Midpricers at this time of year are key for coaches in order to get a good rank, or win you home league, but if you hold onto the wrong ones, it can really cost you.
To help go through the mid-pricers, we have a panel of AFL Fantasy experts to help with deciding which midpricers we should be targeting, and which ones we should be jumping off.
Our expert panel consists of:
- Ben Lamont @Lamontstars, 255th in 2021 AFL Fantasy
- Max Phillips @MaxiPhillips, top 1000 finisher in AFL Fantasy and finished 80th in 2022 AFLW Fantasy
- Nick Millar @Time_Millar, 5th in 2020 AFL Fantasy
- Luke Strudwick @Strudy23, two-time AFL Fantasy top 100 finisher
- Tim Rosen @timrosen35, former AFL Fantasy 13th place finisher
Ben Lamont @Lamontstars
Targeting: Will Setterfield
At the beginning of the year there seemed to be a glut of mid-priced options to start and choosing the right one was always going to be difficult. To be fair, most have been pretty good, but Will Setterfield has absolutely shot the lights out. We all knew Essendon were after a big bodied mid, we all knew Setterfield had scored well in the past with the right role and sure enough, he is thriving. This might be the last week he is still value before getting into the $800k range, so do not be afraid to jump on board. Role tick, scoring tick, team winning and happy coach? Tick, tick, tick…
Moving off: Dom Sheed
On the flip side, one of the few mid-pricers who has not been meeting expectations is Dom Sheed. When you buy a mid-pricer, you do not want what you paid for, you want much more and at the moment, Sheed is just meh. He is going ok, but appears to be missing that consistency across a game. Coupled with the fact that the Eagles are looking to play a faster style, I think the guy who seemed a knockout, may just be capped.
Max Phillips @MaxiPhillips
Targeting: Jack Ziebell
Former North Melbourne captain Ziebell appears to have reclaimed his Fantasy-friendly role in defence this year, kicking off the season with back-to-back scores of 109. Acting as the Kangaroos’ quarterback, Ziebell was one of the surprises of 2021 when he averaged 100 and piled on eight tons including a season-high 170 in Round 6. While he may not return to those lofty heights, he boasts a breakeven of just 26 and clearly commands the ball from his teammates in this role. The veteran looks a great value option with a breakeven of just 26 and is a certainty to gain DPP flexibility.
Moving off: Tanner Bruhn
Promising practice match form hasn’t translated into the real season for Geelong youngster Bruhn, who notched 65 and 43 through the opening two rounds. Cats coach Chris Scott is notoriously unpredictable, particularly when experimenting with roles for his younger players, and it’s meant Bruhn has had midfield stints cut abruptly short and endured extended time on the pine. The 20-year-old dropped $3k last round and should be offloaded to a safer cash cow.
Nick Millar @Time_Millar
Targeting: Will Setterfield
The mid-pricer we all needed was right under our noses the whole time. A good player without much opportunity at the Blues walks into an Essendon midfield crying out for someone to do some actual work and get their hands dirty. Two massive scores about 120 shows a huge ceiling, plus he’s still priced at low 80s means there’s heaps of value to be had, sure the run gets a bit harder from here (Demons, Cats, Port, Lions) but at 80 you don’t need dominance just solid work and job security. Get on board.
Moving off: Finn Callaghan
I was wrong about Finn. He’s not going to the moon, he’s not even going to 7/11 for a $1 large lemon lime and bitters slurpee (which is clearly the best of all slurpees don’t @ me). He was OK against the Crows, but rubbish against the easy to score against Eagles without Kelly or Whitfield taking his ball. Bad signs all, not an immediate pressing need to jump off maybe given his low low price, but certainly isn’t going to be what we all thought.
Luke Strudwick @Strudy23
Targeting: Liam Stocker
If you are struggling for cash and are needing to strengthen your backline a good value option is Liam Stocker. He’s a name I didn’t think I’d be looking at this year but he’s got a juice role at the saints and represents good value in our weak back lines. Priced at $512k with a BE of only 18 he’s guaranteed to sky rocket in price if he can continue to average 80-90.
Moving off: Jason Horne-Francis
This guy has shown glimpses that he can be a superstar footballer. But I don’t think he’s showing enough value to be in my side. Best on ground in Round 1 and only producing a 90s score wasn’t good enough for that kind of performance. Then to follow it up with a shocking 42 against the Pies. He’s an easy move on.
Tim Rosen @timrosen35
Targeting: Jack Ziebell
There are two reasons I will be looking at bringing in Ziebell this week. Firstly he has returned to the role he had in 2021 which saw him average 100 from 21 games. Sitting behind the footy, setting up play, slowing the tempo down to minimise the oppositions scoring, and also taking kick ins. The second reason is he will become dual position after the first update. So he will be a handy player to shift from our relatively strong forward lines into our flimsy looking backlines.
Moving off: Jason Horne-Francis
Even when he dominated in Round 1 he only managed to find his way to a 90. That’s worrying. With so many good forward options, we need a guy that has a massive ceiling taking up that F4-5 spot. Additionally, he showed on the weekend he is capable of a stinker where he loses the plot and gives away free kicks for fun. Not enough easy ball for my liking. Won’t go up the $200k + required by a mid-price selection to make it worthwhile.
