Nine Things We Learned: Brayshaw & Laird are back, jump on George & Doch is an urgent upgrade target

In a week that saw some big scores produced again, we learned that match-ups are key and saw the emergence of the next generation of AFL Fantasy stars.

With the last week before the byes now upon us, be sure you are targeting the right players to maintain your balance over the next month.

Next gen takes down superstars

As a Power supporter, I was on the edge of my seat for this one, but bloody happy by the end. The game of Zak Butters (148) was so unbelievably complete, I felt privileged to see it happen live. As good as Butters was, he cast a bit of a shadow on his good mate Rozee (121) who was also sublime in slippery conditions. The pair did plenty to elevate their standing against the big dogs in Oliver (108) and Trac (85). Coaches with Oliver now have a big choice to make as he is out with a hammy. Who is the top dog for the rest of the year now? Liard, Brayshaw, Merrett, Walsh… Good luck!

Jump on George now

In what was a ridiculous loss for the Kangaroos, we saw the Swans midfield without Mills really stand up. Warner (115) and Parker (113) were excellent and although not the VC score we wanted, Errol (106) was very solid. The Cheese (112) continues to show he will be a keeper this year, but it was his draft mate George Wardlaw (82) that really caught the eye. A great balance of inside and out, even copping a big knock and coming back to score well. Get on now before you miss the boat.

Rory is back

A big scoring game down in Ballarat saw plenty of tonnes, but the top scorer Rory Laird (131) was back to his best with 10 tackles and 34 touches. He has been battling some niggling injuries, but he looks now like he should go on and have a big average for the rest of the year. Personally, I was stoked to jump on Bailey Smith (121) this week so let’s hope Bevo doesn’t stuff things up again. On a sadder note, I feel for those coaches who took a chance on JJ (43) a while back. He has been a great pick, but with an extended stint on the sideline it is time to cash in and move on.

Did I say Rory? Or Andy?

After a slow patch with a sore knee, Andy Brayshaw (135) is well and truly back into the uber premium conversation. Not to be outdone, his teammate Serong (125) continued his stellar season after a slow start. Not a lot else to say about this game as the scoring was a bit meh. Tom Stewart (72) was disappointing and those who jumped on Jezza (64) would have been dirty with his goal kicking.

Lions mids go bang

Remember when we didn’t think the Lions midfield was going to score with too many mouths to feed? Yeah, that is over… McCluggage (128), Cashcroft (127), Junkley (125) and Neale (117) all smashed it and are operating like a well-oiled machine. Noah Anderson (79) copped some attention again and may not be the best premium option as this has now limited his scoring a couple of times. Stewy Due had flagged Bailey Humphrey (90) as a potential midfield replacement for Touk a few weeks back and the last two weeks have really shown what he can do. With a negative break-even, although a bit expensive, with his bye he looks a nice option for the next 5 weeks.

Crisis creates opportunity

A lot of coaches were keen to jump on Ben Hobbs (92) as a value option with Parish and Shiel out, and they were handsomely rewarded. Those who thought Zach Merrett (158) was an option last week would have been disappointed, however he went bang this week and more than made up for it. If you have seen Brad Scott’s comments about his game, it could be a great time to jump on as his faith in his skipper is sky high. Timmy Time (120) just did his thing again, while Andy McGrath (117) no doubt upset a number of coaches who traded him out after a number of poor scores.

The match-up of fantasy dreams

The WCE are hanging on by a thread and teams are cashing in. How bottom can beat the second-bottom team by 116 points is beyond me, wow. In fantasy news, Dom Shed (139) seriously backed it up to inflict more pain on those who started and traded him out. An option again…? Connor Nash (130) keeps on improving and potentially has a fantasy future. Sic Dawg (125) controlled everything down back for the Hawks while Witho (125) should keep scoring well while the opportunity is there as the ball lives in their back line. Take the rookie scores with a grain of salt, but Weddle (102) and Mackenzie (96) were outstanding. Ginbey (24) on the other hand, catchya later.

Top Doch? You bet!

While the Pies heaped more pain on the Blues, Sam Docherty (124) continued to show why we all thought he was clearly the best defender in pre-season. Definitely the number one upgrade target back there. Adam Cerra (119) was excellent again, amazing what can happen when your coach plays you in your best position. Scores were otherwise a little underwhelming, particularly from Walsh (90) and Naicos (79) who we expect much more from.

How did we miss Brent?

A classic Sunday afternoon match-up where Jack Sinclair (141) was back to his best and owners of Jack Steele (121) breathed a sigh of relief. Cogs (114) and Green (111) were also very good, however it is the form of Brent Daniels (112) that really stands out. Although the last 3 weeks have been poor, he went bang in this match up and if you held through that pain, were well rewarded. He has gone up $233k this year and would have made a nice little starting pick.

I love this time of year. If you are well set up this is where you can make a huge jump. Remember to make sure you keep improving your team and do not just go after that 1-week big score at the expense of the long game. Happy trading!