There were some big and not so big AFL Fantasy scores this round. Many premiums hit their targets, while a lot of speculative options flopped, leading to a much lower par score for the round.
Author: Dale Clohesy
Many coaches still have Patrick Cripps on their books, which is an MRO worry, as they have had other forced trades in the second half of the year.
Now with him looking like he might be on the outer for a bit after his big bump, let’s look at some of the better options moving forward.
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Rory Laird (AF $1.07m MID)
For the first week in a long time Laird didn’t hit 130. Unbelievable really. Instead he hit an insane 127 points and kept his average at 122.2 for the season. He looked on target for a massive score after two goals and 24 points all in the first five minutes of the game against the Eagles. He seems a lock every week for a great score, with many coaches bringing him in over the last few weeks but the question is how do you afford him?
Brad Crouch (AF $891k MID)
What a season he is having, and his last few months has been exceptional, averaging 132 points in his last three and 117 points in his last five. He is finishing off the fantasy season well and is definitely a point of difference in the midfield. Crouch is hunting the ball, and he has had 11 tackles in each of his last three games helping boost his scoring up over that 100 mark very consistently. He seems very passionate about driving the Saints at the moment, where there are other players for the Saints that look like they don’t have that same level of energy.
Clayton Oliver (AF $892k MID)
A bounce-back game for Oliver, after a few low scores of 94 and 87 coming off his broken-finger-missed-game, he pumped out a very nice 139 even with a shocking kick-to-handball ratio. But when you get the ball as much as he did, it didn’t matter. His teammates were looking for him constantly through the match, as he was in and under the packs all night as well. The only downside is the Dees didn’t win. The Pies played a very fast and free flowing game-style, while in comparison the Dees over possessed the ball. Will that lead about a change going forward? Even if it does, I still see Oliver having the high rate of possessions in close to the contest. Good price too.
Luke Parker (AF $834k M/F)
Parker has stepped up in the last three weeks and become a major target heading into the last two rounds. With a three-game average of nearly 116 he is hot property. As he is a forward, his form stacks up against some of the best players in the competition right now. Parker is on the ball, helping drive the Swans towards a possible top-four finish. He is tackling like a machine at the moment, which as we know for our fantasy premiums, is paramount.
Josh Dunkley (AF $806k M/F)
Another player that had a couple of down weeks and then has stepped back up again. Low scores of 68 and 87, have then been followed by a three-game average of 110, making him an option in the forward line. Yes, he is highly owned, but not every coach has him and he is still nicely priced as an option if you don’t have him yet.
Zach Merrett (AF $955k MID)
Is definitely not in the category of must have, after his poor performance getting tagged. There are some players who can play through a tag and others that cannot. Merrett seems to fall into the latter category and had a friend join him in Tom Stewart this week as well. That said, putting Merrett out of your trade in calculations this week would also not be wise coaching. His average over the last few months has been very good and he’s still a valid option in the next few weeks. Flag, Essendon’s next opponent Port are the toughest to score against.
