THE FIRST round of the byes had everything we expected. Some players stood up, some players acted like it was their bye and for most, the highlight came when the round ended and we could start planning how to navigate week three.
On Friday night, Sam Walsh (MID, $905,000) got off to a flying start before slowing down to eventually match the lowest output of his career with 55 points, completely baffling his coaches and setting a bad example for his Fantasy teammates.
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Thankfully not all players followed the trend with Tim English (RUC, $1.01M) once again stepping up to reinforce he is clearly the No.1 big man in the game. He once again ran his opponents into the ground and displayed elite aerial skills taking 12 marks to go with 27 possessions for a round-high 158. Zach Merrett (MID, $982,000) had his own ball in the first quarter, collecting 16 possessions, two marks, two tackles and two goals for 68 in that quarter alone. He ensured his coaches ended the round on a high with 155.
As far as the bargain bye targets went, they were all good barring an unfortunate injury to Hugh Greenwood (MID, $563,000) who was tracking for another triple figure score before going down with a concussion on 49. Ben Keays (FWD/MID, $621,000) was in the middle for the second week in a row with 24 CBAs and his numbers reflected that with 25 touches, 10 tackles and two goals for 123.
Giants big man Kieren Briggs (RUC, $612,000) maintained his stranglehold on the No.1 ruck mantle with yet another outstanding performance with 30 hitouts, nine tackles and two goals for 117. Speaking of No.1 rucks, Darcy Cameron (RUC/FWD, $675,000) continued to progress across the board since returning from injury, taking full advantage of the soft match-up against the Eagles with 23 possessions, seven marks and 31 hitouts for 109.
MOST TRADED IN
- Harvey Harrison (FWD, $221,000)
- Bailey Macdonald (DEF, $219,000)
- Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $982,000)
- Josh Fahey (DEF/MID, $200,000)
- Lachie Neale (MID, $829,000)
MOST TRADED OUT
- Rory Atkins (DEF/MID, $547,000)
- Luke Pedlar (FWD, $478,000)
- Alex Cincotta (DEF/MID, $401,000)
- Brayden Fiorini (MID, $589,000)
- Seamus Mitchell (DEF/FWD, $511,000)
TOP FIVE PRICE RISES
- Kieren Briggs (RUC, $612,000) +$72,000
- Ben Keays (FWD/MID, $621,000) +57,000
- Liam Duggan (DEF, $851,000) +$47,000
- Nic Martin (FWD/MID, $752,000) +$46,000
- Dom Sheed (MID, $785,000) +$45,000
TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS
- Noah Cumberland (FWD, $375,000) -$71,000
- Tom Doedee (DEF, $468,000) -$58,000
- Jye Simpkin (MID, $661,000) -$57,000
- Darcy Macpherson (DEF/FWD, $687,000) -$53,000
- Dylan Shiel (MID, $650,000) -$52,000
LOWEST BREAKEVENS
- Harvey Harrison (FWD, $221,000) 5
- Bailey Macdonald (DEF, $219,0000) 8
- Oisin Mullin (DEF, $244,000) 10
- Phoenix Spicer (FWD, $236,000) 11
- Kieren Briggs (RUC, $612,000) 12
HIGHEST BREAKEVENS
- Sam Walsh (MID, $905,000) 154
- Jack Ziebell (FWD/DEF, $854,000) 138
- Tom Green (MID, $967,000) 132
- Jye Simpkin (MID, $661,000) 129
- Darcy Macpherson (DEF/FWD, $687,000) 129
STOCKS UP
Andrew Brayshaw (MID, $982,000): The Dockers star is the No.1 premium upgrade target coming off his bye. He is averaging a whopping 123 in his past five games and has a nice match-up at home against the Tigers this week. Ignore his BE of 118 and expect a spike in his current ownership of 36 per cent.
Caleb Serong (MID, $922,000): The breakout is real for the hard-nosed midfielder who has been flirting with taking his game to this level for a couple of seasons. He comes in at a slightly cheaper price than his teammate, but is still in good form with a three-game average of 114. A bonus of the Serong move is his ownership is just 13 per cent, which is quite unique, especially for a player that sits in Roy's Rollin' 22.
Lachie Neale (MID, $829,000): Although the star Lion hasn't been at his high-scoring best this year with an average of 94, he has been a lot better of late with a three-game average of 107 which makes him a nice price if that's a sign of things to come. I am a coach who loves instant reward from a traded-in player and his round 13 match-up with the Hawks should provide access to plenty of points as we saw last week from the Power midfielders.
Kieren Briggs (RUC, $612,000): The Giants big man has been thrown the keys and he is making the most of it. Since holding the mantle as No.1 ruck, he has scored 84, 111 and 117 with his most recent consisting of 11 possessions, nine tackles, 30 hitouts and two goals. It's not ideal bringing in players who are set for a bye in the coming weeks but exceptions can be made for bargain plays as long as they can be covered in that round. He has a tough match-up with Goldy this week but his BE of 12 suggests it's worth it.
Jake Lloyd (DEF, $806,000): Although the Swan defender hasn't been pumping out career-best numbers, he is quietly putting together a nice season and presents as an option given his bye is out of the way. He is in good form with a five-game average of 99 and has a dream match-up this week against the Saints who provided high-marking defenders James Sicily and Jack Ziebell a day out.
STOCKS DOWN
Rory Atkins (DEF/MID, $547,000): No doubt about it, the Suns defender/wing has been a great stepping stone to a premium with an average of 74 which has ensured a significant price rise. Given he has the bye this week, he is a prime candidate to cash in as part of an upgrade to a player who has completed the round 12 bye. He has a BE of 78 for his 21 per cent of coaches and as long as you don't need him to reach 18 players in round 14 and 15, he can go.
Brayden Fiorini (MID, $589,000): In similar fashion to Rat, if you don't need Fiorini in round 14 or 15, he can be moved on. Unfortunately the ball magnet doesn't have the role required to consistently live up to that title, spending most of his time on a wing as opposed to the centre of the ground. He has a BE of 99, a total he has reached just once this season.
James Worpel (MID, $707,000): The Hawks midfielder overcame a slow start to the year to become a consistent and serviceable performer in recent weeks with a five-round average of 81. He has another game prior to his round 14 bye but if it suits your structure, he can certainly be moved on with a BE of 93 leading into a tough match-up against the Lions, a total he hasn't reached in the past five games.
Jack Ziebell (FWD/DEF, $854,000): The Roos veteran has been great down back and provided handy versatility with his DPP status. He is averaging an impressive 100 for the season but has been sliding a bit of late, as his three-game average of 85 and weekly drop of $28K suggests. With many teams holding a lot of premiums in round 15, JZ might need to be the one on the block.
Harry Sheezel (FWD/DEF, $772,000): The fan favourite and young gun is another player on the round 15 bye that may need to go in order to accommodate a balanced bye structure. He has had a sensational season with an average of 98 but his five-round average of 87 has cause his BE to increase to 117 following a price drop of $25K last week.
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