JUST like the players, us Fantasy coaches have been putting in the hard yards on the track for months and are excited to get the real stuff started.
Our first points for the season will be locked in on Wednesday night when the Dogs and Dees kick off the season in the highly anticipated Grand Final rematch.
This means it is vital you have registered your team, picked your 30 players and hopefully entered a league with some friends before tonight’s game to ensure you can enjoy the full Fantasy experience.
PLAY AFL FANTASY Pick your team NOW
Don’t forget the added bonus of playing is you can win a brand spanking new Toyota Hilux valued at $60k if you manage to navigate your way to the top.
If you are struggling to start your team, here is a template I put together to get the ball rolling:
One of the hardest things to do when selecting a starting squad is to identify the rookie priced players (under $300,000) to fill your bench. Here are some key players that have already been announced by their prospective clubs:
Tyson Stengle FWD $298k
Nick Daicos MID $284k
Josh Rachele MID/FWD $280k
Josh Gibcus DEF $274k
Patrick McCartin DEF/FWD $271k
Brady Hough $230k
Joel Smith DEF $220k
Jake Soligo MID $220k
Sam De Koning DEF/FWD $190k
Kaine Baldwin FWD $190k
FANTASY ROOKIE BIBLE The cash cows you need to lock in
Understanding the rolling lockout
As each game begins, players from the two competing clubs are locked (you can't trade in/out, change captain/vice captain/emergency if selected, etc). You are able to edit the rest of your team.
During round one, this becomes a challenge as you may pass up a player for someone later in the round only to find they are not selected. A fringe player from a club playing on Sunday may not make the cut and you will have limited options to replace them with.
Listen to the AFL Fantasy Podcast with The Traders at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
Team announcements
Wednesday, March 16
Team announcements: 6:20pm AEDT (Carlton, Richmond 22s)
Partial lockout: Melbourne v Western Bulldogs, MCG, 7:10pm AEDT
Thursday, March 17
Team announcements: 6:20pm AEDT (St Kilda, Collingwood, Geelong, Essendon, GWS Giants, Sydney, Brisbane, Port Adelaide 22s; Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Adelaide Crows, Fremantle, West Coast, Gold Coast squads)
Partial lockout: Carlton v Richmond, MCG, 7:25pm AEDT
Friday, March 18
Team announcements: Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, West Coast, Gold Coast 22s)
Partial lockout: St Kilda v Collingwood, Marvel Stadium, 7:50pm AEDT
Saturday, March 19
Partial lockout: Geelong v Essendon, MCG, 2:10pm AEDT
Partial lockout: GWS v Sydney, Accor Stadium, 5:10pm AEDT
Partial lockout: Brisbane v Port Adelaide, GABBA, 8:10pm AEDT
Sunday, March 20
Partial lockout: Hawthorn v North Melbourne, MCG, 1:10pm AEDT
Partial lockout: Adelaide v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval, 3:40pm ACDT
Full lockout: West Coast v Gold Coast, Optus Stadium, 4:40pm AWST
Medical sub
The medical sub comes from one of the four emergencies, not from within their club's 22. The 23rd player for each team will be named 60 minutes before the bounce of the ball in each game.
Important information for Fantasy:
- If the 23rd player takes to the field, their score will count. Prices will change.
- If the 23rd player isn't substituted into the match, he is regarded as a DNP (did not play). Price will not be affected.
This makes checking who is named as an emergency very important. Coaches should aim to have 30 players playing this weekend, all being within their club's 22. Avoid emergencies.
FANTASY LATEST Tips, strategy, draft, podcasts, more
As the season progresses, holding a player who is named as an emergency could come with some risk if they are activated as a substitute. You run the risk of limited game time, a low Fantasy score and if they don't reach their breakeven, a price drop, hurting cash generation.
Who is everyone selecting?
For a player to be a popular selection, they must have something going for them. Here are the 10 highest percentage selected players so far:
Nick Daicos (MID, $284,000)
Jason Horne-Francis (MID, $290,000)
Lachie Whitfield (DEF/MID, $795,000)
Matt Rowell (MID, $464,000)
Joshua Rachele (MID/FWD, $280,000)
Josh Dunkley (FWD/MID, $767,000)
Sam De Koning (DEF/FWD, $190,000)
James Sicily (DEF, $510,00)
Brodie Grundy (RUC, $893,000)
Josh Ward (MID, $271,000)
The Traders' team
Get expert advice from The Traders during the pre-season in the Fantasy Hub. Follow AFL Fantasy on Twitter and 'like' the Facebook page to join in the conversation.
