WITH the start of the season less than three weeks away, AFL Fantasy teams are beginning to take shape.

Since the start of February, The Traders have been previewing every position to help you pick your team.

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With the rookies set for round one places starting to come to the fore, it is time to start building your side for 2023.

From premiums to bargains to cash cows, to the uncertainty over the rucks and the value options in the forward line, The Traders have dissected it all. 

Defenders

De-fence! De-fence! De-fence! Everything starts with defence and in AFL Fantasy, nothing is different.

Although we may only have three players who averaged more than 100 last year, defenders certainly have a lot to offer in both AFL Fantasy Classic and Draft.

Read Calvin's full preview and see an early version of his Classic defence.

Roy's Rollin' 22 as of Mar 11: Sam Docherty, Jordan Dawson, Jack Sinclair, Angus Brayshaw, Nick Daicos, Tom Stewart

Midfielders

The bulk of our scoring and cash generation comes from the midfield so we need to get it right from the start.

There are 19 midfielders coming in with a price tag reflecting their triple-figure average, led by Rory Laird (MID, $1,066,000) who finished the year eight points clear of his competition with an average of 120. Although it's a huge price tag, the fact Laird is untaggable, a tackler and a walk-up captain option means he is still well and truly an option despite Classic being a 'value' game. If you finished the year with your captain selection averaging 120, you would be very happy.

Read Roy's full preview and see an early version of his Classic midfield.

Roy's Rollin' 22 as of Mar 11: Rory Laird, Andrew Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver, Jack Steele, Callum Mills, Touk Miller, Zach Merrett, Jack Macrae

Rucks

There is a saying in AFL Fantasy … "Big things come in big packages" and some rucks in 2023 certainly have big things to offer.

This year is very unique in the ruck department. So many rucks have question marks hanging over their heads and selecting the rights ones in Classic could make or break your season. The same goes in Draft. Going too early with a ruckman on your Draft Day might end your season before it begins.

Read Calvin's full preview and see an early version of his Classic rucks.

Roy's Rollin' 22 as of Mar 11: Rowan Marshall, Tim English

Forwards

It may not be a deep list up forward, but it is stacked with top end talent.

There is one forward coming in with a price tag reflecting a triple-figure average and that is star Brisbane recruit Josh Dunkley (FWD/MID, $963,000), who despite coming at a cost looks under-priced.

He is set to play a more consistent role in the midfield where he has proven he can score with the best in the game. In recent years, Dunkley has spent periods in a primarily midfield role and averaged scores of 116, 118 and 127 in that time. There is every chance he returns to those areas, so don't overthink this one, just lock him in.

Read Roy's full preview and see an early version of his Classic forward line.

Roy's Rollin' 22 as of Mar 11: Josh Dunkley, Tim Taranto, Stephen Coniglio, Connor Rozee, Errol Gulden, Dylan Moore