AHOY there, me hearties. It’s time for another edition of the world famous Calvin’s Captains. Join me as we take a look at the best captaincy options that will score you double points, heading into round five.
MCGenius
Gary Ablett [MID, $620,518 plays Melbourne this week. Usually this statement alone would be enough to convince anyone to lock Ablett in as their Fantasy captain, but if you need more persuasion, read on.
Firstly, Ablett has been in awesome form scoring 132 and 146 points over the last two weeks.
He's likely be tagged by Jordie McKenzie though, who held him to just 19 disposals (64 points) last time the Suns and Demons met in 2013.
However, this doesn’t concern me in the slightest. Ablett had scores of 134 and 130 prior to that, and was rumoured to be injured on the day he struggled. Although he’ll be tagged, he’ll brush it off without concern.
So far this year, Melbourne have allowed 17 opposition players to score more than 100 points against them, indicating that Ablett is set to have a field day on Sunday afternoon.
Oh it’s at the MCG, is it?
Last year when Ablett played at the MCG he scored 139 and 134 points. In 2012, he blessed the Melbourne turf on three occasions with scores of 175, 130 and 190 points.
Ablett very rarely gets to play at the colosseum of Australian Football these days, and when he does, he puts on a show that's bigger and better than Russell Crowe in Gladiator.
Monday madness
On Easter Monday at the MCG, Geelong will battle Hawthorn in what will be an epic encounter between the only two undefeated teams in the competition. More importantly, Steve Johnson [MID, $634,804] should continue his amazing form and should be considered as your Fantasy captain this week.
He bounced back from 69 points against the Magpies due to a tag from Brent Macaffer to score 168 points against the Eagles - the highest Fantasy score for the year.
Johnson scored 150 points against Hawthorn last year in the preliminary final and carries a lowest score of only 101 points in his last five games against the Hawks.
My concerns for Johnson in this game though lie deeper than the numbers.
He will be tagged by Liam Shiels, Will Langford or Jordan Lewis and plays a quality team who have only allowed seven players to score over 100 points against them so far this season.
For this reason alone, Ablett will be my number selection this week. There is a huge difference between Hawthorn and Melbourne and the Fantasy scores they concede, making Ablett a much safer captaincy option in round five.
For a safer Geelong bet, look to Joel Selwood [MID, $588,296] who averages 113 against Hawthorn over his last eight games. He scored 90, 128 and 122 when they clashed last year and should be scoring well again this week.
Sam Mitchell [MID, $504,298] posted 119, 127 and 128 points when these teams met last year and has scored 122 and 121 points over the last two weeks. He's also a worthy captaincy contender.
How brave are you?
Most Fantasy coaches will be selecting Ablett or Johnson this week, and with good reason. But if you are looking to be different and brave, then why not roll the dice with of one of these stars?
Western Bulldogs young gun, Jack Macrae [MID, $470,042] has scored 122, 82, 131 and 134 in his opening games this year. He is one of the most in-form midfielders in the competition along with Dyson Heppell [MID, $572,810] who is the fourth highest averaging player this year with 126 points a game. Heppell scored 144 points last week against Fremantle and had more than 100 points against St Kilda last year.
We all know that Dane Swan [MID, $532,401] will deliver a massive score soon, and this week he might just do it against North Melbourne, a team he averages 131 against in his last five games. He had 105 points last week and is starting to warm up nicely.
AFL veteran and future Fantasy hall of famer Kane Cornes [MID, $590,538], has started the year on fire. He had 145 points last week and meets West Coast on Saturday night, a team that allowed seven Geelong players to score 110-plus points in round four, with Johnson (168 points), Matthew Stokes (125 points) and Selwood (125 points) all being the major beneficiaries.
Cornes scored 100 and 135 against West Coast last year and will dominate again at Patersons Stadium.
But if you can’t wait to see your Fantasy captain play on Sunday or Monday, then how about Tom Rockliff [MID, $582,143] who takes on Richmond on Thursday night when partial lock-out on this game takes effect.
He has scored 157 and 133 points in his last two games this year and scored 115 points against Richmond last year.
He has averaged 128 in his last four games at the Gabba and is shaping up as one of the best options in round five.
Just quickly…
Here are few more of the popular players that have been carefully studied. If I have missed your favourite, let me know on Twitter (@CalvinDT) and I’ll do my best to cover them next week.
Trent Cotchin [MID, $511,076] v Brisbane Lions at the Gabba: last week, 10 players from Port Adelaide scored over 100 points against the Brisbane Lions. Yes, 10! Ebert (152), Cornes (145), White (144) and Boak (136) all found scoring easy and Cotchin should as well.
Dayne Beams [MID, $538,383] v North Melbourne at the MCG: Beams scored an impressive 131 points last week and knocked up scores of 129 and 116 points against North Melbourne in his last two games against them. Beams will be good again this week but not quite good enough to make my top five.
Adam Treloar [MID, $528,074] v Adelaide at Adelaide Oval: When Treloar met Adelaide last year he scored 94 points and will improve on that this week. He’s been in great form after having scores of 98 and 159 points over the last fortnight.
Brent Stanton [MID, $544,759] v St Kilda at Etihad Stadium: Stanton is always capable of huge scores and proved that with 130 points last week against Fremantle. Although he can be a little ‘hit and miss’ at times, he’s a great option if you can nail him on a good week.
Patrick Dangerfield [MID, $461,074] v GWS at Adelaide Oval: Last year when Dangerfield met Greater Western Sydney he scored his second highest Fantasy score of all time. He kicked four goals in his 141 points but we have better options than him this week.
Nick Riewoldt [FWD, $581,101] v Essendon at Etihad Stadium: Over the last eight games against Essendon, Riewoldt’s lowest score is only 91 points. He dominates the Bombers and should do so again this week.
Scott Pendlebury [MID, $612,176] v North Melbourne at the MCG: After having a sore ankle for the last two weeks, the focus has certainly drifted off Pendlebury as a Fantasy captain. This will change when he meets North Melbourne on Saturday afternoon. He scored 126 and 124 points on the Roos in his last two games against them and is set for another day out.
Leigh Montagna [MID, $555,708] v Essendon at Etihad Stadium: Montagna only scored 65 points last week and hasn’t scored over 100 against Essendon in his last three encounters. Based on these stats, we have to pass on him this week.
Jobe Watson [MID, $564,468] v St Kilda at Etihad Stadium: Compared to other premium Fantasy players, Jobe Watson is performing below par with scores of 78 and 96 points over the last two weeks. He had 107 against St Kilda last year though and it’s hard to keep a superstar like him down for too long.
