MOST AFL Fantasy coaches will be heading to the chemist for some back-pain relief as the cash cow defenders that have been reliable up to this point are absent from their teams in round 10.
Sam Murray is the third most selected player in Fantasy Classic and he won’t be suiting up for the Pies on Friday night, omitted for the first time this season. The defender is averaging 77.7 points and has increased $325K to be the most profitable cash cow of the season thus far.
Players also missing in round 10 that find their place in many backlines include Jeremy Finlayson, Nicholas Coffield, Lachlan Keeffe and two-gamer Isaac Cumming. It will be a week where coaches will look to offload one or two in order to field a full squad.
The news wasn’t any better with young Don Dylan Clarke omitted following his first game. James Worpel and Mitch Crowden haven’t been named for their respective sides.
On the debutant front, the Cats will unleash small forward Jamaine Jones (FWD, $170,000) who scored 88 last week in the VFL.
If Stefan Giro (MID, $170,000) makes the cut for the Dockers, consider grabbing him for your midfield bench. The 19-year-old had an impressive stat line for Peel Thunder in the WAFL last week, scoring 117 from 27 disposals and nine tackles.
It is also important to note that this is the first bye round, but things are status quo for Fantasy coaches. Navigating the round which sees Gold Coast and Port Adelaide players enjoying a week off will mean bench players will need to cover for the missing Suns and Power squad members.
The usual two trades are available to use and the 22 players on field will count towards your weekly score. In rounds 12-14, coaches will be able to make three trades ahead of each of those rounds and the best 18 scores will count towards the weekly score.
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Get them in
Jordan Ridley (DEF, $205,000) surprised many by being the highest scoring Bomber on debut, blowing Dylan Clarke out of the water with 25 touches and seven marks for 89. Although that skyrocketed his price by $35,000, the break-even of -14 is enough to make him the most popular trade target. With a performance like that, he looks every chance to survive the bye rounds..
Jack Macrae (MID, $885,000) is forcing coaches’ hands and is the third most traded in player this week despite being the most expensive. He is averaging 150 over the last three and has a match up against the Pies this week who are one of the easiest midfields to rack up Fantasy points on. There has been plenty of talk about Collingwood deploying a tagger this week but coaches don’t seem to be concerned given his form and ability to tackle.
Jake Lloyd (DEF, $669,000) is the fifth most popular trade in this week and it’s not surprising after he pumped out a nice 163 on the weekend, giving him a break-even of just 52. Although some coaches would call this ‘chasing’, he has three scores of 120 or more in the last four weeks and a defender averaging 100 is hard to find.
Move them on
Jeremy Finlayson (DEF/MID, $401,000,) has certainly done his job, but it’s time to take the $231K and run as he has started leaking cash, dropping by $12K last week after scoring just 46. He has a break-even of 75 this week which is nine points higher than his average and he is the most traded out player as a result… plus he is dropped.
Robbie Gray (FWD/MID, $665,000) is the fifth most traded out player this week and the bye is just one reason. If coaches have cover this week, holding Gray is a great idea in theory because he will be playing through the other three bye rounds where players are harder to cover. But a score of 61 last week as a permanent forward was not a good look, and as long as the Power midfield is fit, this is the role he looks set to play and coaches are using the bye as the perfect excuse to jump off before his price plummets..
Tim Kelly (MID, $342,000) is the third most popular trade out after the reliable rookie has scored back-to-back 60s, causing his break even to creep up to match his average at 79. A positive for coaches that are holding him this week is that he plays the Blues at Simonds Stadium where he has scores of 82 and 92 in his last two..
Roy’s Fantasy trades: round 10
Calvin’s Captains
1. Brodie Grundy - In a week of uncertainty we need something safe and reliable. Grundy is going for his ninth straight 100+ score this week and finds himself up against the inexperienced Boyd and Roughead and should have a field day.
2. Jack Macrae - WARNING WARNING! Levi Greenwood is in and destined to tag the great Macrae who is averaging 150 in his last three games. Macrae loves playing the Pies and has scored 116, 139, 116 and 117 against them in his last four games. The reward outweighs the risk though, so back him in.
3. Tom Mitchell - A massive 149 last week repaid the faith but this one could be much harder, against a team that has only conceded three 100+ scores in the last three weeks. Mitchell did have 122 against the Eagles last year and should be fine for a solid 115+.
4. Adam Treloar - With previous scores of 125, 128 and 119 against the Bulldogs, history suggests he’s right for this one.
5. Lance Franklin - Up against the Brisbane Lions, expect Buddy to potentially replicate the 133 he had on them last year. He even posted a solid 112 in his comeback game last week and looks ready to fire again.
Calvin’s Fantasy captains: round 10
