AT THE halfway mark of the opening split round, and with unlimited trades to play with for one week only, Roy's got the inside word on which Fantasy players you should be bringing into your side, post haste.
Fantasy weekend review: round one
Defenders
It is hard to believe that almost 50 per cent of the competition is currently running the gauntlet and playing the ‘free hit’ round without Sam Mitchell [DEF, $517,700].
If you are one of these coaches, here is why you need to reconsider. Mitchell has a ridiculous record of smashing his round one opponent (this week it's the Brisbane Lions) with seven out of eight Fantasy scores over the 100 point mark, including scores of 113, 119, 127 and 132.
If you look back further, the Hawks' former skipper has in fact scored over 100 in nine of his past 12 opening rounds.
Mitchell is in good form, averaging 93 in the pre-season which included a 120, while scoring at 97 points per 100 minutes.
Bring him in now!
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Midfielders
After missing the first NAB Challenge game and scoring a modest 84 in the second game, Jobe Watson [MID, $534,000] was starting to drift off the Fantasy radar.
In his final pre-season game however, he reminded us that he is a valuable selection, especially for the ‘free hit’ round, with an impressive score of 124 against Richmond at Punt Road Oval.
If that doesn’t impress you, his history against the Dons' opening round opponent North Melbourne will. In his last nine games against the Roos, Watson has not dropped under 90 and has a sensational seven 100-point scores in that time.
The most impressive part of Watson’s domination of North is that six of those hundreds are captain-like numbers of 110, 120, 121, 121, 124 and 132. He has also displayed good from at Etihad Stadium with 121 and 120 in his last two games there.
Ruckmen
With Billy Longer [RUC, $194,400] leaving the Sandringham practice match in the third quarter due to injury over the weekend, the likelihood of Tom Hickey carrying the majority of the Saints' ruck load became almost a certainty.
Priced at just $282,700, Hickey is now in a position to score well above that bargain price. In the first round of the NAB Challenge he played most of the game as the club's sole ruck and scored very well as a result.
Hickey registered an impressive 38 hit-outs, to go with a handy five tackles, eventually scoring 85 points from 71 per cent game time.
St Kilda's first-round opponents, Melbourne, have been less than impressive in the ruck over past seasons which is another likely plus for Hickey.
Forwards
Jarryd Roughead [FWD, $470,100] looks like continuing his tradition of being too much to handle for the Lions.
In 2012 he collected 17 possessions and kicked 2.3 against the Lions to register a Fantasy score of 111 and he backed that up in 2013 with 18 possessions and four goals for a score of 110 points.
In the last round of the NAB Challenge, Roughy showed Fantasy coaches that he is hitting form at the right time with a dominant all-round display against the Demons to finish with six goals and a whopping 164 Fantasy points. That game took his pre-season average to 105.
Hopefully you Fantasy fans are off to a good start, and these guys can provide you with some extra scoring punch. Good luck this week!
