Dream Team Extra: Round 3

 

What’s made the headlines this week? Nothing massive really, so most of us fantasy coaches don’t have too much to worry about going into Round 3, or as I prefer to call it: Renovation Round. Let’s get on with the show!

 

Renovation Round

Let’s get the serious stuff out of the way. The first price-change week is upon us, which is traditionally the time when a ‘fix it’ trade or two is used to either get the gun rook(s) in or to get the dud(s) out for a bit of renovation rescue.

If, for some bizarre reason, you don’t have the Dees’ James Magner (MID, $85,800), Get Him In!

Some of the over-achieving rooks who may have flown under the radar include Toby Greene (GWS MID, 99 & 107) and Terry Milera (STK FWD, 74 & 85). Greene’s not the most efficient ball-user, but he racks up the touches for a DT-friendly game. Milera has had softish opposition, but he looks pretty comfortable in the Saints’ lineup. Whether they’re worth trading in will depend on how your rookie bench warmers are going and how you assess these candidates’ job security.

If you’ve got grave concerns about an under-performing gun, this is also the week to ditch him if, and only if, you’re convinced that he won’t be able to maintain his previous lofty scoring standards. Of course, finances are also a consideration, so if your gun-turned-dud is also set to plummet in value, this is possibly the prime round to trade as his replacement’s value is likely to rise on the back of good performances. Have another read of @Aki_DT‘s Dream Team Stock Market article – his analysis of the market movers is a great help to the all-important timing of your trades, in addition to the price projections and breakevens.

As mentioned last week, Broughton is causing major headaches with his former NAB Cup midfield role changing to shut down defensive duties. Gregory is Freo’s best small defender and is elite in his ability to negate the oppo’s best small forward, so it really is no surprise to see him filling that spot. Likewise, Heath Shaw has had a quiet start to the year, but he’s a bit of a boom-or-bust type with a wide scoring range depending on whether he has someone minding him or not. Put some serious thought in to ditching these guys and weigh up the numbers because it’s kind of a big deal to be getting off a keeper!

 

Suspension Sorrow

No one of significant DT-relevance was hit with the suspension stick this week. Moving right along…

 

Injuries – The Silver Lining

A few ‘outs’ that could have a positive impact on fantasy teams out there include… Simon Black’s absence (3-4 weeks), combined with the possible return of Josh Drummond, could see Lions’ trio Jed Adcock, Pearce Hanley and Mitch Golby relieved of some defensive duties. Although Paul Duffield is listed as ‘test’, it is likely that Lyons rests him for a week, perhaps allowing the aforementioned Gregory more freedom rebounding out of defence and maybe even running through the middle.

 

Where’s My Mummy?

Shane Mumford is listed as ‘test’ after his late withdrawl due to back soreness, but I’m a bit worried after trawling for online updates and finding these snips. This first article is from the Swans’ official website that puts a somewhat positive spin on Mummy’s injury. However, this piece on Perth Now states that Mummy’s been restricted to very light duties this week, which seems to indicate that his back problem might be a little more touchy than just a little tweak. My take on this is to give him another weekend, with the ‘E’ on Giles, and if he doesn’t come up the week after then you’d have to consider a sideways move to another ruck premo. This is crucial for coaches running a 1+3 ruck structure with Mummy as the gun, so keep a sharp eye out for any developments leading up to the Swan’s game on Saturday.

Thanks to @DannySedge for bringing this to my attention!

 

Scotland the (alleged) Brawler

Let’s digress for a moment and look at something from out of the blue. Well, a Carlton Blue in Heath Scotland, who was involved in a… umm… blue… and formally charged with assault this week. How do off-field dramas affect a professional AFL footballer? I guess we’ll never really know unless one of you is a mind-reader, but I reckon Sam Gilbert may have lost a bit of confidence last year after his happy-snappys went viral. Will this assault charge distract last season’s top-ranked DT defender? Time will tell, but I certainly hope the Carlton gun’s output doesn’t drop off for the sake of those who have him in their starting squads. If there are any psychologists/therapists reading this, feel free to comment without, of course, compromising doctor-patient confidentiality!

 

Pick Me! Pick Me!

You guys asked for a little rookie preview for the coming round, so here it is. BUT, (yup, that was a Big But!) I’ll say one thing up front: I have not done hours of in-depth research and analysed all the stats like a certain @pkd73 did last year in his Get Off The Bench series. This is 50% guesstimation, 50% educated punt and 50% gut feel. Or a combination of those three that adds up to 100% anyway. The reality is that there’s no way that you can pick all the rooks in your playing squad and expect tons with cherries on top from each of them. They’re cash cows and we just ride the wave until we cull them for premium cuts.

Down back, I’d play Marty Clarke, Brandon Ellis and Steven Morris with some confidence after last weekend, then Tommy Bugg marginally ahead of Townsend and Mohr. In the guts, Magner is a must, followed by Toby Greene, Dylan Shiel, Clay Smith and Stephen Coniglio. ‘Farmer’ Giles is the clear pick of the rookie rucks, with Jarrad Redden a fair clip behind and the Big O still in the starting blocks. Up front, Adz Kennedy has been good, as well as Terry Milera, Dev Smith and Jeremy Cameron.

 

Anyways, that’s the rub for this week. Hope to see a few 2300s on the other side of the weekend, so good luck to all! Feel free to add any news bits, rants, raves, etc below to keep the wheels turning. See ya next Thursday for more train spotting!

 

Any questions, suggestions, general chit-chat or knitting tips for next week’s Extra?
Hit me up on the Tweetvine: @TeeTeeDT