FOOTY is back and so is AFL Fantasy.

It feels like an eternity since round one, but we’ll be back to watching the footy very soon while keeping an eye on our Fantasy scores ticking over as we hang off every mark (+3), kick (+3), tackle (+4) and goal (+6).

There is no better time to get invested in coaching your Fantasy team than while in isolation.

AFL FANTASY Change your team or start fresh NOW

Put the lawnmower away and put a line through the unnecessary items on the to-do list, you can get back to agonising over trade decisions and fist-pumping every disposal your players rack up. Get ready to rekindle the rivalries with old foes and work towards winning one of the big prizes on offer.

There’s 16 rounds of footy to come and here’s what you need to know before the round two lockout.

How many trades do we get?

The major change for Fantasy Classic coaches is a slight increase in trades.

Coaches will be able to make three trades each week for the next four rounds (rounds 2-5). They will revert to the usual two trades per week following round five. As per previous seasons, trades are use them or lose them, meaning they can’t be stockpiled.

The bonus trades are welcomed due to the uncertainty over team selection following a 12-week hiatus.

In the past coaches have been able to make three trades for bye rounds. There are currently no byes planned in the revised fixture, so the regular two trades will remain in place for rounds 6-17; however, the game will remain agile and adapt to any changing conditions if required. 

How is my league affected?

As the season was reduced from 23 rounds to 17, fixtures have been adapted to fit league match-ups within the shortened season.

With no byes, these can be played right through the next 16 rounds without taking a break.

Most leagues would have ordinarily finished after round 17. The team at Fantasy HQ has set flexible fixturing so that the Grand Final is played in round 17, the final round of the home and away season. If your league opts to play a final-eight finals series, it would be played from rounds 14-17.

Importantly, new leagues can still be created.

You can start a new head-to-head or open Fantasy Classic league from round two (or later). With flexible settings, league commissioners can create a league to include from four to 20 coaches and a finals system including the usual final-eight as well as top two, four or six.

New this year is the ability to choose whether coaches tied on the ladder at the end of the home and away season is decided by percentage or total points for.

Brand new Fantasy Draft leagues can be set up and live drafts can be scheduled at any time. 

How is the game impacted by the 16-minute quarters?

In short, it isn’t.

Components of the game such as price changes and breakevens are relative to the points scored each round. As seen following round one, a player such as Brodie Grundy, who scored 114, performed better than his value and increased $9,000 despite his original breakeven being 122.

Breakevens have been adjusted to help guide coaches with the Fantasy Coach subscription in highlighting value players.

The Traders have crunched the numbers to convert regular 20-minute quarter scores – aka BCV (before Coronavirus) – by multiplying 2020 Fantasy scores by 1.25 to account for the 16-minute quarters.

80 is the new ton.

Gundy’s 114 was like scoring 142.5 last season. In round one Jack Viney top scored with 132. That is the equivalent to 165 in the old language. 

Can I still sign up?

You betcha!

If you’re keen to take part in Fantasy Classic and haven’t yet registered, you can pick a team from scratch to take on your mates and be eligible for the prizes.

You’ll need to select 30 players under the $13,000,000 salary cap. Prices have already changed slightly – you’ll be paying $21,000 more for Sam Docherty, but he’s still a value buy. Using the round one data and the eye-test, you can make as many changes as you like before round two commences.

The No.1 ranked team overall scored 1794 points in round one. Although you’re starting behind, you only need to make up 112 points per week for the 16 rounds to catch up and you could be driving around in a Toyota Hilux 4x4 SRS 2.8L Turbo Diesel Auto valued at $62,217.

The best fun you can have with your mates playing Fantasy football is holding a Fantasy Draft.

Grab a bunch of mates, set up a league using the flexible settings and get some competition happening for the remainder of the season.

Some Fantasy Draft leagues may opt to hold a new draft before June 11 to potentially ‘even the playing field’. We learned a lot from round one and some players may have become more or less relevant.

The fun of the AFL Fantasy season is just beginning! Encourage your mates to have a crack at virtually managing AFL players and watch their scores tick over live during every game of every round for the ultimate bragging rights. 

Get AFL Fantasy updates from The Traders in the Fantasy Hub. Follow AFL Fantasy on Twitter and like the Facebook page to join in the conversation.