The Must-Have Players for AFL Fantasy in 2023

After covering the must have rookies last week, Bailey takes a look at which players you should make sure are in your starting squads for AFL Fantasy in 2023!

As fantasy coaches, we need players that represent as the building blocks of our teams. Firstly, the rookies are part of that puzzle, but another major part is those “must have” players and making sure you can fit them into your side. We have a few of those this year, so let’s have a look at those must have players, with a few of those being value premium options in the forward line.

1. Josh Dunkley (MID/FWD)

Price – $963k

Ownership – 57.7%

The biggest lock for me this season has to be Josh Dunkley. After keeping FWD status from last year, he moves to the Brisbane Lions where he is set to be a permanent midfielder, unlike at the Bulldogs where they had a stacked midfield. The argument against him could be his price, but I see him as the clear no.1 forward and could be by 5-10 points or more, which negates the price argument. I also see him as value on his priced at figure of 109. Will be in for a huge year, and I see him going 115+.

2. Sam Docherty (DEF)

Price – $977k

Ownership – 40.4%

Another player that doesn’t come cheap, but similar to Dunkley, I see Doch going 10 points better than the next best defender. Couple that with the fact he has had a full preseason compared to last year, and he could even be some value priced at 110 and I can see him going at 115 with his half-back role with stints in the midfield. Also has the added bonus of playing back to back Thursday night games, perfect for a great VC.

3. Tim Taranto (MID/FWD)

Price – $846k

Ownership – 53.8%

Moving from a high scoring Giants team to a low scoring Richmond team, people had their concerns with Taranto in the preseason. Those concerns were quickly put to bed with a fantastic preseason where he looks set to play purely on ball at the Tigers. We all know he is a proven fantasy player, averaging 112.5 in 2019 in a career best year and 107.8 in 2021. I think he can go 105+, which is 10 points underpriced for a guy likely to be a top 6 forward, if not a top 2-3 forward.

4. Rowan Marshall (RUCK)

Price – $808k

Ownership – 46.2%

With so much stress surrounding the rucks this year, Rowan Marshall looks the clear cut option for us coaches to lock into our sides. We know what he can do when he is the solo ruck, averaging around or above the 110 mark. There was talk yesterday that Campbell could play, but I still think Marshall will be the main ruck as that is what he been training for this preseason. I think he goes 100+ this season, with scope to go bigger than that towards the 110 average.

5. Connor Rozee (MID/FWD)

Price – $780k

Ownership – 47.5%

The common theme this preseason is the forward premiums being value, and Connor Rozee is another one of those. Priced at 88 because he was playing mostly forward for the first 4 games, with scores of 21, 48, 54 and 55. Moved into the midfield in round 5 and didn’t look back, especially in the last 7 games where he only dropped under 100 on one occasion (injury affected vs Richmond in round 21). Averaged 98 when playing midfield, and even if he does just that, he’s still 10 points underpriced, but I think he goes 100+ making him an excellent pick.

Other players I like:

Will Ashcroft, Harry Sheezel, Cam Mackenzie and Reuben Ginbey

Spoke about all of these guys in the must have rookies article, but all 4 of these guys should be in your starting squad and on your ground. All have great job security and scoring potential which is a great mix and exactly what we want from our rookies if we can get it.

Rory Laird

Price – $1.07m Ownership – 28.4%

He may be a very high price, and I could be biased here, but I think Laird is a player you have to highly consider. He has been a machine since a move into the midfield, averaging 115 in his past 50 games. He has only gone under 90 on one occasion in the past 2 seasons, and didn’t go below 90 last season. As consistent as they come, and a great captain each week.

Errol Gulden

Price – $735k Ownership – 38.5%

Before his massive 177 point game in the practice match Errol was sitting under 7% ownership. That ownership has skyrocketed since and sits at 38.5%. Priced at 83, if he can get consistently around the 40% CBA’s he should be a 95 or more averaging player. He was only getting around 10% CBA’s at the backend of last year, so there is only scope for improvement in his 3rd season, which as we know is common for a 3rd year breakout.