The first week of the byes came and boy did we feel it. Plenty of AFL Fantasy teams had solid rosters but were let down by some poor rookie scores.
On the flip side, some of the most popular captains did their job going big and giving a much-needed boost to their coaches. What can we take out of this week…?
Trac is the man
In a match that was a bit of an eye sore, the fantasy scores didn’t make much better reading. Trac (118) continued his great run without Clarry and Adam Cerra (111) showed again why his best spot is on the inside. Outside of this it was mostly pain for coaches, no more so than Sam Walsh (55) who knocked out the lowest score of his career. Ouch… Price drop coming?
Powerful one-two punch
A glorified training sim followed where the Power cruised to a big victory and the duo of Butters (129) and Rozee (121) just did their thing. Clearly 1 and 2 at Port now and there should be no going back in the near future. Hard to take much else out of this game, however Worpel’s (82) score from 35 touches was a little deflating.
Perfect POD
A similar affair with the Pies and Eagles where Dom Sheed (138) did it again to frustrate all of those who thought he was a good pick to start the year. One who has snuck under the radar is Liam Duggan (137) who has been excellent since moving into the midfield. Do not be afraid to jump on board, if he avoids suspension. D Cam (109) found some nice form in a good match up and could be a sneaky POD moving forward. For those with De Goey (58) the rollercoaster continued and he is now looking at an extended holiday, it’s goodbye for now…
Oh Speak-a-no
Well if there was any debate about the number one ruck this year, Tim English (158) has well and truly put it to bed. He is expensive, but you must have him at some point this year. The return of Adam Treloar (130) saw him straight back in the mid which of course is a concern for the owners of Bont (108), Macrae (104) and Smith (90). Not so bad this week, but who knows what is to come.
Given the Keays?
A real game of two halves saw the Crows come out on fire and the Suns finish strong. This seemed to mirror Rory Laird’s (82) output as he was on for another big score before fading out of the game completely. Jordan Dawson (129) proved he is the man for all conditions, but it is the return to the midfield of Ben Keays (123) that is the most interesting. Turns out he was the pick of the mid price guys last week and if he maintains his role and scoring, there is still genuine upside here.
Ruck value
The Tiges just pipped the Giants and the premos did their thing with TT (130) blitzing it, Green (115) doing his thing, Cogs (101) getting it done and Ward (134) really winding the clock back. The big story here though is the continued form of big Briggsy (117). I saw a number of coaches who took a plunge on the big Giant and they were very happy. A genuine underpriced ruck option…?
Watch out for this kid
I was praying for Merrett (155) to match English here (personal vendetta) and unbelievably he nearly did it! That first quarter was something else and he again showed without Parish, and against a weaker opponent, he is going to cash in. Jye Caldwell (107) continues to be the main benefactor with Parish out and Shiel limited, along with Ben Hobbs (86) who was more than respectable again. Those who went Greenwood (49) as the mid option this week were excited at half time, but unfortunately concussion brought him down and he is an unfortunate must trade. My big prediction here though? Watch out for George Wardlaw (62) to hit 3 figures in one of his next 3 games. This kid is a jet and more than passes the eye test, he is going to go bang soon…
On to the easy week of the byes with only two teams missing. Remember try as much as possible to target those players who have just had their bye as they will play all of the next three. Premo options like Serong, Brayshaw, Ryan, Steele, Sinclair, Dunkley, Neale, Gulden etc. should be high on your radar if you do not already own them. Remember to plan ahead though and don’t just buy someone because of their bye, keep making your team better!
Read what the coaches said after every Round 12 game with injury updates
Read Honeyball’s CBAs and kick-ins trends from Round 12, to spot role changes
