EVERY premium, every bargain and more.
The Traders have previewed every club as coaches work on their Fantasy teams ahead of the 2024 season.
Who should you pick, who should you avoid and who should be considered in draft?
Read about every club as previewed by The Traders, or tune into the podcast.
If you started with Rory Laird (MID, $986,000) last season, you paid $1,066,000 for his services. However, after round four, Laird was averaging 92 and the million dollar investment was not paying off. Round five provided a turning point for Laird who went on to average 113 for the remainder of the season. Laird finished with an overall average of 109, well below the 120 he averaged in 2022 and the 112 from 2021. We all know Laird is capable of averaging 115-plus and should be seriously considered as a starting option. Read Calvin's full Crows preview here.
If you checked the Fantasy scores during last year's Grand Final you would've seen Keidean Coleman (DEF, $628,000) at the top. At quarter-time, the half-back had racked up 13 disposals and seven marks to record 63 Fantasy points. By half-time, he reached triple figures and ended up with 127 to top all scorers on that last Saturday in September. It wasn't just the Grand Final where he performed. He had 106 in the preliminary final against the Blues plus averaged 93.5 in the last four home and away games. Read Warnie's full Lions preview here.
Running half-back Zac Williams (DEF, $442,000) has received a huge discount and is one of the genuine bargains of the season following his return from an ACL injury. He is obviously a durability concern given he played no games last year and only nine in 2022, but his upside is undeniable given his ability to find the footy. From those games a couple of years ago, three caught my eye that reassure me of the bargain selection that he presents after scoring 98 from 27 touches, 103 from 27 disposals and 10 marks and a season-high 137 from 36 touches, five marks and five tackles … Not bad for a guy priced at 49. Read Roy's full Blues preview here.
The third-most selected player in AFL Fantasy this year is of course Nick Daicos (DEF, $982,000). He currently sits in 53 per cent of teams, just behind top recruits Harley Reid and Colby McKercher. Daicos averaged 108.8 and started the year on fire, averaging 122 in his first six games. An injury ended his season early in round 21 before he returned in the AFL Finals Series where he scored 100 and 110. We all need Daicos in our team at some point this season and if you’re happy to ignore his early bye, then lock him in from the start! Read Calvin's full Magpies preview here.
Is Zach Merrett (MID, $1,019,000) the most consistent Fantasy player in the game? If we look at his performances since he entered the League, he's been in the mix as one of the top midfielders in every season since 2016 where he averaged 118 in just his third season. Since then his season average hasn't dipped below 100. If you're looking for a captain option and someone who will be on the park each week, Merrett is your man. Read Warnie's full Bombers preview here.
The biggest question is… how do you split Brayshaw and Serong, or do you just pick both? Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $996,000) hasn't missed a game over the last two seasons where he has averaged 112 and 110 respectively. Despite a slow start in 2023 that saw him average 101 across his first six games, he turned it around from that point, averaging 114 for the remainder of the year. Caleb Serong (MID, $976,000) had a breakout season and improved his average by 20 points to 108. He was a picture of consistency, only dropping under 100 on five occasions. Read Calvin's full Dockers preview here.
Tom Stewart (DEF, $869,000) maintained his streak of 90-plus averages, recording his fifth on the trot with an equal career-high 96. He once again showed an elite ceiling for a defender, recording 12 hundreds which included nine scores over 110 and three over 120 with a high of 133 from 30 disposals and 13 marks in round 23. He is an elite marker, recording double figure +3s on seven occasions which often saw him rack up huge points late in quarters which is beautiful to watch as an owner. Read Roy's full Cats preview here.
After two dominant seasons averaging 122 and 110, inspirational midfielder Touk Miller (MID, $868,000) was struck down with injury in round six after averaging 104 across the first five rounds, which included four hundreds, highlighted by 120. He returned in round 17 and averaged a solid 99 for the remainder of the season with an impressive end to the year, notching up back-to-back hundreds, topped by a 29-disposal and eight-tackle performance for 118. Read Roy's full Suns preview here.
The most-selected player from the Giants is currently Tom Green (MID, $998,000). Coming off a career-best season, Green averaged 111 and improved his average by a huge 26 points. Green finished as a top eight midfielder, finishing above some big-name players like Rory Laird and Darcy Parish. Green developed a ceiling and scored a career-high 170 in round eight against the Bulldogs with 38 disposals and three goals. He currently sits in 22 per cent of teams. Read Calvin's full Giants preview here.
Last pre-season all eyes were on Dylan Moore (FWD, $794,000) as a premium Fantasy forward option. He was coming off an average of 93.3 but, most importantly, an average of 101.1 from the last nine game where he was thrust into the midfield. Prior to the bye, he hadn't attended a centre bounce, from round 15, he averaged 42 per cent of Hawthorn's centre bounce attendances. In 2023, Moore had minimal CBAs but his output as a forward was still solid, averaging 88. Read Warnie's full Hawks preview here.
Unless you have been living under a rock, everyone now knows that Brodie Grundy has moved to Sydney, which means Max Gawn (RUC, $831,000) is back and likely to be the Demons' solo ruck. Gawn has dominated this role for many years, averaging 100-plus on six occasions and over 110 three times. Last year, he had the role late in the year for six games and during that period he averaged 113. Expect Gawn to be back to his very best in 2024, with another triple-figure average. Read Calvin's full Demons preview here.
When it comes to Fantasy, we don't want a ruck who is sharing the role with others. This was the case for Tristan Xerri (RUC, $580,000) last season, but with Todd Goldstein moving to Essendon, Xerri finally has his opportunity. In 2022, he started the first six games as the No.1 ruckman and during this time he averaged 74, before North Melbourne handed the reins back to Goldstein. Last season in rounds 17 and 18 with Goldstein on the sidelines, Xerri dominated with a season-high 110 and 74 respectively. Read Calvin's full Kangaroos preview here.
Zak Butters (MID, $898,000) has become a genuine star of the competition and the bonus is, after a slow start to the season playing forward, we can now grab him as an under-priced midfielder. At times, the temptation to select a player that has lost DPP can be tarnished, but the value of the hard-nosed ball-magnet makes it easy to ignore. Read Roy's full Power preview here.
Jacob Hopper (MID, $729,000) has had two seasons where he's averaged 90-plus in his career. While he would've liked to have been on the park more often in his first year as a Tiger, there were some promising signs. Hopper's Fantasy average was brought down by injury affected games. There most certainly is upside from his 80.8 average as many coaches will think the 26-year-old can put a few points on his 2023 return. Read Warnie's full Tigers preview here.
Back in 2021, Jack Steele (MID, $884,000) was awarded joint Dane Swan medallist for the Fantasy MVP (with Touk Miller) for his epic season average of 121.4 from his 22 games. The following season his average dropped to 110.4 and further regression saw Steele finish last year with an average of 97.9, pricing him the lowest he’s been since 2019. He didn’t get going in 2023, hampered by injury and as a result recorded nine scores under 90, the most in a season since 2016. Fantasy coaches like a bargain and if things go his way this pre-season, Steele could be an absolute steal. Read Warnie's full Saints preview here.
If the midfield beckons for Taylor Adams (MID/FWD, $691,000), then he could be one of the value plays of the year. Adams was pushed out of Collingwood's midfield and after missing the Grand Final through injury, he hopes to be part of the Swans' engine room. Read Warnie's full Swans preview here.
It was no surprise to see the Eagles lock in the highly talented Harley Reid (FWD/MID, $300,000) with their No.1 selection and I dare say he will also be the most selected Fantasy player at the start of the season as he ticks all boxes. He is a ready-made strong midfielder who brings plenty of aggression and he is more than capable of accumulating marks to keep the score ticking over. Read Roy's full Eagles preview here.
Jack Macrae (MID/FWD, $829,000) has forward status after being played out of position. After years of being hailed as one of the League's best midfielders, Macrae moved to half-forward and his confidence and impact on games deserted him faster than his CBA count… as did his Fantasy relevance. Caleb Daniel (MID/FWD, $811,000) is another Dog who gets thrown around on the magnet board, eventually landing with forward and midfielder status for the upcoming season, which given the lack of forward options could be very handy, that is if Daniel plays in his more fruitful defensive role. Read Roy's full Bulldogs preview here.