.4: Maddy Prespakis (v SYD and GC)
No.5: Mim Strom (v GEE and HAW)

Other options to consider: Nina Morrison (v FRE and SYD), Georgie Prespakis (v FRE and SYD), Lucy Single (v HAW and ESS), Lucy Wales (v GC and FRE), Emily Bates (v GC and FRE)

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