With one week to go in the AFL Fantasy season, the numbers don’t matter so much as the matchup for the final round of the regular season.
Written by Dale Clohesy
If you are still pushing your overall rank up or you may have made it to big dance in your head-to-head leagues, here are some potential options.
James Sicily (AF $710k DEF)
With the Hawks coming up against the Doggies, who give up points to defenders, I see this as a standing point for Sicily. Not only is it his last game of the season, but his last chance to show the coach and the fans that he can be the next captain for the Hawks. He has probably done everything right so far this year. Another strong performance in the last game can only help. Even though the Doggies are trying to scrape into the finals, the defensive area should still be easy for points. Coming off 116 he is a great option.
Patrick Cripps (AF $833k MID)
After a stellar 118 against the Demons, Cripps has the Pies midfield this Sunday in the do-or-die last round. If the Blues win, they play finals, so I think Cripps will be up and about, especially if George Hewett isn’t back as the current talk suggests. Many have had to hold Cripps because of everything else late in the season. His last three average is over 116 and he’s in form. He is hunting the ball and if he kicked it more than he currently does he would put up some seriously high scores.
Touk Miller (AF $907k MID)
He had a great game against the Cats, watching him live really shows how much ground he covers. The Cats went with three different players on him. It was mainly Mark Blicavs in the first half, then as the Cats were well in control they mixed it up with Mark O’Connor picking up around the ground in the third and Tom Atkins a fair bit in the last. He covers so much ground, his running reminds me of Robert Harvey from the Saints many years ago. He has the Roos this week and I think as both teams are out of finals it could be a little bruise free.
Jy Simpkin (AF $809k MID)
Where was this form at the start of the year when so many coaches were expecting him to step up for the entire season? His last three average of 119 is elite and shows us what he is capable of. With North obviously playing the Suns, it isn’t an easy team for midfielders to play against, but it isn’t hard either. Simpkin is all over the field and hits every stat line. There are rumours that he could be the next captain of the club, and he would love to put in another solid performance to give the new incoming coach an option for the team going forward.
Rowan Marshall (AF $887k R/F)
His last three average of 133 is the best in the competition. Yes, he has that massive 160 in there, but his last two scores of 118 in both weeks means he is still a great option. Coming up against Sydney this week, he should again put up a great score with the Swans being easy for rucks to score against. As the stand-alone ruck in the Saints outfit he is elite at fantasy scoring and gets around the ground to get his points in many different ways. Marks down the line, tackles in the midfield, hit up marks across half back. He is everywhere. A great option for the last week of the fantasy season.
Sean Darcy (AF $709k RUC)
With his massive 147 against the Eagles, Darcy has really put his hand up after a fairly lacklustre fantasy season. Normally I don’t like to write about players who have probably scored a flash-in-the-pan type scores. However, as Darcy comes up against the Giants (who knows if Braydon Preuss will be playing) this week, he could again go quite big. His price is very cheap for someone that nearly hit 150 this week. He had 56 hit outs and six tackles, numbers he would hope to replicate this coming weekend.
Bailey Smith (AF $783k M/F)
Against the Hawks in the last round could be the perfect spot for Smith to get back to his elite fantasy scoring. The Hawks give up lot of points to midfielders, though they do sometimes run a tag with Finn Maginness. I think that tag would go to someone else at the Doggies before Smith. Smith has huge upside as he has shown quite often this season and with the Dogs having to win this week to have a chance, he should be up and about.
