PLENTY of popular picks scored well on the weekend, but equally, there were enough scores at the other end of the scale to make a difference to league match-ups.

Most coaches are in a position where they are playing very few rookies on field, but even who you chose to play could have been a factor in winning and losing.

Lachlan Bramble (99) appears in 26 per cent of teams but was only on ground for 12 per cent of the competition. On the flipside, Deven Robertson (27) was started by 18 per cent while 20 per cent had Joel Amartey (38) on field.

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Trade in targets were also of note.

Patrick Dangerfield (80) was brought in by 13.6k coaches off the back of his 149 last round. Those who saved $93k by going to Jordan De Goey (117) were not only rewarded with a pocket full of cash, but an extra 37 points.

Some coaches are in luxury trade mode. Roy was one of those choosing to offload Nick Hind (112) who posted his second highest score of the year. Ouch.

Fantasy Pig of the week

What a season Touk Miller (155) is putting together. With an average of 122.5, he’s the highest averaging player in the game by more than five points per game. The 25-year-old has incredible work rate, filling the stats sheet across the board including the all-important tackles for the +4. On Sunday he finished with 14, accounting for 56 points of his score. Miller has his hand up as Fantasy Draft bargain of the year as his ADP (average draft pick) was 58, placing him outside of the first 30 selected midfielders.

Honourable mentions

The big names stepped up in round 17 with Christian Petracca (155) showing he’s the premier midfielder for the Dees, averaging 124 in his last five games. Brodie Grundy (139) showed exactly why he’s referred to as the Ruck Pig wile Jack Steele (138) posted his 13th Fantasy ton of the season. Since returning from injury, Taylor Adams (131) hasn’t missed a beat, scoring triple figures in his last three. In the final game of the round, Jaidyn Stephenson (150) enjoyed his best game for the Roos with 38 disposals, 10 marks and goal, leading his club to an unlikely win in the west.

Top scores - R17

1. Touk Miller 155
2. Christian Petracca 153
3. Jaidyn Stephenson 150
4. Brodie Grundy 139
5. Jack Steele 138
6. Jacob Hopper 133
7. Sam Walsh 132
8. Taylor Adams 131
9. Karl Amon 130
10. Tim English 127

Cash cows of the round

The best player with a starting price under $270k will be awarded the Michael Barlow Medal as the best cash cow of the year.

The votes for round 16:

5 – Chris Burgess (123) Gold Coast Suns, DEF/RUC
There were plenty of ruck contests on offer in Ballarat as Burgess managed to collect 38 hitouts against the Giants. Although his opponent Shane Mumford had 53 hitouts, it was Burgess’ work around the ground that helped him score highly. The Sun finished with 17 disposals, four marks, four tackle and a goal.

4 – Lachlan Bramble (99) Hawthorn, MID
In his fourth game, Bramble collected 27 disposals to be Hawthorn’s second highest scorer.

3 – Archie Perkins (91) Essendon, MID/FWD
Three goals in the Bombers’ big win meant that the first-year Don racked up a season-high.

2 – Josh Treacy (86) Fremantle, RUC/FWD
Seven marks, six tackles and two goals was a fantastic return in the Big Cohuna in his 10th game.

1 – Daniel McKenzie (77) St Kilda, DEF
Timing is everything in Fantasy. Since returning to the team in round 15, McKenzie averaged 71.

LEADERBOARD: James Jordon 26, Tom Powell 15, Errol Gulden 14, Chad Warner 13, Matthew Flynn 12, Deven Robertson 11, Caleb Poulter 10, Miles Bergman 10, Chris Burgess 10, Nik Cox 9, Sam Flanders 9.

Rage trades

Deven Robertson (27) – The second-year Lion was on 16 points with about five minutes to go in the game. He can’t be totally blamed, the Lions only racked up 1278 points, the lowest team total for the round.

Patrick Cripps (51) – Silver lining, he’ll be cheap next year.

Dan Houston (57) – Owned by 13 per cent of the competition, Houston appeared to be a bargain coming out of his bye and delivered some solid scores. He only managed to collect 14 disposals in a game where he spent plenty of time in the midfield.

Lachie Hunter (66) – Two scores of 66 in a row, he’s not the premium we thought he would be.

Dustin Martin (66) – People were calling Jordan De Goey ‘Kmart Dusty’… De Goey scored 51 points more than the real Dusty. In his defence, Martin was still the Tigers’ seventh highest scorer.

Darcy Parish (68) – Had Harry Schoenberg following him for the night. Parish scored 143 last week, but only managed 19 disposals with zero marks in round 17.

Reilly O’Brien (71) – Many were happy to roll with ROB instead of moving him to Grundy. There was a 68 point difference in their scores this week.

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