ALTHOUGH teams will drop on Thursday night, this week has already delivered some surprising and fantastic news for Fantasy coaches.
Firstly, after being benched with a hamstring injury last week, Connor Rozee (MID, $911,000) has been declared fit and right to play tonight in the Showdown against Adelaide. It was only six days ago when the Power captain sat out the last quarter … which has his coaches questioning, could he be a late out?
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With Tom Mitchell (MID, $749,000) and Jordan De Goey (MID, $730,000) on the sidelines for round eight, Collingwood has announced it will debut Lachlan Sullivan (MID, $200,000) who has averaged 87 in the VFL this year.
Collingwood plays on Friday night and if he can avoid starting as the substitute, then he will be a very popular trade target. Substitutes are named one hour before the opening bounce, so make sure you are ready to pounce.
Trap or treat?
How will you use your two trades this week? Here are some traps to avoid and some treats worth considering.
Bailey Dale (DEF, $759,000) – TREAT
Last week's "trap" is week's "treat" … I've been converted. Dale backed up his 160 with a very nice 134 and will be ready to take more marks again against the Hawks, just like the Swans did last week.
Dylan Moore (FWD, $707,000) – TREAT
Moore is the type of player that doesn't need to be off half-back or through the middle to score. With previous season averages of 88 and 93, he's a solid option in a position of uncertainty.
Zac Fisher (DEF/FWD, $627,000) – TRAP
If you didn't trade when Fisher was named as the substitute last week, you need to right now. He has a breakeven of 106 and who knows … he could even be the substitute again. Make that trade!
Ollie Dempsey (MID/FWD, $547,000) – TRAP
Even though Dempsey has made $295k this year, the second-most out of all players, it's time to trade. He has averaged 58 in his last three games and has some tough match-ups on the horizon.
Colby McKercher (DEF/MID, $488,000) – TREAT
Just like Michael Jordan in 1995 … Colby is back! After being injured on a score of two, many coaches traded the young gun. However, after his 106 last weekend he has kickstarted his cash generation and scoring like a premium.
Live Teams Show
The Traders will be live tonight to cover all the important ins and outs as teams are announced. They break down the popular trades, discuss captains and answer all your burning questions. Watch the Live Teams Show every Thursday night via AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App and ask your questions in the comments.
Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
Most traded in
- Darcy Jones (FWD, $234,000)
- Jack Macrae (MID/FWD, $730,000)
- Jordon Sweet (RUC, $443,000)
- Daniel Curtin (DEF/MID, $279,000)
- Taj Woewodin (DEF/FWD, $250,000)
Adelaide has announced the long-awaited debut of prized recruit Daniel Curtin (DEF/MID, $279,000). Curtin has played four games and averaged 78 in the SANFL this season but has forced his way into the side after 31 possessions and seven marks last week for a score of 113.
It has been one of the biggest questions of the week … Can we trade one of our ruckmen to Jordon Sweet (RUC, $443,000) who is rucking solo in the absence of Ivan Soldo and is coming off a score of 96?
The answer is … "yes". It appears that 2.5k coaches have made this move with Brodie Grundy (RUC, $823,000) and 1.2k of coaches have traded Rowan Marshall (RUC, $960,000) chasing the same play. Marshall is coming off scores of 62 and 73 after being injured last week. If he is rested, or there are players named to support him when teams drop tonight, this is certainly a move worth considering.
Most traded out
- Jeremy Sharp (MID, $570,000)
- Ollie Dempsey (FWD, $547,000)
- Ryley Sanders (MID/FWD, $501,000)
- Zac Fisher (DEF/FWD, $627,000)
- Zac Williams (DEF, $543,000)
One up and one down are the traditional trades when it comes to AFL Fantasy and getting rookies off your field is one of the main priorities.
Jeremy Sharp (MID, $570,000) has been on field for many coaches this season but after scoring 39 last week, 8.3k of coaches are parting ways. Sharp has gone up $286k from his starting price and has been one of the best picks of the season so far.
We were hoping for more but after averaging just 64 this season, it's time for Zac Williams (DEF, $543,000) to go. Williams has served as a nice ‘place holder' back there while we waited for the dual-position players who were announce recently but after his 60 last week, now is the time to part ways.
Calvin's best captains
Your captain scores you double points and here are my best captain options for you to consider.
Tonight
Jordan Dawson v Port Adelaide
Dawson is coming off scores of 122 and 155 but meets a team that has conceded the least amount of Fantasy points and the least number of 100+ scores. He had 134 and 81 against them last year, but Port can be very tough.
Friday night
Sam Walsh v Collingwood
Last week, Essendon's best players found plenty of ball against Collingwood with Merrett (123), McGrath (123), Martin (113) and Parish (109) all leading the way. Walsh has averaged 116 since returning and will be great again.
Saturday
Harry Sheezel v St Kilda
Warning: The highest averaging player meets the easiest team to score against on Saturday afternoon. St Kilda give up plenty so if you are a non-owner (like Calvin), you better not watch this and mow the lawns instead.
Saturday night
Zach Merrett v West Coast
Coming off an Anzac Day Medal and a score of 123, Merrett will now look to target the Eagles who have traditionally been an easy team to score against. A team he had 128 and 111 against last year.
Tune in tonight when the Traders go live at 6:15pm on AFL.com.au or via the AFL Live Official App to see who Calvin has in his top-five and who the Traders are locking in as their captain options for the round ahead.
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