IT APPEARS Brisbane recruit Josh Dunkley (FWD/MID, $906,000) not only flicked a personal switch on Friday night, he triggered a League-wide realisation that huge scores are possible and a number of players were happy to join the party with a whopping six players topping the 150 mark.
It was quite remarkable given the rarity of such an achievement, only for the floodgates to open like that with North Melbourne veteran Jack Ziebell (FWD/DEF, $821,000) bringing it home in a performance for the ages from a defender, recording the fastest hundred since 2014, reaching the mark in the second quarter before eventually finishing on 168 from 36 possessions and 18 marks. Pretty handy considering he was under an injury cloud.
FANTASY LATEST Tips, strategy, draft, podcasts, more
The 'Rat'/'Pasta' combo were the most popular trade targets last round and both paid off nicely for their new owners. That is of course Rory Atkins (DEF/MID, $447,000) and Brayden Fiorini (MID, $603,000) from the Gold Coast Guns, who recorded scores of 86 and 89 respectively which was a huge tick considering their low breakevens and their price rises of $61K and $44K respectively reflected that. They both have a nice match-up and low breakevens moving into next week, but Atkins needs to be monitored closely despite his good performance on paper as his job security remains shaky, especially with Lachie Weller due to return.
Moving forward, it's time to start keeping an eye on the byes and how your team is structured against them. It may help you split hairs between two trade targets if it assists your team's balance. It is worth noting that your best 18 scores from players on the field count during the bye period and you will receive three trades per week to help you navigate them.
MOST TRADED IN
- Blake Drury (MID/FWD, $221,000)
- Rory Atkins (DEF/MID, $447,000)
- Tom Green (MID, $962,000)
- Brayden Fiorini (MID, $603,000)
- Josh Fahey (DEF/MID, $200,000)
MOST TRADED OUT
- Fergus Greene (FWD, $361,000)
- Will Setterfield (MID, $750,000)
- Kade Chandler (FWD, $511,000)
- Darcy Wilmot (DEF/MID, $376,000)
- Reuben Ginbey (DEF/MID, $478,000)
TOP FIVE PRICE RISES
- Alex Cincotta (DEF, $371,000) +$70,000
- Tom Green (MID, $962,000) +$65,000
- Jack Ziebell (DEF/FWD, $821,000) +$62,000
- Dylan Williams (FWD, $367,000) +$62,000
- Rory Atkins (DEF/MID, $447,000) +$61,000
TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS
- Jarryd Lyons (MID, $590,000) -$98,000
- James Harmes (FWD/MID, $446,000) -$70,000
- Jordan Ridley (DEF, $618,000) -$60,000
- Noah Cumberland (FWD, $446,000) -$54,000
- Seb Ross (MID, $710,000) -$52,000
LOWEST BREAKEVENS
- Alex Cincotta (DEF/FWD, $371,000) -12
- Dylan Williams (FWD, $367,0000) -5
- Rory Atkins (DEF/MID, $447,000) -2
- Blake Drury (FWD/MID, $221,000) 6
- Samson Ryan (RUC/FWD, $404,000) 7
HIGHEST BREAKEVENS
- Jarryd Lyons (MID, $590,000) 156
- Brad Crouch (MID, $870,000) 145
- Nick Daicos (DEF, $973,000) 138
- Clayton Oliver (MID, $1,000,000) 137
- Luke Davies-Uniacke (MID, $780,000) 135
STOCKS UP
Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $917,000): After a slow start to the season while playing through a knee complaint, the Dockers star looks to have overcome the injury the past two weeks, seemingly moving more freely and his scoring certainly reflects that. In those two games he has collected 30 and 34 possessions respectively with returns of 113 and 157, which leaves him with a BE of 80 leading into his match-up with the Swans at the SCG.
Tom Green (MID, $962,000): The Giants midfield bull is in the middle of a huge breakout and he put an exclamation mark on that with a season-high 170 from 38 possessions, six marks, nine tackles and three tackles. After he was suspended in round six, he has repaid the faith for coaches that held him with a two-game average of 154. He has only dropped under 100 on one occasion this year with a score of 90 and has a BE of 64 heading into a game against the Pies.
Callum Mills (MID, $803,000): After being projected as one of the season's top-scoring midfielders, the versatile Swan has played a variety of roles and unfortunately a number of them haven't been fruitful from a Fantasy perspective. The past two weeks there have been positive signs that he is transitioning back to the midfield and it's no coincidence that he scored a season-high 110 on the weekend from 31 touches, nine marks and three tackles. He has a BE of 97 with a couple of nice match-ups on the horizon against the Dockers and Roos.
Max Gawn (RUC, $754,000): Big Maxy's price has bottomed out and it's fair to say he is at an absolute bargain price. Since his return in round six following a round two injury, he has a three-round average of 96 following an impressive outing against the Suns playing between the ruck and forward line for 15 possessions, six marks, five tackles, 17 hitouts and two goals for 107. His BE is 93 leading into his match-up with the Hawks.
Rory Atkins (DEF/MID, $447,000): 'The Rat' was outstanding once again from a Fantasy perspective but as we have learned over the years, his job security is as shaky as anyone in the League. If he manages to hold his spot however, he has a great match-up with the Eagles this week and a BE of -2 heading into it. If he consolidates a spot in the team, and it's a big if, his round 13 bye will be really handy moving forward.
STOCKS DOWN
Will Setterfield (MID, $750,000): After an awesome start to the year with scores of 122 and 130, the Bomber has managed just one triple-figure score in his next six games and as a result has a BE of 126 following a score of 70 which also reflects his three-game average. After starting the season with bulk CBAs, he was pushed out to a wing against the Power in a worrying sign moving forward, and attended none.
Josh Rachele (FWD/MID, $679,000): The young Crow is having a sensational season with five 85-plus scores in what has been a huge success for his coaches. Until the weekend he was carrying a season-low of just 75 before a disastrous outing at the Cattery with just eight touches and 27 from a season-low TOG of 69 per cent which leaves some question marks about an injury concern.
Reuben Ginbey (DEF, $478,000): The young Eagle was solid against the Tigers with 16 possessions, two marks and four tackles for a score of 60. He is owned by over half the competition and it is the perfect time to trade him out as part of a traditional downgrade/upgrade trade to reach an under-priced premium. He dropped $4K this week and he has a BE of 59 with a five-game average of 53.
Kade Chandler (FWD, $511,000): Following an awesome season-high 106 in round seven that left his coaches very vocal, they went remarkably quiet following his season-low 37 in round eight. He has been an absolute champion cash cow this year with a season price rise of $311K but it is a good time to move him on given his five-game average of 61 and his breakeven of 57.
Luke Pedlar (FWD, $464,000): The Crow has been a more than serviceable contributor this year, coming in at a bargain price tag and going on to average 61. He is still owned by 31 per cent of the competition with a number of them looking to move him on following a season-low 45 against the Cats. If, however, he is required for one more week on your ground, he should be serviceable against the Saints at Adelaide Oval.
Get expert advice from The Traders during the season in the Fantasy Hub. Follow AFL Fantasy on Twitter and Instagram and 'like' the Facebook page to join in the conversation.
