In a week where all the focus was on what to do with Will Day, if you went with Dawson (133) or Daicos (136) you would have been mightily excited. The value picks unfortunately did not rise to the same lofty heights.
That is unless you had the foresight to go a Chayce Jones (108) who has finally come out of his shell.
Dawson’s midfield role makes him a lock
Jordan Dawson’s (133) move to the midfield has not only set the Crows alight, but has his fantasy game humming. Almost guaranteed a top 2 defender if he stays there all year. Rory Laird (118) looked like he was also in for a monster early, before the Blues put the clamps on him, however now might be time to jump at the uber premo as his remaining teams provide favourable match ups in the future and he is not getting any cheaper. Sam Walsh (102) did not miss a beat on return and should only get better, but the big question out of this game for me was is the break out of Chayce Jones (108) real, and if so, could he be the stepping stone you need for one of your fattened cows?
Get Suns on your radar
Is it time to panic with Andrew Brayshaw (72)? He started the year well, but reports of a knee niggle and the fact it now looks like Caleb Serong (125) is the main ball hunter, I sure am worried. You always give your uber premos another week, but this game did not look good. On the other hand, Sean Darcy (118) is proving one of the ruck picks of the year, with Jackson seemingly having little impact on his development and scoring. Noah Anderson (107) is back and along with Touk Miller (102) may be a trade target going forward with the Suns having a nice little draw coming.
Swans midfield merry-go-round chaos
Well the Richmond dynasty may be over, but with it they are finally becoming fantasy relevant! Timmy Time Taranto (109) is just safe as houses, Jacob Hopper (111) has started repaying the faith to his owners and Liam Baker (122) is proving an excellent pick down back. The Swans on the other hand are difficult to get a grasp on… Gulden (96) is doing just enough, but the midfield merry-go-round makes it difficult to lock in any of their stars. In any given week Warner (101) can play more forward, Mills (91) may not go in at all and Rowbum (75) can tag. I would avoid at all costs if you like your sanity.
LDU fizzles on return
Well that’s it, The Cheese (96) finally showed he is a rookie after-all and could not get it done… Wow what a legend, no ton this week, but with DPP is now a top 4 def and fwd (is that even possible!?). The Brisbane mids did their thing here with Neale (116), Junks (102) and Ashcroft (94) all getting it done. Unfortunately for owners the LDU (76) return has been a bit of a fizzle and it is now a question of how long do you ride this train? Keep a sneaky eye on Jarrod Lyons (32 from 22% TOG) as he could be a massive POD if things fall his way.
Draper breakout is real
A great win for the Bombers off the back of their three big mids all tonning up again (Merrett 119, Parish 105, Setters 100). Jack Viney (115) appears to be back and Clayton Oliver (108) owners had an almighty fright, but were saved by a HUGE last quarter effort. As mentioned last week, the Sam Draper (82) break-out could be real, but I imagine at this point is only really draft relevant.
Macrae has failed, JJ is an option
Once again we have to point out how great Tim English (123) was and he should have been our first picked in pre-season. Rozee (108) and Butters (110) showed they may yet be top 6 forwards at seasons end and The Bont (100) once again succumbed to a tag and slow second half after bolting out the gate. For those who had the foresight to jump on Jason Johannisen (98) on his return have been well rewarded. I know one coach who called it early and didn’t take the plunge (sorry mate). Finally, we are probably at the point now where Jack Macrae (86) has been a failed pick this year and perhaps the one time fantasy stud has finally gone past his best days.
Duncan turnoff with inconsistency
The Cats are rolling and with it, not much is happening fantasy wise as usual… Except for the consistency of Jezza Cameron (93) who is putting together some sort of season. Tim Kelly (100) backed up his good form from last week, but you just couldn’t. Tom Stewart (98) was solid again, but for those who jumped at the big score of Mitch Duncan (55) last week, this one had to hurt.
Newcombe steps into Day breach
With Will Day being out, it left a bit of a hole in the Hawks midfield and Jai Newcombe (119) and The Worpedo (114) stood up accordingly. Amazing what happens when players play in their best position! Many of the Giants got their scores up and running, with Cogs (115) the best of the lot. It was also looking like another big day for Tom Green (100) before Connor Nash (104) put the clamps on him. Unfortunately it now seems he will be in some MRO trouble and we might have a tough decision on our hands this week for a guy who has been a fantastic starting pick.
Just more Daicos regrets if you don’t own
I am happy to admit that I was one of the ones who jumped at the pre-season tag and did not start Nick Daicos (136), but very much enjoyed his return to my side this week. Rowan Marshall (134) took full advantage of the ruckless Pies and did exactly what we wanted from him at the start of the year. Brad Crouch (118) continued his hot form without Jack Steele in the team as the Saints defenders (Wilkie 117 and Battle 116) had a field day picking off the Pies long kicks.
Final thoughts
Well it is moving time. Rookies have begun to fatten and forecasting the future has never been more important. If you can keep dodging the MRO and injury bullets you should continue to see a big jump in ranks as many coaches deal with the fallout each week. Good luck with your trades and remember, you are not getting players for what they have already scored, but for what they will score in the future.
