After a very high scoring round for many coaches, we are left in the precarious position where a number of premiums are either injured or suspended for Round 18. With top of their line guys Gawn and Heeney potentially out, can you take a chance and use their cash to set yourself up for the run home?
Fixture Lottery
Last week we flagged Fremantle, Collingwood, Adelaide and North Melbourne as having good draws coming up. Let’s reflect on how their top players went on the weekend.
Collingwood (Sidebottom 128, Crisp 112, Pendlebury 111, Daicos 102)
The old boys got up and running for the Pies, and it would have been a welcome return for those holding Crisp (painful for those who traded). Daicos was solid, but not much else to come out of this one.
North Melbourne (Sheezel 134, McKercher 123, Xerri 118, LDU 108, Simpkin 106)
Now North’s fixture looks good, but GCS wasn’t suppose to be a great start with their midfield usually being quite restrictive. Turns out that did not matter as the North big boys racked it up. Simpkin and McKercher particularly look value still, while the other three are all premiums in their own right and great targets.
Fremantle (Brayshaw 146, Young 105, Jackson 104, Ryan 101, Clark 98, Serong 77)
On the flip side Freo were supposed to start with a bang taking on the Tigers and for the most part, this was on the money. Brayshaw looked back to his blistering best and after a down week, Hayden Young was back in the points. The defender duo just did their thing, but unfortunately for many Caleb Serong was the target of a Tiger tag and was well held.
Adelaide (Laird 97, Rankine 74, Dawson 57, Dowling 49)
Now once again Adelaide’s draw looks solid going forward, but they needed to get through this match-up first. Well this one could not have gone much worse… My advice? Hold strong, they will be better and with Rankine now out, expect Dawson and Laird to pick up the slack.
So the tag is back in vogue and tasty match-ups may not always be tasty, but it is a good starting point. Of the individuals we suggested last week:
Brayshaw – 146
Treloar – 121
Merrett – 120
Taranto – 108
Kelly – Inj (DNP)
Round 18 Targets
It looks like forwards are going to be badly in need this week with Heeney and Rankine facing suspension and doubt surrounding the place of popular value pick Alex Sexton. There appears to be a big 4 now with Heeney, Zorko, Flanders and Jye Caldwell seemingly a step above the rest. A couple of rucks also went down this week while the midfield is anyone’s guess and defence continues to look stacked. Here are my top 5 targets for the week:
- Jye Caldwell ($912k, Mid/Fwd, L3 133)
- Josh Dunkley ($974k, Mid, L3 138)
- Andrew Brayshaw ($887k, Mid, L3 120)
- Connor Rozee ($774k, Mid, L3 119)
- Tom Stewart ($738k, Def, L3 104)
When looking ahead at the draw, check back to last weeks article as those comments all still stand. For those needing a forward other than Caldwell, consider Dylan Moore ($825k), Matt Kennedy ($718k) or Luke Jackson ($689k). As an FYI, with Sean Darcy going into concussion protocols, Jackson could also be nice cover for Max Gawn over the next couple of weeks.
Good luck all, happy trading!
