Backline carnage is destroying fantasy teams and even taking away one of our perennial VC options in Docherty, meaning people are going to have to look elsewhere this week!
The good news is, there are plenty of options this week with some match ups that could result in some massive ceiling scores. Here are my best VC picks in order, and a couple of dot points on why.
Vice-Captains
1. Sean Darcy
- Likely coming up against Moyle this week, should dominate the hitouts
- Marshall scored 107 against Moyle last week before being subbed off
- Gold Coast give up plenty of Fantasy points on their day
2. Harry Sheezel
- Low score of 109 for the year
- Daicos had 126 against Brisbane last week
3. Touk Miller
- Fresh off a 120
- Dawson had 122 against Fremantle last week
4. Rory Laird
- Would be my last option with Curnow potentially heading to him, but if you’re an owner, you selected him to be a Captain option each week. Can’t be trusted with that at the moment, but when you have a player of his caliber available to be your VC, you take it.
Captains
If you don’t strike gold with one of the players mentioned above, there are plenty of genuinely safe options to carry you home later on in the weekend. My top captain options for Round 5 are:
1. Clayton Oliver
If you own him, just captain him. It’s as simple as that. Oliver is head and shoulders above anyone else at the moment, both in Fantasy and football in general. One score below 124 all year which was a 111 anyway, coming up against the bombers who have allowed 5 tons to be scored against them by opposition midfielders in the last two weeks, headed by Brad Crouch with a 122. Crouch is not even close to the player Oliver is. This could get ugly for Oliver’s non owners.
2. Zach Merrett
Merrett’s last game against Melbourne was Round 15, 2021, where he had a lazy day out with 41 disposals and 153 AFL Fantasy points. The game before that was Round 18, 2020, where he scored 115, which happens to be in shortened quarters… If that were to be adjusted to a full game, it would equate to 144. Add that form to the fact Melbourne let Tim Kelly score 142 against them last week in a side that got smashed, and Merrett could be in for a massive day for his owners. We know he has the ceiling, so don’t be surprised if he is this weeks top scorer.
3. Josh Kelly
Kelly lines up against Hawthorn this week, who he had 124 against last year. Geelong had five players score over 100 against the hawks last week, with Guthrie (111) and Dangerfield (104) finding plenty of it in the midfield. Maginness is becoming less of a worry for fantasy coaches with each week that passes, which leads me to believe that Kelly will be in for a big week.
4. Rowan Marshall
Marshall is coming up against a Collingwood side with no genuine ruckman, which resulted in McInerney pumping out a solid 95 against them last week. Marshall is a far superior fantasy player to the Big O and could put on an absolute masterclass. The only thing stopping Marshall this week would be Ross the boss putting him back in that red vest, but St Kilda simply wont be in a position this week against good opposition for that to happen again. If your VC flops, you can lock him in with confidence.
POD Captain
- Jeremy Cameron
When I say Clayton Oliver is head and shoulders above anyone else at the moment, this man would have a fair argument to say he’s being hard done by. Three tons in a row, two 130+ scores including 137 last week, Cameron is playing like the great Leigh Mathews so far this season. Versing a decimated West Coast outfit that allowed a fringe AFL key forward in Tom McDonald to kick four goals and score 99 against them last week, the small percentage of Jeremy Cameron owners are destined to be heavily rewarded this week. Calculated risks are what can win you a hat, so if you’re an owner, don’t be scared to put the C on him this week. He could be massive.
