AHOY there, welcome back to the greatest Fantasy article in the land, Calvin’s Captains.
This week, we have the full range of premium stars to pick from now that the three bye rounds have concluded.
Join me, as I once again put my pirate hat on and crunch some numbers to find you the best AFL Fantasy captain for round 11.
DREAMTIME SPECIALISTS
Dreamtime at the 'G is one of the biggest games on the AFL calendar and the ‘big stage’ brings out the best in some of our premium Fantasy players.
Jobe Watson [MID, $528,945] has shone in this game in the past, scoring 122 and 134 points over the last two years.
Watson has hit some great form over the bye rounds scoring 116 and 149 and would be a great unique selection as your Fantasy captain this week.
Last year against Richmond, Brent Stanton [MID, $547,009] scored 149 and 144 points. The Tigers are one of his favourite teams to score Fantasy points against but sadly, Stanton doesn’t have the form on the board to warrant a top five selection this week.
He has only averaged 87 points over the last three weeks although, like Watson, he loves Dreamtime games where he has scored 144 and 124 points in the past two contests. He’s a high risk captain option, but can certainly deliver Fantasy coaches high rewards on his day.
Other Dreamtime specialists include Trent Cotchin [MID, $517,439] and Brett Deledio [MID, $478,499] who dominated at the MCG against Essendon in 2012. They scored 143 and 160 points respectively that day and look set to score big again.
GOOD FORM v BAD HISTORY
When compiling my top five, many factors come into consideration. The top two are a player’s current form and the history they have recorded against their opponent.
The in-form Jimmy Bartel [DEF/MID, $539,828] scored 155 points last week, his highest score since 2005 when he scored a massive 183 points against Port Adelaide.
He only managed 84 and 66 against the Sydney Swans last year which makes him a little tricky to predict this week.
Like Bartel, Tom Rockliff [MID, $600,098] receives a big tick this week based on his current form, as he has scored 147 and 141 points in his last two games (although, like many of the Lions, he fell victim to gastro prior to the bye).
He’s averaging 135 points at the Gabba this year and looks set for another huge game this week. Until… you check his history against Carlton.
Carlton are easily Rockliff’s worst team to score Fantasy points against. They are the only team he hasn’t scored 100 points on in his career, posting 67, 66 and 61 in his last three game against them.
Last week, Adelaide’s elite midfielders Dangerfield, Sloane and Thompson averaged 83 points between the three of them against the Blues, suggesting that Rockliff may struggle this week as well.
PENDLEBURY BACK ON TOP
For the first time since round three, Scott Pendlebury [MID, $560,187] is back on top in my number one captaincy position this week.
He scored 119 points last week against the Eagles and has a very solid record against St Kilda where he has scored 121, 92, 107, 129, 141 and 119 in his last six games against them.
Pendlebury may need to contend with a tag from Clinton Jones or Tom Curren, but he’ll shake that off with ease under the roof at Etihad Stadium where he has averaged 125 points in his last four games there.
Dayne Beams [MID, $582,474] is another solid captaincy option for us again this week as he is still carrying a lowest score of 107 points over his last six games.
He didn't face the Saints in 2013, but did score 119 and 113 points against them in 2012. He averages 129 points at Etihad Stadium in his last three games and is currently one of the most consistent Fantasy players going around.
JUST QUICKLY
Once again, here are few more of the popular players I have looked at. If I have missed your favourite, please send me a message on Twitter (@CalvinDT) and I’ll do my best to cover them next week.
Gary Ablett [MID, $601,614] v Adelaide at Adelaide Oval: After ending his run of six consecutive games of scoring 115 or more points, Ablett crashed back to earth last week with just 78 points after a tough tag from Liam Picken. He’ll receive another hard tag this week from Crow Sam Kerridge, who has held Marc Murphy (72 points), Scott Pendlebury (101 points) and Ryan Griffen (60 points) well in recent weeks. Ablett scored 109 points against the Crows last year and although we must select him with caution, his form leading into last week was simply amazing.
Leigh Montagna [MID, $528,323] v Collingwood at Etihad Stadium: Montagna has only scored 53 and 91 points in his last two games. We have to pass on him this week, we have much better options.
Dane Swan [MID, $539,727] v St Kilda at Etihad Stadium: Swan averages 122 points against St Kilda in his last three games and scored 109 points against them in 2013. His form has dropped again in recent weeks though, only averaging 94 points in his last three games.
Kade Simpson [DEF/MID, $531,502] v Brisbane Lions at the Gabba: With scores of 143 and 145 points over the last two weeks, Simpson must be on the radar this week against the struggling Lions. You’d be a gutsy coach to hand the versatile defender the big ‘C’ but with numbers like this, no one will question your logic.
Nick Riewoldt [FWD, $443,052] v Collingwood at Etihad Stadium: Riewoldt topped scored for the Saints last year when he met Collingwood with 117 points. He’s not captaincy material this week, but he’s certainly one to watch.
Steve Johnson [MID, $608,681] v Sydney Swans at the SCG: Last year, Johnson scored 132 and 107 points against the Swans. While there's every chance he'll be on the losing team on Thursday night, Johnson can be heartened by the fact that many of the Swans opponents have racked up the Fantasy numbers in recent weeks. I suspect the maverick Cat may do likewise this week.
Kane Cornes [MID, $536,934] v Melbourne at TIO Traeger Park: Kane Cornes scored 119 points against Melbourne last year and will turn up the heat against them when he meets the Demons in Alice Springs on Saturday afternoon.
Joel Selwood [MID, $500,482] v Sydney Swans at the SCG: Selwood goes for his sixth straight 100+ score against the Swans this week and is coming off previous scores of 96 and 138 this year. He’s again starting to warm up and must be considered.
Matthew Boyd [MID, $530,537] v Fremantle at Patersons Stadium: Boyd is a huge smokie this week as he has scored 133, 155 and 162 points against the Dockers in his last three games against them. He had 112 points last week and just keeps getting it done on the Fantasy scene.
