Today we pick a former Lion who was all the rage 12 months ago and is set to reward smart Fantasy coaches.
If the 191cm forward/midfielder breaks into the Magpies' best 22, then he is a cheap option for your Fantasy team.
Fantasy lock-ins: forwards
- Nathan Bock (Gold Coast)- Alex Fasolo (Collingwood)
Looking over Karnezis' career stats, there isn’t too much to write home about from a Fantasy perspective.
21 games in three years at an average of under 50 points in this time doesn’t really make us sit up and think he’s going to set the world on fire.
Karnezis was the one of the most hyped players in the 2013 pre-season. During the NAB Cup, he was one of the Lions' top scorers, averaging 119 points per 100 minutes, playing off a wing.
This placed him fifth of all players who played over 150 minutes in the pre-season competition.
At under $250,000, he was a popular forward line selection at the start of the 2013 Fantasy season.
In round one of the premiership season, Karnezis scored a solid 66 thanks to 19 disposals before donning the green substitute vest the following week and not coming on until the last quarter to finish with 9 points.
He then spent time in the NEAFL racking up plenty of touches and averaging 116 Fantasy points per game along the way.
He played just one more senior game for the Lions - in round 10 when he scored 74 points.
Karnezis comes in priced well below his Fantasy capabilities. His average of 49.6 last season was discounted by 21% to price him at just $212,700 this year.
The question is will he get games for Collingwood?
He’s been battling a groin injury and he has been on light duties this pre-season. He may take part in the NAB Challenge, but round one senior selection is looking unlikely at this stage.
While we think he will be a great option and he should score well, there a risk of him wearing the green vest early on, which will obviously impact his scoring potential.
LOCKABILITY: 1/5
We are pretty keen on what Karnezis can offer Fantasy coaches this year. He is a ball magnet and there are some positions up for grabs in the Collingwood side. His versatility is one of the reasons the Magpies were very happy to grab him during the trade period.
Unfortunately he may not be fit for round one so his lockability rating is low.
There seems to be quite a bit of value in the forward line this year, so we’ll be watching the NAB Challenge closely to see who can take Karenezis’ spot, if needed.
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