PICKING mid-priced players has often been frowned upon by many Fantasy coaches over the years.

Not necessarily in a negative way, but it is usually a risky proposition and the time tested Guns 'n' Rookies strategy yields the best results.

2020 is the year of the mid-priced player.

Sam Docherty has picked up where he left off in 2017. Adjusting his scores based on the shorter games, he is in fact performing better than he did prior to his two ACL injuries.

Unfortunately Jeremy Howe was injured last round but his start to the year made him a must-have value pick down back.

In the rucks, Marc Pittonet has been a revelation since he came into the side in round two while Sam Naismith was looking to be a high-earning player but injuries have derailed his season.

While there has been value across the board, players available as forwards is where coaches could have got the upper hand when selecting their initial squads.

Christian Petracca put his hand up in the pre-season and is currently ranked as the No.1 forward. The Demon's ownership has increased each week and now appears in more than a third of teams.

Second-year Bulldog Bailey Smith has been a popular trade target as his stocks continue to rise with $100k earned thus far. He is currently owned by 22 per cent of Fantasy Classic coaches.

The surprise packet of the year has been Dan Butler. Last round he scored 80 points against his former club. He goes into this weekend with a breakeven of -5 and will continue to add to the $139k earned in the first four rounds.

Of the 20 players available as forwards with a starting price of more than $600,000, only Michael Walters has maintained or improved his output (adjusted based on shorter quarters). It truly is the year of the mid-priced forward.

BEST MID-PRICED PLAYERS (RD 1-4)

Starting price between $300k-600k

TOP FIVE PRICE RISES

• Matthew Rowell, Gold Coast Suns (MID, $523,000): +$77,000
• Sam Naismith, Sydney Swans (RUC, $368,000): +$54,000
• Aidan Corr, GWS Giants (DEF, $368,000): +$53,000
• Sam Docherty, Carlton (DEF, $706,000): +$51,000
• Michael Gibbons, Carlton (FWD, $510,000): +$50,000

TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS

• Ben McEvoy, Hawthorn (RUC, $481,000): -$59,000
• Dayne Zorko, Brisbane Lions (MID, $687,000): -$47,000
• Rory Sloane, Adelaide Crows (MID, $635,000): -$45,000
• Lachie Whitfield, GWS Giants (MID/FWD, $685,000): -$43,000
• Sam Lloyd, Western Bulldogs (FWD, $475000): -$42,000

LOWEST BREAKEVENS

• Matthew Rowell, Gold Coast Suns (MID, $523,000): -28
• Sam Naismith, Sydney Swans (RUC, $368,000): -22
• Aidan Corr, GWS Giants (DEF, $368,000): -22
• Justin McInerney, Sydney Swans (MID, $252,000): -15
• Brandon Stracevich, Brisbane Lions (DEF/MID, $337,000): -13

HIGHEST BREAKEVENS 

• Nic Newman, Carlton (DEF, $620,000): 109
• Dayne Zorko, Brisbane Lions (MID, $687,000): 97
• Rory Atkins, Adelaide Crows (MID, $523,000): 93
• Matthew Kreuzer, Carlton (RUC, $585,000): 90
• Nat Fyfe, Fremantle (MID, $755,000): 88

Breakeven data can be accessed with the Fantasy Coach subscription.

BUY

Jy Simpkin, North Melbourne (FWD/MID, $629,000) - With Ben Cunnington out once again, Simpkin embraced the opportunity. He had a massive last quarter to give the Roos a shot at winning on his way to 91. He remains one of the under-priced bargains of the competition. 

Sam Docherty, Carlton (DEF, $706,000) - If for some reason you are in the 50 per cent of the competition that don’t have Doc, do something about it as soon as possible. The Blues defender is clearly the best in the competition and is a ‘must have’. He scored 110.

Brandan Parfitt, Geelong Cats (FWD/MID, $604,000) - After a surprise late withdrawal last week, the breakout Cat returned to the side and maintained the tackling pressure from round two. In his last two appearances he has laid 10 and nine tackles for 94 and 88 points. 

Also consider: Hugh McCluggage, Lachie Neale, Andrew Gaff. 

HOLD

Stephen Coniglio, GWS Giants (MID, $712,000) - The Giant skipper had an absolute shocker by his standards, collecting just 11 possessions for 35 points. He is worth a hold given the extra time he spent forward and the possibility of gaining forward status.

Jake Lloyd, Sydney Swans (DEF, $760,000) - The defensive ball magnet looked like he was set for a huge game after an impressive start to the match before slowing in the second half, finishing with just 65. He is better than that and will bounce back. 

Jack Viney, Melbourne (MID, $718,000) - Although Jack looks a far cry from the dominant force we witnessed in round one, he is still worth holding while his price rises. He has a breakeven of just 47 and has a couple more weeks to increase in price, before upgrading.

Also consider: Lachie Weller, Darcy Byrne-Jones, Jaeger O’Meara.

SELL

Nat Fyfe, Fremantle (MID, $755,000) - Unfortunately for the Dockers, but more importantly his Fantasy coaches… the superstar will miss multiple weeks with a hamstring. Fortunately he scored 76 before succumbing to the injury. He will have a BE of 88.

Jeremy Howe, Collingwood (DEF, $638,000) - The Pies intercept marking machine has been one of the best defender selections of the year, averaging 86 and rising 123K. Unfortunately he has suffered a serious knee injury which will likely keep him out for the remainder of the year. 

Dayne Zorko, Brisbane Lions (MID, $687,000) - The Lions skipper is having a horrible run of injuries since the restart of the season and his price is plummeting as a result. He has dropped 88K and has a BE of 97 following his injury affected 31.

Also consider: Tom Stewart, Rory Sloane, James Harmes.

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