WITH James Sicily out for the next six weeks, in AFL Fantasy terms he is done for the season. Coaches are scrambling to trade him out, with many opting for GWS defender Lachie Whitfield who is coming off a huge 150 last week.
Mason Cox returns for Collingwood and neglected defender Sam Murray returns for his first game since round nine. Prior to being dropped back to the VFL, Murray was on track to be one of our rookies of the year after averaging 78 and rising $325K in value.
For the first time this year, we will see Sydney’s Darcy Cameron (RUC, $170,000) who has been on fire in the NEAFL waiting for his chance in the big league.
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For those playing Draft, Jack Martin and David Swallow will miss this week for the Suns who front Sydney at the SCG.
A small amount of joy came for those who still have Joel Smith in defence as he looks set to return for the Demons after missing one week with a hip injury.
On the flipside, Patrick Ryder will miss the week with a hip, as Justin Westhoff’s scoring might continue to rise with more time up the ground taking over some of the rucking responsibilities.
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Get them in
Colin O’Riordan (DEF, $202,000) has been a NEAFL Pig this year and he took his form to the top level with an impressive 84 on debut. The Irishman gathered 17 possessions and took seven marks, while also laying an impressive five tackles. The job security and cash generation are both there, so don’t hesitate bringing him in. He has a BE of -11.
Patrick Dangerfield (FWD/MID, $660,000) slots straight into the rolling 22 as a forward with an average of 102 for the season. Although he is producing a shadow of what we have seen in the past couple of seasons, the fact he is capable of beast mode 150’s like we saw this week against the Crows make him a must-have forward. He has dropped $189,000 since the start of the season and has a break-even of just 82 leading into this week’s game, which suggests you won’t get him this cheap again this season.
Rory Sloane (MID, $595,000) looks great value for a player we all know has the potential to be a genuine premium. He has returned from injury in impressive form with back-to-back scores of 111 which gives him a break-even of just 82. I like the fact he is unique with an ownership of just 3% and has dropped $159,000 from his original asking price, so the value is there. My only concern he is that Berry has been tagging very well for the Lions and he would have Sloane locked in as his target at the Gabba this week.
Move them on
James Sicily (FWD/DEF, $645,000,) is a frustrating forced trade given his great form with a five-round average of 102. Unfortunately, his broken wrist will rule him out for the remainder of the Fantasy season, so he has to go this week. After an indifferent start to the season, he has certainly been a success story, increasing by $122,000.
Nic Naitanui (RUC, $546,000) is the second most traded-out player on the back of his devastating knee injury on the weekend, ending his season. He has been a real success story this year, averaging 80 points and increasing $129,000.
Robbie Gray (FWD/MID, $492,000) has been on the trading block for a few weeks now and being knocked out on 25 certainly didn’t help his plummeting price. He has now dropped $80,000 and coaches have no choice but to move him on.
WATCH Roy’s Fantasy trades: round 18
Calvin’s Captains
1. Tom Mitchell - The pig himself is up against the easiest team over the last three weeks in Carlton and should give them a lesson at Etihad Stadium. Mitchell scored 157 last week with only a 40 point second half, so maybe this is the game he is eyeing to crack the big 200. He scored 143 against them last year and after Steven (136), Steele (126), Beams (133) and Zorko (113) scored with ease against the Blues over the last two weeks, the pig should have this one covered.
2. Andrew Gaff - At home this year Gaff has been unreal, averaging 115. With the Bulldogs giving up 19 x 100+ scores in the last three weeks, you’d think Gaff is set for a big day. He is averaging 134 in his last three games and scored 92, 130 and 146 against the Dogs in his last three games.
3. Max Gawn - Gawn scored 138 against Geelong earlier this year and has cracked the 110+ mark an impressive 11 times. Geelong is the fourth easiest team for rucks to score against, conceding 91 points per game this year.
4. Brodie Grundy - We will overlook his 68 last week and focus on the fact that it’s the second time this year he has slipped under 100 points. Head to head with Goldstein on Saturday, a ruckman that Sinclair (104) and Witts (124) have scored well against in the last two rounds.
5. Rory Laird - Laird plays his favourite team to score Fantasy points against in the Brisbane Lions after previous scores of 114 and 110. This one is at the Gabba, which shouldn’t bother the defender who has scored 4 x 110+ scores from his five games on the road this year.
WATCH Calvin’s Fantasy captains: round 18
