THE AFL may have held out on its final-round fixture until yesterday, but for most NAB AFL Fantasy classic coaches, this week is 'round 23'.
While ladder positions (and second chances) do count in Fantasy finals, obviously 'home ground advantage' isn't much of a factor. It's far from unheard of for a Fantasy premiership to be won from eighth spot.
With this in mind, many coaches are on a knife's edge - two trades away from glory or disaster this week. You need to trade in premiums, ideally two of them, and you can leave no Adam Oxley-sized holes on the ground. Your team must be all killer, and no filler.
So let's look at the cream of the crop in each position and see which guns are best placed in round 19 to get you over the line.
It looks a wise week to cash in on the Magpies. After six straight losses, Nathan Buckley's men have been in the cross-hairs of their fans this week and their finals hopes are shot if they don't beat arch-rivals Carlton comfortably on Saturday afternoon.
Even though they're a forward or five short, expect Collingwood to get the job done and for Fantasy legends Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan to post massive numbers. Pendlebury has Fantasy's top projected score this round (114) and is the safest choice you can make for captaincy.
Don't neglect Taylor Adams, who is ranked third among forwards. If there's a Buddy-shaped gap in your forward line come Friday and you've got the cash, bring the former Giant straight in.
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The Hawks have been Fantasy beasts for most of the year, and still put in a solid showing against the Tigers last Friday night, despite the way Damien Hardwick's men played keepings-off for large portions of the game to net an impressive win.
Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis and Isaac Smith all broke the ton and should be in your thinking for round 19 – in fact, Hodge and Lewis are mandatory.
Like his fellow Bulldogs, Liam Picken has defied the doubters all year and is the AFL's second-ranked defender for Fantasy points (105.6). He's owned by just over 7 per cent of teams, so he shapes as a useful point of difference for your backline.
Your ruck duo must include at least one of Todd Goldstein or Stefan Martin. Outside of that pair, you're banking on your second ruck to pull one out of the bag.
Keep an eye on which clubs take just one ruckman into a particular game - there might be some free Fantasy points to result from it.
From there, it comes down to a fit list and a fair slice of luck. Will Nat Fyfe be back? Will the Swans give an ailing Buddy his first game at Geelong? Could Marc Murphy or Michael Rischitelli be wildcard options for the midfield?
It's a make or break weekend – and if you're thinking too far ahead about players you might bring in down the track, remember that track could already be gone by 7.30pm this Sunday night.
The top Fantasy players - position by position - and their projected round 19 scores
| PLAYER | POSITION | AVERAGE | PRICE | ROUND 19 OPPONENT | PROJECTED SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEFENDERS | |||||
| Luke Hodge (Haw) | DEF/MID | 115.0 | $623,000 | West Coast | 113 |
| Liam Picken (WB) | DEF/MID | 105.6 | $611,000 | Port Adelaide | 85 |
| David Mundy (Fre) | DEF/MID | 105.0 | $542,000 | St Kilda | 93 |
| MIDFIELDERS | |||||
| Jack Steven (StK) | MID | 115.7 | $605,000 | Fremantle | 111 |
| Luke Hodge (Haw) | MID/DEF | 115.0 | $623,000 | West Coast | 113 |
| Jordan Lewis (Haw) | MID | 112.7 | $557,000 | West Coast | 105 |
| Dan Hannebery (Syd) | MID | 111.0 | $599,000 | Geelong | 105 |
| Scott Pendlebury (Coll) | MID | 110.9 | $593,000 | Carlton | 114 |
| RUCKMEN | |||||
| Todd Goldstein (NMFC) | RUC | 113.2 | $666,000 | Melbourne | 112 |
| Stefan Martin (BL) | RUC | 107.3 | $575,000 | Gold Coast | 104 |
| FORWARDS | |||||
| Dane Swan (Coll) | FWD/MID | 108.1 | $572,000 | Carlton | 109 |
| Dustin Martin (Rich) | FWD/MID | 101.1 | $532,000 | Adelaide | 95 |
| Taylor Adams (Coll) | FWD/MID | 100.4 | $575,000 | Carlton | 92 |
Get 'em in
Lachie Hunter (FWD, $356,000)
Jesse Longergan (MID/DEF, $307,000)
Robbie Gray (FWD/MID, $494,000)
Tom Mitchell (FWD/MID, $473,000)
Luke Shuey (MID, $457,000)
Farewell for now
Ollie Wines (MID, $473,000)
Dayne Beams (MID, $571,000)
Matthew Leuenberger (RUC/FWD, $348,000)
Jack Steele (FWD/MID, $334,000)
Taylor Walker (FWD, $373,000)
