This weekend will mark the 25% mark of the AFL Fantasy season, and we are starting to see ranks change dramatically with best 22’s back in action!
So who are the best Captaincy options for our sides before that quarter time siren of the season? Let’s take a look!
VC Options
It is pretty simple this week, isn’t it? We have been eyeing Nick Daicos off as a trade target for this week since the start of the season. He is now coming off a monster 136 last week against the best tagger in the game, his 2nd score of exactly 136 in the last 3 weeks. He plays Thursday night against Brisbane, who in his last 4 games against, he has scored 116, 101, 110 and 126. I don’t know about you, but I personally can not say no to those stats from a fresh trade in, playing Thursday night, being my Vice-Captain.
If you don’t have the blinkers on like myself, and you happen to own Dayne Zorko or Josh Dunkley, they are also fantastic, arguably even better options as your VC this week, particularly Zorko, who is back in his pig pen this week at the Gabba.
At home this year, Zorko has scored 126 and 119, and scores of 184, 148 and 131, last year. He is a different beast when he gets to play at home, and he would be my VC pick this week if I owned him. Scores of 102 and 99 against the Pies last year don’t jump off the page, but we know what his ceiling is, and that is exactly what you are searching for in a Vice-Captain.
Josh Dunkley also has to be considered, with a low score of 98 for the year last week after 4 scores of 110+ to start the year, but he sits below the guys above with recent form against the Pies only resulting in scores of 84 and 101.
With 3 genuine, top tier VC options on Thursday night, and footy being played all the way through to Monday afternoon this week, getting your VC out of the way early isn’t a bad idea, with teams for the Monday game not being released until Sunday afternoon, meaning surprises could be on their way in terms of selections possibly causing looping issues or late trade changes. With that said, if your VC fails or you want to use it later on in the weekend you should look to use one of the guys mentioned below, who are my top 5 Captaincy options, in order, for round 6!
Captains – Top 5
- Zach Merrett
Back to back weeks at the top of the mountain for this man, after pulling through big time last week. Similar to Daicos, Merrett scored 134 last week, his second score of 130+ in the last 3 weeks. This week he comes up against West Coast in another dream match up, who he averages 113.6 against across his career, and 110 at Optus Stadium, which includes his score of 110 against them there last year. We know the scores West Coast have given up to midfielders this year, including 126 to Sam Walsh and 121 to George Hewett just last week. An easy option for his owners this week.
- Noah Anderson
Speaking of matchups, I don’t think there are many people who make the most of one more than Noah Anderson does against the Tigers. He averages 120, yes, 120, against them across his career, including 126 and 99 last year. Richmond have also given up plenty of big scores to midfielders this year, including 123 to Brayshaw last week and 141 to McCluggage the week before to both be the highest scoring players in those games. Owned by 4% of the comp, Anderson is a great Captaincy option this week to separate yourself from the pack.
- Andrew Brayshaw
As mentioned above, Brayshaw scored 123 last week, making it 3 scores of 110+ on the trot. That should continue this week against the Dees, who allowed Merrett to score 134 against them last week, and have been one of the easiest matchups for midfielders this season. Add in the fact that he scored 120 against them last year, and it is fair to say that Brayshaw would have seriously been in considerations for the number 1 spot in most other weeks. If you don’t own the 2 guys above him, you still wont be missing out having Brayshaw as your Captain this week.
- Jack Macrae
This one is a mixture of form and gut feeling, with Macrae coming up against his old side, the Western Bulldogs, this week. We all know what players are capable of in a revenge game, and I fully expect Macrae to absolutely pig out against his old mob. His last 2 weeks have been poor, in tough match ups and with a tag, but he will bounce right back this week to how he started the season, which was with 3 straight tons including a huge 153. The Dogs have allowed McCluggage (111), Serong (121) and Brayshaw (119) to rack up against them through the middle in the last couple of weeks, and that will be Macrae on Sunday Night.
- Max Gawn
This one is a fair way behind the 4 guys listed before him, but still a respectable option if you want to do something risky. Coming up against an underdone Sean Darcy this week and fresh off a bounce back to form with a 118 last week, Gawn can be considered for Captaincy duties again in round 6. Last year against the Dockers, he scored 122, and he is playing at the MCG again this week, where he has scored 127 and 84 (against Witts) this year. It would be a gutsy call, but it could be a nice ride and a good way to separate yourself from the pack this week by using Gawn as your Captain!
