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.

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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.

Under-priced premiums

Stephen Coniglio (FWD/MID, $871,000)
The departure of Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto have opened up significant midfield opportunities and the former captain looks set to be one of the major beneficiaries. When asked on The Traders' AFL Fantasy Podcast, AFL.com.au reporter Riley Beveridge said Coniglio was set to start the season playing predominantly midfield, which is a good sign for us coaches given he averaged 120 between rounds 13 and 17 while attending 73 per cent of the CBAs.

Tim Taranto (FWD/MID, $846,000)
After six years at the Giants, Taranto made the move to the Tigers and from a Fantasy perspective that is pretty exciting because it looks like he will return to playing predominantly through the midfield where he has proven to be an elite scorer. Taranto had a third-year breakout in 2019 when he showcased his midfield skills while averaging an impressive 113, which included four 150+ scores and a high of 169 from 38 touches, 12 marks, four tackles and a goal. Although the Tigers aren't renowned for a high scoring style of play, it may shift this year given the new midfielders at their disposal.

Connor Rozee (FWD/MID, $780,000)
After averaging just 44 in the first four rounds (the point I offloaded him in Draft) while attending just seven per cent of CBAs, Ken Hinkley finally swung the young gun's magnet into the midfield where he flourished. Over the next seven rounds, his CBAs rose dramatically, attending 56 per cent, and it was reflected in his scoring, averaging 91 in that time. After the bye, he turned it up a notch, averaging 102 for the remainder of the year. The 23-year-old is a star on the rise and given he is priced at 88, he looks a great option.

Others to consider:
Dylan Moore (FWD/MID $826,000) moved into the midfield after the bye, averaging 101 in that time, and he will look to take full advantage of the increased opportunity and responsibility following the departure of Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara. Port's rising star Zak Butters (FWD/MID, $764,000) looks well under-priced given the way he finished the season in a blaze of glory, averaging 107 in his last five. We know he is more than capable of maintaining that average for a season if his body holds up but there are already concerns regarding that this pre-season. Keep an eye on the 22-year-old in the pre-season games.

Darcy Cameron (FWD/RUC, $725,000) is on track to face the Blues this week which is good news because it was getting to the point of putting a line through him due to an interrupted pre-season. Now all eyes are on the ruck splits with Mason Cox. If Cameron looks like playing a minimum 60-40 split, he is a good pick as a forward or ruck depending on your structure and strategy.

Mid-priced options

Toby McLean (FWD/MID, $401,000)
The Western Bulldogs premiership player is priced at 45… 45, do I really need to say more? We saw with our own eyes last year in the finals he has recovered well from his knee reconstructions, scoring an impressive 100 from 21 possessions and nine tackles. He has a career-high average of 95, averaged 96 in the VFL last year and played a healthy split between the midfield and forward line during their intraclub game. A gift from the Fantasy Gods.

Ben Cunnington (FWD/MID, $668,000)
The inspirational Kangaroo enters the 2023 season priced at 75 after averaging 53 from his two games last year. To this point he has enjoyed a good pre-season and looks set to play significant midfield minutes, which gives hope he can push his average back toward the 90 mark he has reached on two previous occasions, including 2021 when he recorded a career-high 99.

Wayne Milera (FWD, $441,000)
The Crow is back and more importantly, back… as in playing back for Adelaide. The reason that is big news is Milera has played his best footy running off half-back as we saw in 2019 when he recorded a career-high 77. He played well in that role during the intraclub and is worth keeping an eye in in the upcoming games. He looks significantly under-priced if the Crows persist with him in that role.

Others to consider:
Errol Gulden (FWD/MID, $735,000) is a star in the making, as we saw in the last five games where he averaged 95 pushing up on a wing. He is a prime candidate to take the traditional third-year breakout leap to premium status but I would like to see a bump in CBAs over Sydney's pre-season games before launching.

Cash cows

Harry Sheezel (FWD, $296,000)
The exciting Roo couldn't have done much more in the Roos' intraclub, including a surprising stint across half-back where he found plenty of the ball and did his round one chances no harm. He also pushed forward to kick a goal which came as no surprise given his junior credentials and he has all but consolidated a spot on the ground in our forward lines.

Mattaes Phillipou (FWD/MID, $282,000)
The 18-year-old pick No.10 is ticking all the boxes to date to earn a spot on our ground in the forward line. He showed through his junior career that he is capable of elite numbers in both the midfield and forward line and will be one to watch closely over the pre-season games.

Fergus Greene (FWD, $200,000)
Crisis creates opportunity and the 25-year-old will be eager to make the most of any chance he gets. The delisted free agent got his opportunity at the Hawks after leading Box Hill's goalkicking and he has enjoyed a great pre-season, including hitting the scoreboard in the intraclub. There are multiple injuries in the Hawks' projected best 22, including vacancies in the forward line, which makes Greene a prime replacement candidate.

Others to consider: Players worth keeping an eye on over the pre-season games to earn a potential round one birth are Bailey Humphrey (FWD/MID, $290,000), Joe Richards (FWD/MID, $206,000), Luke Pedlar (FWD, $213,000) and Jacob van Rooyen (FWD, $200,000).

Roy's current Classic midfielders

As you can see below, I am sold on a number of the premium options I have spoken about to the point I need to swing one of them into my midfield. I will obviously cop criticism for 'clogging a mid spot' but I see them all having greater upside than the straight mids in their price bracket. The bonus of this is it obviously gives me some DPP flexibility between the two lines.

Fantasy Draft Value

After completing my first draft of the year for The Traders' Draft Kit, it quickly became evident that the forwards drop off fast so coaches will be forced to look for some sleepers. Players to put on your watchlist to round out your forward line include:

Fallen premiums: Dustin Martin, Nat Fyfe
Injury returns: Chad Wingard, Toby McLean
Breakout: Tom Powell, Jason Horne-Francis
Role change: Wayne Milera, Archie Perkins

The Traders' top 30 forward rankings

>> The Traders' 2023 AFL Fantasy Draft Kit is coming soon. Create your league and recruit your mates for a fun Draft Day ahead of round one.

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