WHAT an awful way to start the bye rounds with the big Pig Brodie Grundy (RUC, $798,000) injuring his neck and as a result he will be missing for the next two to three weeks.

If you are ever going to hold a premium, the byes give you that opportunity, especially if you have plenty of green dots playing.

Given the best 18 scores will count for your side each week, if you have 20 or so available, a star player can be covered. And how nice would it be coming out of the byes using the nine trades to make your team better and subbing the big fella back on.

As many coaches don’t have the luxury of a full bench, a trade will reluctantly need to be made. The obvious answer is basically a straight swap for Max Gawn (RUC, $795,000) but as most good coaches already have him, we will need to get creative. My top pick would have to be Sean Darcy (RUC/FWD, $673,000) as he is clearly the next best from a scoring and consistency perspective as well as having the bonus of sharing the round 14 bye with Grundy, ensuring your planning to navigate the next three weeks remains intact. Given he also has forward status, he can also remain in your team when you inevitably want to bring the Pig back in.

Hot tip: Come out of the byes with a better team than when they started. Avoid the temptation to straight swap premiums players around their byes and attempt to navigate your way through by using traditional downgrade and upgrade trades.

Round 12: Roos, Suns, Giants, Power, Cats, Hawks
Round 13: Tigers, Dogs, Eagles, Lions, Blues, Bombers
Round 14: Crows, Saints, Swans, Pies, Dockers, Demons

TOP FIVE PRICE RISES

• Mitch Robinson (MID, $617,000) +$54,000
• Ned Reeves (RUC, $245,000) +$50,000
• Isaac Heeney (FWD, $539,000) +$49,000
• Chris Mayne (DEF/MID, $645,000) +$47,000
• Ryan Byrnes (MID, $384,000) +47,000

TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS

• Josh Corbett (FWD, $357,000) -$60,000
• Trent Dumont (MID, $615,000) -$49,000
• Tim Kelly (MID, $656,000) -$53,000
• Scott Pendlebury (FWD/MID, $596,000) -$39,000
• Dion Prestia (MID, $573,000) -$39,000

LOWEST BREAKEVENS

• Trent Bianco (DEF/MID, $198,000) - 5
• Nick Bryan (RUC, $195,000) - 3
• James Madden (DEF/FWD, $229,000) -1
• Paul Hunter (RUC, $245,000) 6
• Ronin O’Çonnor (MID, $185,000) 9

HIGHEST BREAKEVENS

• Adam Treloar (MID, $692,000) 154
• Tim Kelly (MID, $656,000) 148
• Brodie Grundy (RUC, $798,000) 144
• Andrew Gaff (MID, $758,000) 139
• Christian Salem (DEF, $706,000) 138

Watch the LIVE teams show every Thursday with The Traders. Join Roy, Calvin and Warnie from 6:15pm AEST on Facebook for the live stream as the round 12 teams drop.

BUY

Patrick Cripps
CARLTON
MID, $648,000
It’s a big call because you only get the Blues skipper for one week before his bye, but if it works for your structure, jump on. He has put together three magnificent triple figure scores in a row following his 120. He now has a BE of just 64 and his 17 per cent ownership is set to skyrocket.

Isaac Heeney
SYDNEY
FWD, $539,000
We have been flagging the high flying Swan’s ridiculously low price for the last three weeks and he certainly rewarded the seven per cent of coaches that are on board. He has now averaged 109 in his last three following a whopping 135 against the Blues.

Trent Bianco
COLLINGWOOD
MID, $198,000
The highly anticipated debut for the young Pie didn’t disappoint and he looks the perfect downgrade to navigate the first two weeks of the bye. He had a massive first quarter, eventually finishing 19 possessions, three marks and three tackles for 71. He has a BE of -5.

Also consider: Lachie Hunter, Sean Darcy, Chris Mayne.

HOLD

Jordan De Goey
COLLINGWOOD
FWD, $451,000
Surely I am not going to say it … Yes I am! DeGoat had a first quarter we have come to expect this year, playing forward and doing nothing for eight points. That was before moving to the midfield and dominating the last three with a whopping 101 points in that time. He has a BE of 38.

Jordan Ridley
ESSENDON
DEF, $570,000
The star defender hasn’t been the same since his injury, mainly because his teammates stepped up in his absence and haven't turned back. Having said this, it is still worth holding him and removing rookies from your ground. You can always reassess at his bye.

Finlay Macrae
COLLINGWOOD
FWD/MID, $240,000
The cash cow turned cash fowl this week with a price drop of -$13,000 following his dreaded sub-affected score of 12. He now carries a BE of 50 but his value is in his bye round of 14. He must be close to getting a full game which would help cover bye players.

Also consider: Scott Pendlebury, Brodie Grundy, Jack Graham.

SELL

Tom Phillips
HAWTHORN
FWD/MID, $530,000
If the former Pie running machine is still in your team, it’s a great time to remove him given he has the bye. He has averaged an underwhelming 75 for the season which is well below what faithful coaches projected. He will have a BE of 85 upon return.

Chad Warner
SYDNEY
FWD/MID, $475,000
After an amazing start to the year, the Swans young gun has slowed up, averaging just 62 in his last three. Now this is a tough one because he would be handy over the first two bye rounds but his price is on the decline, dropping $21K this week on the back of his 52.

Tom Powell
NORTH MELBOURNE
FWD/MID, $471,000
The hard working youngster has been sensational in his debut season, averaging 70. His scoring has dried up however, with a three game average under 50 and given he has the bye this week, it presents as the perfect time to offload given he dropped $24K this week.

Also consider: Lachlan Sholl, Chris Burgess, Lachlan McNeil.

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