And oh boy, are we excited!
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This is the first time the official Fantasy game of the AFL has adjusted positions during the season and we’re delighted this new feature has been rolled out for Fantasy Classic, Elite and Match Day.
Player positions are decided at the start of the season based on numbers from Champion Data.
Players who play in more than one position are deemed dual positions players (DPP) but as each season evolves, player roles change and this year is no different.
The team at Fantasy HQ have been working closely with the number crunchers at Champion Data to see which players needed a positional adjustment to better reflect where they were gaining their stats in 2014.
No player can lose a position, only gain one. Therefore we have 18 new DPPs that can add some extra flexibility to your Fantasy squad.
Melbourne fans would have noticed that James Frawley isn’t just hanging out in the backline, as he has done throughout most of his career. Last year he gained 94 per cent of his possessions in the back half of the ground.
Over the first seven rounds of this year, Frawley has gained 53 per cent of his possessions in the forward half and was an obvious choice to gain forward eligibility to now be classified as a DEF/FWD.
This role change has been great for his Fantasy output, as he’s averaging 81 points so far this season.
Frawley isn’t the only defender that has picked up forward eligibility. Collingwood’s Tyson Goldsack, Essendon’s Jake Carlisle and Richmond’s Ben Griffiths all now have DEF/FWD next to their names.
Other notable cash cows to gain DPP status include Eagle Xavier Ellis who has spent plenty of time down back to now be a DEF/MID, and Will Langford has been adjusted to be a DEF/MID after doing a lot of work at Hawthorn’s centre bounces.
Both players are likely to return to their respective sides this weekend after injury, and with their new-found status, they could help ease some bye pain for coaches that held onto them while they were injured.
He’s burnt us in the past due to persistent injuries, but Shaun Higgins is having a great season for the Bulldogs and he’s posting some of the best numbers of his Fantasy career. The 13 per cent of coaches that have taken the punt on him can now use him as a DEF/FWD link.
Injured Magpie Alex Fasolo also gains defender status to make him available as a DEF/FWD.
One of the breakout players of 2014 has been Luke Dahlhaus. Coming off 120 points last week against the Bombers, the Bulldog has been playing all over the ground, as shown by his impressive heat map. He is averaging 99 points this year and can now be selected as a midfielder as well as a forward.
Cyril Rioli has regained his MID/FWD status from last year, as has Port Adelaide’s Angus Monfries who should definitely come under consideration for your Fantasy squad.
Veteran Cat James Kelly is doing most of his work in the defensive-50, and we can now select him as a defender, making him a viable option to pick up. We’re not keen on midfielders that are averaging only 88 points a game, but as a defender, Kelly now becomes Fantasy relevant.
Twitter was buzzing this week with speculation on who would gain DPP status. Quite a few fans raised the possibility of Dane Swan or Gary Ablett becoming FWD/MIDs off the back of them kicking eight and 14 goals respectively with added forward time.
Sorry to hose down that excitement, both are still gaining the majority of their Fantasy points through the midfield, so they will remain as straight midfielders... for now.
A further adjustment is set to be implemented prior to round 16, so keep an eye out for that.
This is an exciting addition to the three Fantasy games and an extra element for coaches to think about when making trades and tinkering with their sides as the season rolls on.
