IT FEELS like yesterday when we were dealing with the bye rounds but surprise, surprise… they are here again.

Unlike the early bye rounds, this time we are back to the normal bye rules from previous years where you have three trades to use each week over the next four weeks.

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During this time, only your best 18 on-field scores will count towards your overall total. Throughout the bye, players on their bye can be traded and shuffled within your team, however, at the start of the final game between Gold Coast and Essendon, they will all be locked in.

It's important to look ahead to make sure you have a balance of players across the next four weeks to ensure you have 18 or more playing each and every week.

Who's on the bye?
Round 12 – Brisbane, Greater Western Sydney, North Melbourne, Sydney.
Round 13 – Fremantle, Port Adelaide. 
Round 14 – Carlton, Essendon, Geelong, Gold Coast, Melbourne, West Coast.
Round 15 – Adelaide, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Richmond, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs.

Trap or treat?

How will you use your three trades this week? Here are some traps to avoid and some treats worth considering.

Max Holmes (DEF/MID, $877,000) – TREAT
We all love trading in a player for an instant reward and that's what Holmes should offer this week against the Tigers. He has now averaged 108 in his last five games and has taken his game to a whole new level.

Jordan Ridley (DEF, $760,000) – TRAP
Chasing the score from last week never seems to work in this game. Ridley played his first game for the year last week for 132 and has been a popular target this week. I want to see one more before buying in.

Zac Fisher (DEF/FWD, $751,000) – TRAP
Can you trade in Fisher this week, even if he has his bye? You could… but you probably shouldn't. Anything can happen in this game and although we have three trades, our advice is to wait until next week.

Will Day (MID, $738,000) – TREAT
After missing the first five rounds, Day has now hit the form we saw in 2023. With previous scores of 102 and 109 under his belt, he is now $122k under his starting price.

Travis Boak (MID/FWD, $678,000) – TREAT
New dual-position players were released last week and from the eight, Boak was clearly the pick of the bunch. He has now averaged 104 in his last three games, however, they were easy match-ups.

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.

Also in the podcast feed below, the round nine AFL Rising Star nominee Colby McKercher sat down with The Traders this week to discuss his AFL journey so far. The down to earth future star had a laugh about his high school years with Calvin, his move away from home, his first nine games and his most recent injury.

Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

Most traded in

• Kane McAuliffe (MID, $292,000)
• Joel Freijah (MID/FWD, $315,000)
• Harvey Harrison (FWD, $289,000)
• Will Day (MID, $738,000)
• Travis Boak (MID/FWD, $678,000)

Any player you trade in this week has a bye coming up. Therefore, most coaches are cashing up ready to bring in players next week who are coming off their bye.

Finding rookies who are going to play and might count towards your best 18 players this week is a challenge, however, we believe the order above is the way to go.

Kane McAuliffe (MID, $292,000) is coming off scores of 65 and 61 and has been involved in half of Richmond's centre bounces during that time. The Bulldogs' Joel Freijah (MID/FWD, $315,000) hasn’' put a foot wrong in his first three games, averaging 59, and Collingwood's injuries could mean that Harvey Harrison (FWD, $289,000) becomes a permanent member in the Magpies' forward line over the coming weeks.

Most traded out

• Tom Powell (MID/FWD, $661,000)
• Joe Richards (FWD, $376,000)
• Hugo Garcia (MID/FWD, $374,000)
• Will Graham (DEF/MID, $490,000)
• Blake Howes (DEF, $464,000)

Fantasy is cruel game and after scoring a huge 94 last week, Joe Richards (FWD, $376,000) has been ruled out for the next five to six weeks with a foot injury and must be traded.

Unless they get named tonight, Hugo Garcia (MID/FWD, $374,000) and Will Graham (DEF/MID, $490,000) can also be traded. Both haven't featured recently and shouldn't be carried through the bye rounds as red dots.

Calvin's best captains

Your captain scores you double points and here are my best captain options for you to consider.

Thursday night

Sam Walsh v Port Adelaide
In what should be a low-scoring affair in Fantasy terms, it's probably best to be looking elsewhere for a captain. But if you wanted to pull the trigger… Walsh is coming off 114 and is the best option.

Friday night

Nick Daicos v Western Bulldogs
The Collingwood gun has hit top gear and has now averaged 125 in his last four games. He scored 112 going head-to-head with Marcus Bontempelli last year and has a great record under the roof.

Saturday

Rowan Marshall v West Coast
If you can forgive the big man after his 63 last week, then consider him for the big captaincy job on Saturday. He returns to Optus Stadium where he scored 130 against Bailey Williams last year.

Sunday

Max Gawn v Fremantle
With only two games on Sunday, Gawn is the one you want. He has now scored 130-plus in five of his 11 games this year and this week battles the Sean Darcy/Luke Jackson combination.

Tune in tonight when The Traders go live at 6.15pm AEST 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.

Get expert advice from The Traders 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.