What you should do with fantasy stars who’ve hit a rough patch
Keep
He was named "worst on ground" by former Richmond teammate Nathan Brown against Geelong on Saturday night and Brett Deledio's [MID, $491,500] recent fantasy scores haven't made for pretty reading.
Deledio is in a rough patch right at the moment as teams try to curtail his influence by putting a hard tag on him.
But he's good enough to work his way through and again contribute fantasy wise.
It may take him to move to half-back again, a la Dale Thomas last week, for the Tiger to regain that superb form he showed at the start of the year.
Trade
The Hoff's start to the year was out of this world. But all good things must eventually come to an end, as Justin Westhoff [FWD, $465,500] has found out.
Westhoff's break even is 209 points. Not even Gary Ablett could reach that sort of level, so you may as well cash in while you can.
High calibre stars Steve Johnson [MID/FWD, $543,700], Jimmy Bartel [FWD/MID, $453,600] and Nick Riewoldt [FWD, $516,200] are all on offer and represent tremendous value.
Bartel's price is very appealing, but if you've got the extra cash I'd bring in Stevie J.
Invest
Once mercurial forwards, Steve Johnson [MID/FWD, $543,700] and Dale Thomas [MID/FWD, $411,800] represent so much more.
Johnson has scored 141 and 136 fantasy points in his past two outings, while Thomas chalked up 121 in an unfamiliar sweeping role across half-back.
Stevie J's midfield time has been a major boon in his increased fantasy productivity and Daisy returned his best game of the year against the Saints.
They are in-form and have a high likelihood of racking up big points. What more can you want?
New kid on the block
He's known as 'Tigger' to his teammates, and Tiger Nick Vlastuin [DEF, $147,700] was at the top of everyone's fantasy list after a stellar NAB Cup.
Six rounds into the season, Vlastuin should again be high on your radar.
He is set to soar more than $43,000 in price and he looks a certain starter in Damien Hardwick's team over the next few weeks.
Grab him before the time passes.
That hurts
Jack Grimes' broken collarbone is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks, which means another fantasy favourite is down and out.
Grimes [DEF, $422,400] still sits at a relatively healthy price, despite a down start to the year at Melbourne
Collingwood's Heath Shaw [DEF, $417,700] looms as the obvious, but best fit, replacement.
Scores of 106 and 107 in his past two games confirm him as one of the most solid defenders in the fantasy pool.
The last word
Stockpiling your players across every line is essential in AFL Fantasy.
One of the golden rules of fantasy footy is to ensure you have enough coverage if there's an injury. That's where the dual position players come in handy, and it's where you can gain the advantage on your competition.
Ben Guthrie is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter - @AFL_BenGuthrie
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