TO PUT it bluntly, it wasn't a great year in AFL Fantasy for the Hawks with many of their players dropping their average from the year before as their team ranked 15th in the league for scoring 100-plus scores.

Dylan Moore (FWD, $944,000) didn’t drop his average though, as he posted the best average for the Hawks with 92. This ranks him as the No. 1 forward in the game, just above Jason Horne-Francis (MID/FWD, $919,000) and his average of 89.

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The Hawks did settle on their No. 1 ruckman though and handed the reins solely to Lloyd Meek (RUC, $907,000) who averaged 93 after his mid-season bye. Meek scored 137 and 87 during the AFL Finals and does offer some value for those trying to save money in the ruck position.

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Lock them in

Will Day (MID, $760,000) had a season interrupted by injuries and is now one of the biggest bargains in the game. After a breakout season in 2023, Day dropped his average last season by 21 points to the 74 he is priced at today. A fit and healthy, Day can average 100, a number he pushed in the back-half of his breakout year. Day is currently owned by only a quarter of Fantasy coaches, which only means… the other 75 per cent need to wake up and start enjoying the Day.

Track their pre-season

Drafted with pick No.35 in 2021, Josh Ward (MID, $577,000) is yet to find his feet. Due to injuries and a drop in form, Ward found himself playing nine games in the VFL last year where he averaged 108. Ward averaged 72 in his debut season and backed it up the following year averaging 75. This clearly reflects Ward’s scoring ability, more so than the 56 he averaged last year. As a junior, Ward was a scoring machine. Even though he is currently on the outer when it comes to midfield minutes… things might change. Just like they did in the AFL Finals Series when he attended 59 per cent of the team’s centre bounces for his score of 101.

Dual-position tempter

Surprisingly, Finn Maginness (MID/FWD, $505,000) is the only Hawthorn player with dual-position status. Maginness is one of the best taggers in the game, but his defensive skills weren’t overly used last season. On his day, he can be a huge headache for the stars of the competition by wrecking their Fantasy scores. Just like he did to Josh Kelly in 2023 when he held him to just 30 points.

Bargain basement

Although the Hawks don’t have a huge group of Fantasy rookies beating down the door, they do have Seamus Mitchell (DEF, $357,000) who is always fighting for his spot in their best-22. Mitchell has played 24 games across the last two seasons and when he has been given the opportunity. He has had some impressive games last season with scores of 85, 84 and 80. Mitchell is a proven Fantasy scorer who dominated the VFL last year with top scores of 167, 139 and 135, if he can force his way into their line-up, he is a name worth considering.

Draft sleeper

Based on his 2024 average of 87, James Sicily (DEF, $896,000) currently sits outside of the top 15 defenders in the game. Due to his marking game and thirst for the ball, Sicily can have huge scores on his day. In 2023 when he averaged 105, he scored 160 and 165 which was achieved by taking to a total of 35 marks. If Sicily can maintain his role down back, and not float forward, his average will take care of itself and return closer to the 100-plus it once was.

Custom stat star

Is there a triple-figure average on the cards for Jai Newcombe (MID, $880,000)? Even though Newcombe averaged 93 in 2023 and just 86 last year, many are predicting big things for the young Hawk who only has 76 games under his belt. In Draft, you can customise your scoring and make the game your own. Maybe add some extra value to tackles and hope that Newcombe can improve on the 4.4 he laid last year and get back to what he did on debut when he laid 14 against the Swans in 2021.

Buyer beware

"Connor Macdonald (FWD, $800,000) … more midfield time" - I've heard it all before. Last year many predicted that Macdonald was set for a breakout season off the back of some pre-season hype around the classic quote of "more midfield time". For the entire season, he attended eight centre bounces and although he improved his overall average to 78 (which is impressive for a forward), we can't always believe what we hear, especially when it comes to players getting "more midfield time".

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