AHOY there, welcome back to the greatest AFL Fantasy article in the land, Calvin’s Captains.
Join me as I put on my pirate hat and help you select a Fantasy captain that will score you double points in round seven.
I have some absolute rippers for you this week so let’s get started, shall we? All the best for the round ahead.
OLD RIVALS
Kicking off the round are traditional rivals, Collingwood and Carlton on Friday night.
Dane Swan [MID, $550,134] is once again shaping as one of the best captaincy options for this week, now that he has returned to form over the last two rounds scoring 122 and 145 Fantasy points.
He loves playing against Carlton in this epic game and will go for his tenth straight 100+ score against them this week. He had 163 and 117 points when he played them in 2013 and has averaged 124 points at the MCG in his last three games there this year.
Swan is well and truly back to his best and must be on your radar this week, along with Dayne Beams [MID, $571,421]. Last week Beams scored his third straight score over 130 points.
He didn’t play Carlton last year and although he only scored 78 and 93 points against them in 2012, his form is just too hot to ignore at the moment.
Collingwood’s captain Scott Pendlebury [MID, $599,017] has averaged 114 points over the last three weeks and should also score well on Friday night. He was impressive when these teams met last year scoring 133 and 108 points and is always a consistent and reliable option as your Fantasy captain.
Despite scoring 146 and 141 points over the last fortnight, Marc Murphy [MID, $518,793] must be selected with caution this week. He only scored 68 and 84 against Collingwood last year and he’ll be restricted by the tag of Brent Macaffer this week.
Macaffer has been a tagging machine this year holding his premium opponents to just 74 points a game.
HISTORY IS AGAINST THEM
When researching captaincy options, there are many components that come into play. One of the main factors is the previous scores that individual players have against their opponent for the week. Some players perform well against certain opponents and terribly against others.
Sam Mitchell [MID, $524,692] dominated last week against Richmond for a huge 142 points, but only scored 77 points last year against St Kilda. In fact, he has only scored over 100 points on one occasion against the Saints in his last five games.
To add sea salt to the wound, Mitchell needs to watch out for Tom Curren. He tagged Tom Rockliff last week to just 76 points is a certainty to run with the in-form Mitchell on Saturday afternoon.
Patrick Dangerfield [FWD/MID, $496,685] would surely have impressive numbers against Melbourne right? Amazingly, he doesn’t. Over his career he has only averaged 61 points against them from six games, and scored 92 points when he met them in 2013.
After receiving a leg knock last week and scoring just 59 points, Nick Riewoldt [FWD, $546,953] might be in for another long day against Hawthorn on the MCG. He scored 104 points against them last year, which happened to be his best score against them in his last five games.
Tom Rockliff [MID, $584,398] was tagged out of the game in New Zealand last week and meets the Sydney Swans on Saturday night at the Gabba. He has only scored 85 and 96 points in his last two games against them and although he should bounce back to some better form, he too has history against him.
POWERING ON IN CANBERRA
Kane Cornes [MID, $563,522] has been in great form this year and delivered a score of 119 points last week. He’ll be powering up to have a bigger game when he meets Greater Western Sydney at Startrack Oval in Canberra after scoring 120 and 116 points in his last two games against the Giants.
If you are one of the lucky 4,036 AFL Fantasy coaches who own Brad Ebert [MID, $583,578] then you’d be excited with his form so far this season, as he has the seventh best Fantasy average in the competition.
He scored 112 last week and racked up 118 points when he played the Giants last year. Along with Cornes, he should dominate on Saturday afternoon.
JOHNSON STEALS THE NUMBER ONE SPOT
Yes, Steve Johnson [MID, $640,822] will take the number spot this week in my top five captains and here are the reasons why. Firstly, he is averaging 138 points in his last three games, and scored 136 against Richmond last year.
The Tigers are one of his favourite teams to score Fantasy points against - he's averaging 128 points in his last four games against them.
Last week, Hawthorn stars Sam Mitchell (142 points) and Luke Hodge (115 points) dominated the Tigers and I’m expecting Johnson to do the same on the MCG.
JUST QUICKLY
Once again, here are few more of the popular players I have looked at. If I have missed your favourite, please send me a message on Twitter (@CalvinDT) and I’ll do my best to cover them next week.
Gary Ablett [MID, $621,279] v North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium: Ablett is carrying a lowest score of 119 points in his last four games this year and is a safe option as your Fantasy captain this week. He scored 119 points against North Melbourne last year and averages 138 against them in his last three games. He will most likely be tagged by Levi Greenwood who ran with David Mundy last week. However, Mundy still managed 123 points, meaning that Ablett will push the 130+ range this week.
Jobe Watson [MID, $519,665] v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium: Watson hasn’t cracked the magical ton in his last four games. This alone is enough to pass on him this week.
Leigh Montagna [MID, $565,984] v Hawthorn at the MCG: After scoring a huge 158 points last week and receiving an ANZAC Day medal, Montagna will most likely be tagged by Hawthorn’s Will Langford this week. The veteran Saint posted 111 points on the Hawks last year which happened to be his first score over 100 against them in his last four games.
Joel Selwood [MID, $532,129] v Richmond at the MCG: Selwood has scored 73 and 58 points over the last two weeks, meaning he is way too risky to carry the big ‘C’ for you in round seven. We have to pass on him again this week until he gets back to the high scores he is capable of.
Rory Sloane [MID, $548,390] v Melbourne at Adelaide Oval: Oh Rory… up until last week, Sloane was the only player in the AFL to have scored over 100+ points in all six rounds so far this year. He managed just 94 points last week and had 104 points on Melbourne last year. I’m expecting him to be back into triple figures this week after seven Sydney Swans players managed this feat last week when they played the Demons.
Tom Liberatore [MID, $482,117] v Essendon at Etihad Stadium: Last week, the Collingwood midfielders dominated Essendon averaging 127 points between the top three scorers. Liberatore scored 111 points last week and had 124 points when he met the Bombers in 2013. He’s a big smokie in round seven!
Brent Stanton [MID, $576,909] v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium: Stanton has scored 143 and 136 points over the last two weeks and has scored 107, 111, 153 and 138 in his last four games against the Bulldogs. They are his favourite team to score Fantasy points against over the last six years and I’m expecting him to deliver something massive again this week.
TIME FOR THE PIRATE TO SHINE
Next week, it’ll be round eight and we’ll be without most of our premium stars that will have the bye. Ablett, Johnson, Cotchin, Beams, Swan and Pendlebury will all have the week off and I’ll be working extra hard to find you a great captaincy option in trying circumstances.
