Dockers' Fantasy: Young guns primed, lock this high-scorer in

THE CLIMB up the ladder continued for the Dockers last season with an elimination final win before a loss to Collingwood in the semi final.

On the Fantasy front, Fremantle was the fourth-highest-scoring team, averaging more than three 100-plus scorers each week.

Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $995,000) was their top performer with a career-high average. Fellow midfielder Will Brodie (MID, $845,000) was one of the best Fantasy picks last season, becoming a season-long keeper averaging 95.4 in a sensational return after moving to the Dockers from the Suns.

The young brigade look set to be Fantasy favourites for seasons to come. Hayden Young (DEF, $776,000) settled into a permanent role in the side and averaged 87.6. Most impressive was his ceiling with scores of 119, 122 and 132. Maintaining his average would see him going close to being a top 10 defender with Draft coaches keen for some added improvement.

Fantasy scoring in defence appears to be a happy hunting ground for the lad in purple. Luke Ryan (DEF, $756,000) and Jordan Clark (DEF, $722,000) both played 22 games and averaged more than 80.

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Lock them in

After taking a jump in 2021, Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $995,000) cemented himself as a premium midfielder last season. With an average of 112.4 from 22 games, Brayshaw was the highest scoring Fantasy player in 2022. The first half of the season saw him average 115 while it dropped top 110 after the bye due to some games we attracted more attention from the opposition. Brayshaw scored 121 and 127 in Fremantle’s elimination and semi finals. The 23-year-old should be a target at some stage in the season for Classic, but if you’re starting a keeper league this year, he’s a first round candidate in the initial Draft.

Track their pre-season

What are we doing with our rucks? Could Sean Darcy (RUC, $760,000) be an option? Of all the rucks who went at sub-90 last season, Darcy might be the best. He averaged 85.8 last season, a slight drop from his 93.9 in 2021. There will be a few questions over Darcy’s output with Luke Jackson’s arrival. He will fill the hole after Rory Lobb’s departure, but most likely has more ruck minutes. It is a wait and see, but Darcy might be the ruck to consider in Draft after the first half-a-dozen big men have been taken.

Dual-position tempter

No stranger from being picked as a Fantasy forward, Nat Fyfe (MID/FWD, $781,000) is coming off a disappointing 2022 and starts the new season with dual-position status. He played just seven games at an average of 56.1 which was his worst return across his 13-year career. It appears Fyfe will be playing more time as a forward which has proven to impact his Fantasy output. He’s not priced to be a good pick in Classic, but that average that sits next to his name means he could be a cracking selection late on Draft day.

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Bargain basement

Anyone who is basement priced, mature aged and had some time playing at the top level has to be considered as a cash cow. Corey Wagner (DEF/MID, $285,000) was selected by Fremantle with pick No.57 in last year’s NAB AFL Draft. The 27-year-old was previously listed with North Melbourne and Melbourne, playing 19 games at an average of 45.3. Wagner had a great VFL season last year, averaging 85 from 15 games. If he gets a look in, then we can lock in the basement priced player to make some quick cash for our Classic teams.

Draft sleeper

Jaeger O’Meara (MID, $727,000) is a 90s guy. Not the decade, the Fantasy scoring range. Maybe Jaeger can channel a return to the 90s after a season that saw him drop his average to 82.1, his lowest for five years. The drop in output was off the back of fewer centre bounce attendances in his last year as a Hawk. There was a bigger spread under Sam Mitchell where he attended 61 per cent, down from 73 per cent in the previous year. Fremantle’s midfield had a few players running through, but David Mundy’s retirement should give JOM the opportunity to get back in where he belongs and end up as a great selection mid-to-late in your Fantasy Draft.

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Buyer beware

For those who like to dig back in players’ history to find some value, don’t get too excited when you see the 90-plus averages from Michael Walters (FWD, $565,000). It was only a couple of seasons ago that Sonny was pumping out some great scores. In 2019, he played all 22 games to average 93.4. He backed it up in the Covid affected 2020 season with 91.4. The bigger scores came from when he was involved in midfield rotations. With a bolstered engine room, Walters spends the majority of his time inside F50 and the 32-year-old may see his scoring continue to decline.

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