Last round was tough and to top it all off Touk Miller picked up a knee injury which forces further trades for coaches who thought they’d find perfect value at the right time. So we’ll look at the Touk replacements.
Plus we’ll analyse some potential role changes leading to value picks, along with casting the eye over the rookie batch as coaches look to downgrade/upgrade.
Touk Miller replacements
Unfortunately for the 16% of teams that own Touk Miller, it looks like he will be a forced trade after he suffered a knee injury against the Roos this week. The popular trade is still priced fairly high so there are a few options to play around with so I want to list some upgrades and sideways trades that might be worthwhile for Miller.
Clayton Oliver (SC $668k Mid)
Yes, he is the most expensive player midfielder we have right now and he is set to drop a bit of cash but Oliver is a bode of consistency and there are still 54% of teams that don’t own him, with games against North, Gold Coast, Hawthorn and Freo in 4 of his next 5. He could very well be back at that unattainable price. Even his BE of 171 isn’t out of the question given he scored 178 the last time he played the Roos. It is a hefty upgrade though as you’ll have to fork out $70k for this move but you’ve very much got a top 5 midfielder in Supercoach as well as a captaincy option. If you can’t afford this then Rory Laird is $34k cheaper and is probably going to be as cheap as he gets at $634k. If you still don’t fancy either of them then any of the top mids that you’ve missed out on is also a viable choice.
Sam Walsh (SC $611k Mid)
After missing the whole preseason with a back injury, Walsh has come back with a bang scoring back-to-back tons and has not looked like he’s missed a beat for the Blues. He’s currently priced around only $20k more expensive so it won’t cost you much to make this move but with a game against the struggling Eagles this week he could go huge. You only have to look back at his past few seasons to see that he’s a prolific midfielder averaging 110+ in the past 2 years
Callum Mills (SC $553k Mid)
Yes I know he’s played in the backline however I believe that has been out of necessity rather than a specific role change from John Longmire. He’s only managed to attend more than 50% of centre bounces in one game, which was in Round 3. I believe though with the McCartin brothers available as well as prolific defender Dane Rampe available he will be pushed back into his natural midfield role. Don’t get me wrong he will still have stints in the backline as he’s usually the one pushed down there to stem the bleeding but I wouldn’t expect it to be a full-time move. Priced at $550k we know what damage he can do as the leading midfielder in the Sydney side as the first half of last year he was up in the top 5 midfielders.
Patrick Dangerfield (SC $668k Mid)
I don’t necessarily like this option but I have to mention him given his upturn in form and the role he has been given lately. In the last few years, we have known Dangerfield to be a very explosive scoring midfielder/forward. However, he has had less to do with Geelong’s success in the last few years. With the loss of Selwood and Parfitt stuck in the VFL team, Danger has been promoted to being the number one midfielder in the team, what’s exciting about Dangerfield is that he can score in a multitude of ways that includes lots of contested football plus his ability to hit the scoreboard. But beware he has had a lot of injury troubles in the past two years he’s missed 16 games and is on the wrong side of 30 as well. At some point, I feel that he will get rested.
Potential role changes
With a few injuries and poor form for the team, some players have been rumoured to be shuffled around and for a lot of these guys, this can be the key to a huge fantasy score upturn. So who are the names you need to add to your shortlist?
Harry Himmelberg (SC $386k Def/Fwd)
Sam Taylor’s hamstring injury has opened up a massive hole in the GWS backline in which they don’t have many options to replace him. Their next two key backmen are Phil Davis who’s still 2-3 weeks away as well as Leek Aleer who made his return from a quad injury only to injure his ankle where he will miss another fortnight. So that doesn’t leave them with many options, temporarily in their loss to the Lions he was swung down back for the third quarter however that changed after halftime. I think we all remember on the run home last year when he scored 8 tons in the last 12 games after shifting into the quarterback role. Keep an eye on the teamsheet however as it has been suggested that he could find himself in defence with the likes of Jake Riccardi taking that forward spot after a monster game in the VFL. One to keep an eye on depending on the teams but you don’t need to jump on him this week.
Matt Rowell (SC $461k Mid) /Noah Anderson (SC $541k Mid)/Brayden Fiorini (SC $312k Mid)
Another midfield group that may benefit from the injury to their best midfielder, one of them or all of them will have to step up in order to fill the void. While Rowell and Anderson are already known quantities in the fantasy game we could see the elevate to a new level, especially with the welcome return of Witts to the team. Fiorini is the wildcard out of all of them as in late 2021 he was injected into the midfield after Hugh Greenwood had a season-ending injury. After that move, he averaged 95.6 which is a career high for him. However, he’s never been able to break into the Gold Coast inside midfield mix and has been in and out of the team. At his best, he’s a prolific ball-winner, but it may be worth waiting a week to see his role and how the Suns perform without their best midfielder.
Nat Fyfe (SC $314k Fwd)
Yes I know we’ve all jumped ship from him already but Justin Longmuir has hinted that they may need him in the midfield when he’s ready. As a forward, we saw him and he was shocking, albeit he was carrying a foot injury the whole time. But with the Dockers getting obliterated at contested footy, he might be the bigger-bodied midfielder they need in there to equal up those numbers. Priced very cheaply he will be a much welcome addition to that midfield mix. It’s more about when he is available and how much game time he will play (probably doesn’t bode too well for popular Freo rookie Matt Johnson though).
Rookie questions
Rookies are always going to be a hot topic for everyone and with so few rookies who’s actually the best to bring in and trade out? While it might just seem like a good idea to get the one that has scored the best over the first 2 weeks it does not guarantee that they will continue scoring past that making his contribution to your team value nil.
Seamus Mitchell (SC $124k Def/Fwd)
Hesitantly he’s the best rookie we have at the moment with two fantastic scores playing an aggressive half-back/wing role for the Hawks in his first two games. The reason though why I am hesitant about him is that waiting in the wings is Lachie Bramble who had a monster game for the twos and he’s playing a very similar position to Mitchell so I’m not 100% sure his job security is safe past this week at least, plus Will Day is due back. His role at the Hawks does mean he does get plenty of the ball, it is just a matter of whether will he get pushed out for other players who are playing well.
Sam Sturt (SC $124k Fwd)
I would rank Sturt as your priority rookie to trade in purely on the basis that there aren’t many other forwards that will take his spot. With Taberner gone long-term, Josh Corbett is the only threat and he was the sub for the Dockers. Sturt is probably one of the better natural forwards that the Dockers have and put in a solid shift where the Dockers were struggling to find the connection between the midfield and forward 50. We know he’s very talented as he managed to kick three goals in his first game but has been starved of an opportunity since. He will have games where he scores 30 and go goalless but in another reality, he can kick three and project a 70+. Similar to Fergus Greene he doesn’t need the ball a lot to be effective.
Corey Wagner (SC $118k Def/Mid)
Originally I would have said ignore him but with the recent news that Heath Chapman has suffered a hamstring setback, it looks as if Wagner will hold his spot in the short term which should generate a nice amount of cash. He still looked a bit shaky out there in terms of his disposal but he was willing to get his hands on the footy when needed which is all we need. I’d still say there is some risk with picking him as they have guys like Nathan Wilson still in the twos which they could bring back at any point.
Xavier O’Halloran (SC $203k Mid)
I’m only mentioning him because he managed to ton up thanks to a three-goal 17 disposal effort from the wing on the weekend but you’re paying $200k for this rookie who will likely average maybe 65 at best. He will be on the avoid list given that he’s unlikely to make you enough profit whilst he could very well find himself back in the twos soon with other midfielders coming back.
Ned Long (SC $166k Mid)
Unfortunately, because Sam Mitchell decided to debut him last year in Round 23 he’s at an elevated price of $166k which is very annoying. What I love about this kid though is that he is a tackling machine for the Hawks playing in the forward line as the first two games he’s had 6 and 7 tackles. Other than that he doesn’t really do much. With news that Mitch Lewis should be back into the team very soon, he could be pushed out to make way or shifted to a different role. Either way at that elevated price, either way, I wouldn’t bother trading him in as there’s better value elsewhere.
Harry Sheezel (SC $439k Def/Fwd)
While the majority of the rookies are self-explanatory trades as they hit their price ceiling, Sheezel is an interesting case as he had a stinker on the weekend thanks to dealing with a tag that forced him to switch roles. Many were quick to point out the Aaron Hall effect but I don’t think it was that huge of a difference as we’ve seen good premiums score well regardless of them being absent or together. But now coaches have to question what role does he play and whether is he a genuine keeper? From his first 5 games, there is no doubt he should be on the keep block and remember we were all quick to jump off Nick Daicos after he was shut down by Maginness in the preseason. Good players will score well regardless and not every team looks to tag opposing players, if you have a look at their next couple of games you’d only consider the match against the Swans would be a dangerous match for Sheezel if Ryan Clarke decides to run with him. While I see the argument to trade I wouldn’t be so quick to trade the 7th highest-averaging defender and 8th-highest-averaging forward without confirming his role with Hall in the team.
