AFTER slipping from fourth on the ladder in 2023 to 14th last season, there was some regression across the board for the Dees.

Total Fantasy points were down with a drop from 10th to 13th in the League, but it was the key stats that Fantasy coaches love that told the story. Melbourne ranked sixth in 2023 for disposals but dropped to 14th, while tackles were also down, sliding from ninth to 15th.

Once a stable onball make-up with Clayton Oliver (MID, $797,000) and Jack Viney (MID, $897,000) having bulk time in the engine room with Christian Petracca (MID, $923,000) as the third banana, there were several players running through the middle in 2024.

Some of this was through necessity. Petracca was injured in the back half of the year and Simon Goodwin was happy to spin the magnets to find the spark that was missing. It wasn't unusual to see five midfielders getting 40 per cent or more centre bounce attendance in the rotation – often different from week-to-week – rather than the core group of four we saw the previous season.

Will the Demons settle heading into the New Year? This may help with consistent Fantasy numbers.

The beauty of the underperforming 2024 season is that there are a couple of players who could be great Fantasy options if things go their way.

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Lock them in

Did you know that Max Gawn (RUC, $1,147,000) had his personal best Fantasy season in 2024? He was almost a must-have last season as it was his first without Luke Jackson and Brodie Grundy playing alongside him for some time. Things haven't changed much for this year, outside the addition of Tom Campbell for some ruck depth, and he may match 111.8. While this might be a difficult task at 33 years of age, Gawn showed his ceiling last year with eight matches with scores of 120-plus and a season-high of 152 following a pre-game fitness test that caused some panic in the Fantasy community. He may not necessarily be a starter in Classic, he is a good shout to be a top three ruck and drafting Campbell for your bench late in the draft would be some excellent insurance. Just check the Dees skipper is back and healthy after fracturing his voice box at training before Christmas.

Track their pre-season

Returning to the track early is on the pre-season training bingo card and Clayton Oliver (MID, $797,000) has ticked that off. His well-documented battles over the last 18 months are hopefully in the rearview mirror and things will be looking up. In Fantasy, if he can get halfway back to his best, then he's a bargain. Oliver averaged 77.7 last year from his 21 games. A far cry from what made him a Fantasy stud from just his second season. From 2017, Oliver has posted a 100-plus average including his last four at 114.3 (adjusted for shortened quarters), 108.7, 112.3 and 113.8. There's genuinely 30-plus points upside for the 27-year-old who will be a highly selected player if everything goes to plan in the lead up to round one.

Dual-position tempter

There are only four DPPs on Melbourne's list and Trent Rivers (DEF/MID, $841,000) appears to be the most relevant of them. He had some great games last season playing as a midfielder. In the eight matches he had more than 50 per cent of his team's centre-bounce attendances, he averaged 92.3. This was 10 points up on his season average. When the Dees have Petracca, Oliver and Viney fit and firing, Rivers is unlikely to be getting the boost he needs to be a worthwhile selection considering Kysaiah Pickett and Tom Sparrow were among the next group of players in the CBA mix.

Bargain basement

Harvey Langford (MID, $325,000) was selected at pick No.6 in November's national draft and will be in the mix for round one. The powerful inside midfielder posted outstanding Fantasy numbers as a junior. Last season with the Stingrays, he averaged 107.3 thanks to high marks and tackle numbers. In the Marsh Under-18 Championships, he averaged 99.2.

Draft sleeper

Christian Petracca (MID, $913,000) is a jet. Last season was one to forget for the Melbourne Football Club, but equally, Trac will be happy to have 2024 behind him. He was severely injured in the King's Birthday clash against Collingwood and finished the season with an average of 90. Playing a MID/FWD role (but not quite enough to gain DPP), it was his lowest return since 2019. In each year since then he's posted a triple-figure average with his best coming in the Dees' 2021 premiership season where he went at 110.9 points per game. Petracca has hit the ground running this pre-season and if he can return a 100-plus average in 2025, he can take his current ranking of the 35th best midfielder inside the top 20.

Custom stat star

An interesting player to consider if you're using one of the presets or building your own Fantasy Draft scoring system is Kysaiah Pickett (FWD, $677,000). He ranked inside the top 25 in the League for goals and shots on goal while he was top 100 for goal assists. The key part of Pickett's game will be to see if there is continued improvement and a breakout as a Fantasy player. His centre-bounce attendances increased from 11 per cent to 33 per cent year-on-year and his clearance numbers are on the way up. It might be a speculative pick, but as a FWD, you can take a late round punt on Kozzy … but remember, he will be missing the first three matches of the season through suspension.

Buyer beware

We can sometimes get stuck seeing a player we know at a cheaper price, especially if they've pumped out good Fantasy scores in the past. Jack Billings (MID/FWD, $652,000) holds fond memories for some coaches. In his second season he averaged 84.1 and went 80-plus in five out of the next six seasons. A career-best average of 98.5 in 2019 from 22 games was a highlight ranking him as a top five forward for the year. Last season, his first as a Dee, saw him used as a substitute in six of his 16 games. While this brought his non-sub average of 77.5 down to 63.6, he scored over 81 just twice which included a 140 (the week after starting as substitute for just 10). Billings may look tempting – especially in Draft – know what he can do, but unless we get a guarantee that he’s locked and loaded in the best 22, then it’s a hard pass.

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