AS WE continue to recover from the lack of transparency at the selection table, it’s time to move on and prepare for the second week of finals. As we saw on the weekend, amazing things can happen, even if you are a heavy underdog and the odds are against you on paper, hang in there. Many coaches had their feet up during the Bombers game as their opponent’s captain Zach Merrett sat on 37 at half-time and we all know how that ended!

PLAY AFL FANTASY Make your trades now

Coaches who were stuck with Stephen Coniglio will remind you of the value of holding luxury trades for as long as possible. If you are splitting hairs between players, use the fixture as a tool to assist the decision because as we saw with Coniglio, having trades up your sleeve could be a match winner. After burning my trades on Friday night, I was forced to settle for Jai Culley off the bench which is far from ideal in 'must win' match-ups at this time of year.

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MOST TRADED IN

• Rowan Marshall (FWD/RUC, $812,000)
• Tom Stewart (DEF, $795,000)
• Josh Worrell (DEF, $215,000)
• Jai Serong (MID/FWD, $190,000)
• Zach Merrett (MID, $970,000)

MOST TRADED OUT

• Jai Culley (FWD/MID, $332,000)
• Stephen Coniglio (MID/FWD, $865,000)
• James Sicily (DEF, $698,000)
• Patrick Parnell (DEF, $357,000)
• Jacob Wehr (DEF, $433,000)

TOP FIVE PRICE RISES

• Josh Ward (MID, $586,000) +$56,000
• Noah Cumberland (FWD/MID, $387,000) +$56,000
• Errol Gulden (FWD/MID, $676,000) +$54,000
• Rowan Marshall (FWD/RUC, $812,000) +$53,000
• Jase Burgoyne (DEF/MID, $347,000) +$53,000

TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS

• Tom Green (MID, $597,000) -$50,000
• Mitch Lewis (FWD, $459,000) -$50,000
• Josh Bruce (FWD, $397,000) -$47,000
• Shane McAdam (FWD, $409,000) -$41,000
• Bradley Hill (DEF/FWD, $554,000) -$40,000

LOWEST BREAKEVENS

• Jase Burgoyne (MID/DEF, $347,000) -1
• Elijah Hollands (MID/FWD, $251,000) -1
• Josh Worrell (DEF, $215,000) 0
• Ash Johnson (FWD, $288,000) 1
• Tyler Sonsie (MID, $317,000) 3

HIGHEST BREAKEVENS

• Clayton Oliver (MID, $897,000) 148
• Cam Guthrie (MID, $824,000) 133
• Bailey Smith (FWD/MID, $804,000) 132
• Josh Kelly (MID, $792,000) 131
• Jack Macrae (MID, $815,000) 130

>> Check the latest Fantasy scores LIVE in the AFL Live Official App

BUY

Rowan Marshall
ST KILDA
FWD/RUC, $812,000
If and when Rowan Marshall is the solo ruck in the Saints line-up, he needs to be part of your team. He showed why against the Hawks with 30 possessions, nine marks, seven tackles and 35 hitouts for 163. He has dropped under triple figures on just one occasion in the last six weeks and has a five game average of 114. He has a breakeven of just 57 heading into his match-up with the Cats.

Zach Merrett
ESSENDON
MID, $970,000
The star Bomber is back to his best and needs to be high on the priority list despite his hefty price tag. He turned it up a notch six weeks ago with a score of 118 and he hasn’t looked back with a low of 121 since then and a high of 172 after collecting 38 possessions, six marks, ten tackles and a goal in a dominant performance in his most recent game against the Roos.

Tom Stewart
GEELONG
DEF, $795,000
The star Cat didn’t miss a beat upon his return after a four-game layoff. He had 20 kicks from his 22 possessions and took an impressive 10 marks on his way to a score of 96. He is at a bargain price for a player with such a high ceiling, especially considering he has two games remaining at GMHBA stadium where he has already scored 157 and 169 this year.

Also consider: Luke Parker, Max Gawn, Connor Rozee.

HOLD

Patrick Cripps
CARLTON
MID, $790,000
This is an appreciation post for the inspirational skipper who has rewarded his coaches with back to back dominant performances that will see some looking to trade him in at that price. He backed up last week's 121 to record his highest score of the year with 139 from 41 possessions, three marks and six tackles. His break even of 65 reinforces the form turnaround and the bull is back!

Stephen Coniglio
GWS GIANTS
FWD/MID, $865,000
If you were in the unfortunate position of having trades locked before the late withdrawal of the form Giant, you may as well hold him now. After a slow start to the season, Cogs really hit his straps in round 10 and never looked back, scoring seven hundreds in his next nine games including a high of 130 and a low of 88. He should reward his coaches with a home game against the Bombers.

Nick Daicos
COLLINGWOOD
DEF/MID, $766,000
It's a bit rough to describe a score of 65 as disappointing, but such is the ability and expectation of the young gun. He recorded 21 possessions but was able to get on the end of just one mark for a score of 65 against the Power who are difficult for defenders to score against. Fast forward to his match-up with the Dees, who give up plenty to the backs, and he will return to form.

Also consider: Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver

SELL

Harry Himmelberg
GWS GIANTS
DEF/FWD, $748,000
After Himmelberg displayed career-best form in the backline the past few weeks, the Giants coaching staff decided it would be a good idea to take him back out of that position and his contribution to the game reflected that. He had 16 possessions, five marks and a goal with a fraction of an impact on the game compared to recent weeks, eventually scoring a few points late to get to 69. As owners, the only hope is that common sense prevails and he moves back into defence.

Jack Crisp
COLLINGWOOD
DEF/MID, $716,000
After being one of the standouts during the first half of the season, the hard-running Pie hasn’t been required to do as much lately with a number of teammates stepping up around him. His disappointing score of just 62 on the weekend marked his sixth game in a row where he failed to reach triple figures after collecting 16 possessions and taking three marks.

Reilly O’Brien
ADELAIDE
RUC, $757,000
With the amount of under-priced rucks available at the moment, there is no longer an excuse to need the big Crow. If you needed incentive to move him on, he certainly provided it on the weekend where he collected just nine possessions and didn’t manage to take a mark against the Blues. Thankfully he had 30 hitouts to get him to 62.

Also consider: James Sicily, Jack Macrae, Jai Culley

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

They are all elite and great targets. I would be starting with the value of Marshall, especially given the unpredictability of forwards and rucks scoring at the moment.

You would think it’s back to business as usual against the Eagles as they don’t have a player like Saad across half back. If they decide to do it again however… It’s a huge concern given his score was heavily padded by some fortunate goals.

If named… (haha, no).

Just back the big fella in.

It's tough… If the Berg is playing the same forward and ruck role as last week, he goes first. Surely common sense prevails however given he was elite down back. Crisp has a nice match-up if he spends any time across half-back and Sicily should enjoy some +6s at Pig Park. Having said all of this, Sicily goes first for me.

He looked great, it would be high risk though, I would avoid unless desperate.

Has been an option for a while, he looked great in the midfield. I am not sure what role suits him best from a scoring perspective. He is knocking on the door of the Rollin’ 22.

I think Stewart has the easiest access to points and has a huge one in him at GMHBA before season’s end.

A double downgrade is a viable play for coaches with the week off. It’s not one I do however, I'd trade in your Marshall example straight away.

Great question, I like both options and fixtures. I would back in Bailey Smith to finish well.

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