Jeppa’s Juniors – Round 7

How refreshing was it to see many of our rooks play well this round!? Contrary to previous weeks, a handful of popular ‘juniors’ hit 80+ scores resulting in their owners jumping for joy. I personally had my best score of the season in both Fantasy and Dreamteam and I have guys like Brown, Wagner, Dea, Walla, Kerridge, etc. to thank.

Downgrade, upgrade. Downgrade, upgrade. If you’re avoiding the carnage of injuries then stay disciplined and continue to improve your starting 22. With little cash in the bank, cheap premos are what I’m chasing! Lewis, McVeigh and Dahlhaus are a few I have my eye on and you should be considering them too. If you’ve got Rocky then use your other trade to bank some cash.

At this stage, my AFL Fantasy trades are McGovern to MacPherson (via Hewett) and Wells (assuming he misses & I cant rely on bench) to the underpriced and likely top 6 defender, Jarrad McVeigh. This leaves me with $60,000 in the bank for my next upgrade…ideally Leigh Montagna. In Dreamteam, I’m holding Wells and just burning one trade, which will be McGovern to Petracca.

Three-Or-More Gamers

KEEPERS

A role change for Mitch Brown (Def/Fwd. $325,000, 9 be AF. $326,600, -15 be DT) over the past three weeks has done his scores a world of good. Playing as a high marking forward has resulted in more marks and more possessions. Registering 102 Fantasy points at this point of the season is hugely advantageous for owners. Daniher and McKernan are taking the key posts so the pressure is off him. Brown’s teammates Ryan Crowley (Mid. $301,000, 18 be AF. Mid. $342,000, 22 be DT) 91, Matt Dea (Def. $307,000, 49 be AF. $300,900, 46 be DT) 85 and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (Def/Fwd. $302,000, 44 be AF. $297,400, 46 be DT) 80 were also in form against the Swans last Saturday and I suppose it’s a case of better late than never. After scoring so well, you’ve got to hold them all for at least one more week.

Sam Kerridge (Fwd/Mid. $413,000, 55 be AF. $412,700, 51 be DT) keeps on keeping on with 89 Fantasy points and pocket dynamo Tom Papley (Fwd. $279,000, 27 be AF. $314,200, 26 be DT) put in a four quarter effort to also score 89. Many thanks to Daniel Currie (Ruc. $165,000, 18 be AF. $197,400, -62 be DT) after the big fella had 90 Fantasy points against Gawn resulting in some pretty healthy earnings.

The Dees youngsters definitely enjoyed beating up an uncompetitive Suns outfit. Josh Wagner (Def. $249,000, 0 be AF. $299,500, 16 be DT) 95, Ben Kennedy (Fwd/Mid. $319,000, 57 be AF. $336,900, 28 be DT) 93, Jayden Hunt (Fwd. $164,000, 15 be AF. $187,900, -6 be DT) 82 and Clayton Oliver (Mid. $309,000, 34 be AF. $311,800, 38 be DT) 77 all got plenty of the ball and rewarded their owners with some big scores. I doubt such scores will be replicated against the Bulldogs on Sunday but you never know!

There’s plenty of hype surrounding Jackson Trengove (Def. $240,000, 22 be AF. $238,300, 7 be DT) after his 95 Fantasy points in Round 7. Moving from a key defensive post into the ruck is a big role change that will boost his average from the low 50’s to around 75 in my opinion. Plenty of coaches are sick of mediocre scores in their backline so there’s solidarity if you pick Trengove. With all that said, I refuse to spend the extra cash.

DON’T PANIC

Daniel Wells (Fwd/Mid. $398,000, 89 be AF. $374,600, 69 be DT) sat out most of the fourth quarter against the Saints due to a corked quad and scored just 43 Fantasy points as a result. He is a chance to play this week and if he’s named I’d hold him in Fantasy. You must hold Wells in the limited trades game as he’ll be viable back up after your team is full of premos. Relax and chill.

Other ‘juniors’ that are still steadily going up in value include Tom Ruggles (Def. $220,000, 10 be AF. $192,500, -3 be DT) 68, Darcy Byrne-Jones (Def. $281,000, 17 be AF. $290,000, 29 be DT) 68, Bailey Dale (Fwd/Mid. $208,000, 18 be AF. $213,300, 27 be DT) 67, Corey Ellis (Fwd/Mid. $272,000, 26 be AF. $283,700, 10 be DT) 66, Jed Lamb (Fwd. $262,000, 22 be AF. $279,100, 17 be DT) 66, Ciaran Byrne (Def. $253,000, 18 be AF. $258,400, 17 be DT) 65, Nakia Cockatoo (Fwd. $260,000, 24 be AF. $272,800, 25 be DT) 64, Lachie Weller (Mid. $282,000, 36 be AF. $311,800, 54 be DT) 63, Peter Wright (Fwd. $220,000, 13 be AF. $231,400, 46 be DT) 62, Josh Smith (Mid. $245,000, -13 be AF. $194,700, -49 be DT) 61, Daniel Menzel (Fwd. $380,000, 43 be AF. $383,400, 33 be DT) 60, George Hewett (Mid/Fwd. $269,000, 37 be AF. Mid. $261,600, 30 be DT) 59, Liam Sumner (Mid/Fwd. $198,000, 8 be AF. $194,400, -2 be DT) 57, Jayden Short (Fwd/Mid. $176,000, -1 be AF. $161,500, -21 be DT) 52, Hayden Crozier (Fwd. $256,000, 37 be AF. $271,100, 49 be DT) 50, Blake Acres (Mid. $320,000, 36 be AF. $337,200, 14 be DT) 49, Michael Hartley (Def. $239,000, 32 be AF. $238,900, 32 be DT) 46 and Mason Cox (Ruc/Fwd. $192,000, 9 be AF. $167,700, -6 be DT) 38. Hold them if you own them.

TRADE, TRADE, TRADE

It’s time to offload your fattened cashcows and the priority trade list of popular rooks looks like this:

1. Marcus Adams *injured (Def/Fwd. $324,000, 73 be AF. $308,000, 61 be DT) 59.
2. Jacob Weitering *injured (Def. $290,000, 78 be AF. $285,800, 91 be DT) DNP.
3. Jonathan Simpkin *injured (Fwd/Mid. $247,000, 40 be AF. $276,900, 47 be DT) 34.
4. Lincoln McCarthy (Fwd. $238,000, 62 be AF. $239,300, 83 be DT) 14.
5. Connor Menadue (Fwd/Mid. $244,000, 48 be AF. $243,400, 39 be DT) 47.
6. Eric MacKenzie (Def. $270,000, 67 be AF. $268,500, 62 be DT) 38.
7. Mitch McGovern (Fwd. $266,000, 51 be AF. $272,100, 59 be DT) 39.
8. Darcy Parish (Mid. $359,000, 85 be AF. $331,100, 66 be DT) DNP.
9. Callum Mills (Def/Mid. $314,000, 56 be AF. Mid. $327,200, 77 be DT) 46.
10. Clay Cameron (Def/Fwd. $269,000, 51 be AF. Def. $266,600, 43 be DT) 59.
11. Dean Kent (Fwd. $318,000, 49 be AF. $352,300, 96 be DT) 58.
12. Ryan Harwood (Def. $250,000, 36 be AF. $279,500, 57 be DT) 58.

Please note that if I haven’t mentioned a rookie priced player above, it means they’re not relevant. Remember rooks are classified as players under $250,000 in Fantasy and/or Dreamteam.

Two Gamers

Christian Petracca (Fwd/Mid. $262,000, 16 be AF. $128,200, -72 be DT) benefited greatly from his team’s dominance against the Suns. Playing predominately forward of centre, Quadzilla II (behind Wines) junked it up in the last quarter and finished with 24 possessions (19 of them handballs), 2 marks, 4 tackles, 2 goals and 82 Fantasy points. I have no doubt he’ll keep improving and given his price, he’s a must have in Dreamteam this week. Conversely, not picking up Petracca in Fantasy over the past couple of weeks has allowed coaches to use the extra $100,000 to bring in a big premo. Cash is king but picking Petracca will give 65+ points each week.

Ben Keays (Mid. $211,000, 5 be AF. $121,300, -63 be DT) battled hard for his 67 Fantasy points against the Power. Young Benny hasn’t had any time in the midfield and with Brisbane’s mediocre supply into forward 50 his 65 Fantasy average from two games is pretty dam good I reckon. A role change for Keays isn’t on the cards but he’s playing well enough to keep his spot. If you don’t own him in Fantasy, don’t bother chasing him now but he’s a cheap back up in Dreamteam if you already have Petracca.

In his two games this season, Connor Blakely (Mid. $158,000, 9 be AF. $157,700, -3 be DT) hasn’t had the on field influence expected of him at Fremantle. 10 touches and 46 Fantasy points isn’t what Fantasy coaches are chasing either. As a Blakely owner in Fantasy, he’ll warm my bench until the 70+ scores that he’s capable of come to fruition.

Put a line through Henry Schade (Def. $240,000, 21 be AF. $230,700, 4 be DT) 67, Kieran Lovell (Mid. $172,000, 17 be AF. $130,300, -12 be DT) 49, Fletcher Roberts (Def. $212,000, 38 be AF. $221,900, 39 be DT) 44, Jason Castagna (Def. $143,000, 9 be AF. $121,300, -13 be DT) 41 and James Polkinghorne (Mid. $220,000, 43 be AF. $130,400, -8 be DT) 41. They’re not Fantasy/Dreamteam relevant.

One Gamers

I love it when a rook bursts on to the scene! Darcy MacPherson (Mid. $146,000, -8 be AF. $105,800 DT) lived up to his preseason hype laying 9 tackles on debut to go with 10 possessions, 3 marks, 1 goal and 73 Fantasy points. His disposal is far from elite but his intent and hunger to do the ‘dirty work’ will keep him in the team for the short term at least. Eade has always rewarded effort so feel free to trade him in for Fantasy. He’s back up only though because 4 or so tackles a game will likely result in sub 60 scores. In saying that, I have to start him on my field this week so fingers crossed.

Aaron Mullet (Def. $177,000, 6 be AF. $207,200 DT) was a late in for Sam Wright on Sunday and unfortunately his performance wont elevate him as a lock in North’s 22. The running defender was solid but not amazing and a couple of clangers in the 4^th quarter when the game was on the line stick out in my mind. His stat line at the final siren read 14 kicks, 2 handballs, 6 marks, 2 tackles and 68 Fantasy points. Mullett definitely has a Fantasy game and he’s hit three figure scores multiple times in the past, it’s just a question of job security. A risky pick but it could be a case of high risk, high reward! Those over Mills, Adams, etc. scoring 40’s and 50’s in their backline should consider taking the plunge.

Mason Redman (Fwd/Mid. $173,000, 18 be AF. $121,300 DT) had a good crack against the Swans. The young forward needs to put on plenty more muscle but you can definitely see why the Bombers picked him up with pick 30 in last year’s draft. 52 Fantasy points is a decent first up effort but being so lean, the Bombers will protect him and I suspect he’ll be in and out of the side as a result. Not for me.

Key defender Kaiden Brand (Def. $138,000, 2 be AF. $128,200 DT) only had to wait four years to make his AFL debut. That’s what happens when you’re on a star studded Hawthorn list. 56 Fantasy points is reasonable and he did his job but he’ll be out of the side when Frawley returns this week or next. Avoid.

Jarrod Garlett (Fwd. $207,000, 19 be AF. $211,900 DT) 65 and Nathan Grima (Def. $228,000, 37 be AF. $241,800 DT) 51 are a couple of expensive options I’d pass on. Don’t pick Ben Crocker (Fwd/Mid. $129,000, 16 be AF. $121,300 DT) 35 either, he’s still very raw.

Keep Your Eye On

Key defender, Jack Leslie (Def. $127,000, 24 be AF. $168,100 DT) appears likely to suit up for the Suns this week after some recent hot NEAFL form. As you’re well aware, I’m against picking young key talls but our cheap options are limited this week and Leslie is coming off a 36 possession, 14 mark, 151 Fantasy point game! The former top 20 draft pick may suit a few at D7/D8. Not for me though.

No Rocky for a few weeks could see Rhys Mathieson (Mid. $158,000, 30 be AF. $121,300 DT) get an opportunity. Like Rockliff, Mathieson is an inside midfielder and word is, he’s one of Leppitch’s favourites. The first year player has been in the bests for the Lions reserves in both of his NEAFL matches and he should average between 65 and 70 Fantasy points per game in the big time. If Mathieson is named to play, it will be a coin toss between him and MacPherson.

 

Feel free to ask me a question below and don’t forget to add me on Twitter @JeppaDT for all things Fantasy and more. Happy trading!