A number of promising youngsters have ticked over the crucial three-game threshold and their values have been adjusted accordingly.
If you were one of the lucky few who managed to select all three of Demon Jack Grimes, Hawk Ben McGlynn and Steele Sidebottom from Collingwood, your DT value has soared by almost $130,000.
After an initial investment of $186,400, Grimes has produced an average of more than 87 points per game to date – incredible value by any measure. No wonder his value jumped by almost $44,000 on Monday morning.
The wonderfully named Sidebottom hasn’t been quite as prolific but he arguably gives more bang for a coach’s buck with 70 points a game. His value has shot up by $45,700 to $156,300 and there’s still room for improvement.
McGlynn was noted by the DT market analysts last week and he hasn’t failed to deliver. A weekly average of more than 95 points per game means the hard-nosed Hawk is punching well about his current rating of $302,500.
If you missed the boat on any of that trio, despair not. You’ll get the chance to fill your boots in coming weeks if you can find room for new Hawk Beau Muston and Collingwood ruckman Cameron Wood.
Muston produced a fine AFL debut against Melbourne, racking up 127 points to make a mockery of his $86,600 rating. Look for it to skyrocket in a fortnight.
Wood, who has struggled to win a place in the Magpies’ line-up since moving from the Lions, is averaging 81 points a game in his two matches. At $246,600, he’s not a bargain buy but there aren’t many productive ruckmen in that price range.
And so the DT boffins turn their attention to the other end of the rankings ladder where the big names continue to shine… or not.
The list of top 10 biggest losers has a distinct air of sameness about it, despite the appearance of new faces, Lion Michael Rischitelli and Crow Scott Stevens.
But the biggest news is to be found deeper in the recesses of the form drop list, where Power key Chad Cornes, Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola and Collingwood’s Josh Fraser appear.
Each of those headline acts dropped about $30,000 in value this week after a sustained run of failing to live up to their lofty ratings.
For Dream Team coaches ruminating over the prospect of trading one (or more) of those stars, it’s a tough ask.
Fraser is still (marginally) in positive territory for the season but his current form isn’t matching his early efforts. Is it worth trading up to a hotter model?
Fevola always has been and will continue to be an enigma. You’ll get 130 points one week and 31 the next. Whether a coach can tolerate that sort of inconsistency is up to them.
Given he’s dropped more than $65,000 in value, it might be worth hanging on and hoping for a mid-year revival.
And Cornes appears to be the victim of his own early success. His value shot up by $50,000 after round six but it’s fallen steadily since.
He’s still averaging almost 100 points per game but his latest three-round average is down to 77 – not much chop for a bloke who commands a hefty chunk of your salary cap.
Top 10 movers
1. Brendan Whitecross (Haw) $282,800 (+$196,200)
2. Garry Moss (Haw) $237,600 (+$162,300)
3. Jack Ziebell (NM) $278,700 (+$160,100)
4. Angus Graham (Rich) $241,200 (+$154,600)
5. Andy Otten (Adel) $274,100 (+$147,600)
6. David Zaharakis (Ess) $231,200 (+$144,600)
7. Robin Nahas (Rich) $227,600 (+$143,300)
8. Andrew Collins (Rich) $229,100 (+$142,500)
9. Daniel Rich (BL) $265,200 (+$138,600)
10. Sam Gilbert (StK) $357,200 (+$135,300)
Top 10 losers
1. Chris Tarrant (Freo) $187,000 (-$125,000)
2. Lance Franklin (Haw) $315,700 (-$112,300)
3. Barry Hall (Syd) $249,300 (-$106,300)
4. Brett Jones (WC) $206,800 (-$104,700)
5. Troy Simmonds (Rich) $269,000 (-$101,900)
6. Luke Hodge (Haw) $330,000 (-$98,800)
7. Campbell Brown (Haw) $204,000 (-$98,100)
8. Tom Logan (PA) $232,000 (-$92,600)
9. Scott Stevens (Adel) $228,800 (-$92,500)
10. Michael Rischitelli (BL) $252,800 (-$92,400)
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
