Bulldogs youngster shines for fantasy fans

Young Bulldogs duo Jack Macrae and Tom Liberatore continue to shine in the AFL Fantasy selections this year, with the midfielders both currently featuring in the top-10 in the league’s points total. In a season that has seen a number of surprising names catch the eye of fantasy fans, both Bulldogs players would fit into that category and show no signs of slowing down.

Macrae finds himself at the top of the tree with a sensational 1820 points at an average of 107.1, and the 19-year old will be in the minds of plenty of fantasy fans heading into the season’s final rounds. After making his debut last season, the youngster has burst onto the scene this year and been one of the Bulldogs stand-out players.

While Macrae has taken the majority of the headlines this season, team-mate Liberatore has been one of the year’s most surprising packages, climbing up to 10^th in the points rankings with 1734 to his name. The 22-year old has recovered from a slow start to his career with two very promising seasons, following up a 2013 in which he finished second in the Charles Sutton Medal and topped the rankings for most clearances in the AFL during the home and away rounds.

Joining Macrae and Liberatore as Bulldogs players averaging over 100 fantasy points a game is former skipper Matthew Boyd. The 31-year old has been solid throughout the season and played an important role in a lot of fantasy teams. He is also consistently among the favourites in the various match odds with bet365.

Boyd will be a popular selection ahead of the AFL Fantasy finals, as will Will Minson in terms of ruck options, averaging 86.9 points a game and sitting just behind Sam Jacobs of Adelaide in the rankings. The 29-year old has been one of the league’s most consistent performers throughout the season, slipping below an average of 80 points on just six occasions – with only one of those coming since round seven.

As far as forwards selections go, Luke Dahlhaus is right up there in the minds of many fantasy coaches. The Bulldogs player has gone from strength to strength over the past months, improving his average to just under 20 touches, four tackles and one goal every game. While Dahlhaus has been popular this season, the forward has been some way behind his Bulldogs team-mate Mitch Honeychurch. Over 31,000 fantasy teams have included the youngster after just three appearances this season.

Less popular but perhaps equally profitable has been Marcus Bontempelli, who has averaged over 85 points over the past three rounds yet only been selected by 1.67% of the fantasy coaches out there. Either way, the Bulldogs have proven themselves to be one of the best places to look for fantasy talent out there, which is possibly surprising considering the team’s disappointing position in the AFL ladder after 17 games this season. With a place in the finals looking all but beyond the Bulldogs this season, the focus for the team will now be on finishing the regular season as strong as possible. A lot of fantasy fans will certainly be hoping that happens.