AFL Fantasy Draft 2019 recap and review

Everyone has a story or two about how they drafted. Looking at the average draft picks (ADP) for the year in hindsight can be an interesting experience. Which players outperformed their ADP and who cost you big time with where you picked them.

Let’s take a look at picking the best and worst possible Fantasy Draft teams based on ADP from 2019. We’ll pick the onfield 18 for a 10 team league in a 5/7/1/5 set up. Players selected will only come from the round the ADP shows.

Best team

Taking into account total points, games played, average (as you do), here’s the best pick from each each round to put together a team. You could argue for a better pick from any given round, however, in making sure the full onfield squad is selected, some different thinking was there based on position.

1. Brodie Grundy (RUC) 122.1 / 22
Warranted his ADP of 1. Highest scoring player for the year by 142 points (to second ADP Jack Macrae), the position helped him. You could argue that you may have been able to pick a late ruck and done better – ie. Reilly O’Brien – but Grundy was there all year and would have been a very solid captain option for those leagues with captains on.

2. Jake Lloyd (DEF) 107.1 / 22
Although Whitfield with his 114 average was also in the second round, he only played 16 games. Lloyd was the first player picked in the second round and a worthy selection at that.

3. Zach Merrett (MID) 108.2 / 22
Always an interesting name in Draft (g’day m0nty), but this year Zerrett delivered in spades. Played every game and was the fourth ranked MID.

4. Josh Dunkley (MID/FWD) 111.1 / 22
May have looked a little lean in the first few rounds, but Dunks came home well to be the highest averaging forward.

5. Jack Crisp (DEF) 97.7 / 22
Second for points of all defenders. He’s played every game of the last five years, so was a ‘safe’ pick, but to increase his average by 10 points made this a cracking selection.

6. Tim Taranto (MID) 112.5 / 22
Most selection in this round coaches would have been reasonably happy with, but it is the third highest scoring and fourth highest averaging midfielder that has to be the pick here. Travis Boak is unlucky here.

7. Luke Parker (MID) 98.5 / 22
It gets a little lean here with only a couple of tons averaged for the rest of the draft. Parker was somewhat back to what we expected from him. The Tom Rockliff pick in this round would have neem a lot sexier – and looked like a bargain at various stages – but the Pig only managed 18 games.

8. Jarryd Lyons (MID) 97.5 / 22
Would have won a lot of coaches finals with some beast scores in the last few rounds. His team mate Mitch Robinson was possibly unlucky here following his outstanding 94 average season as was the 21 gamer Dylan Shiel.

9. Luke Shuey (MID) 101 / 22
The last player to play every game and average a ton. Fun fact, this was the first year Shuey has averaged over a ton.

10. Jack Ziebell (MID/FWD) 89.7 / 22
It is frustrating owning Ziebell, but he had a pretty decent run of form during the season. You couldn’t complain about his finals of 97, 92, 111 and 94. The best of a tricky bunch.

11. Tom Stewart (DEF) 95 / 22
Plenty of defenders were taken in the 11th round and Stewart was the pick of them ahead of Nic Newman and Christian Salem.

12. Michael Walters (MID/FWD) 93.5 / 22
Usually Walters finds a way to burn you, but playing 22 games with only four scores under 80, 2019 was a win for those who drafted Sonny.

13. Bachar Houli (DEF) 103.2 / 19
Despite missing three games, Houli ranked at No. 5 for points scored by defenders. Interestingly, Ricky Henderson at 125 would have pleased coaches early on, while Toby Greene came home strongly after being a flop in as a 13th rounder.

14. James Worpel (MID/FWD) 96.7 / 22
One of the steals of the draft. The Worpedo was the sixth highest averaging forward. Sadly, he won’t be available as a FWD in 2020… and his output is a bit of an unknown with Titch returning.

15. James Harmes (MID) 94 / 22
There was some hype around Harmes at the end of last season averaging 106 from the Fantasy finals and into the real finals. He outperformed his 83 average from 2018. Special mention in the 15th round has to go to Sam Walsh who averaged 92 and played every game.

16. Rowan Marshall (RUC/FWD) 99.2 / 20
Only available as a FWD when coaches drafted, but his addition of DPP and his almost 100 season made him a ripping selection despite not playing round one.

17. Daniel Rich (DEF) 88 / 22
One of the big surprises of 2019 and would have been a steal for anyone picking him considering he finished the season as the sixth highest scoring defender. Caleb Daniel would have been a great pick at 169 had he not been injured.

18. Jacob Hopper (MID) 93.6 / 19
Played the most games of all players between picks 171-180 and beat the more hyped Miles by an average of 8 points.

Best Draft Team
DEFENDERS Jake Lloyd, Jack Crisp, Tom Stewart, Bachar Houli, Daniel Rich
MIDFIELDERS Zach Merrett, Tim Taranto, Luke Parker, Jarryd Lyons, Luke Shuey, James Harmes, Jacob Hopper
RUCK Brodie Grundy
FORWARDS Josh Dunkley, Jack Ziebell, Michael Walters, James Worpel, Rowan Marshall

Worst team

Selecting the worst team takes into account firstly the drop in expected output followed by games played/total points. While it may have been easier to say someone was a shocking pick due to injury (and yes there are a few in here and they kill you), it’s those who you picked instead of a much better player that hurts the most.

1. Stephen Coniglio (MID) 103.7 / 15
The injury in round 17 knee injury on 0 is the only reason he is here in the worst picked. Cogs was going at 111 prior to the donut but he missed the last six rounds.

2. Devon Smith (MID/FWD) 79.4 / 7
Not only did Dev have a season ending injury, he was performing well below what coaches expected following his 107 season in his first year at the Bombers. The second round had plenty of hard luck stories. Dayne Beams only played nine games, Justin Westhoff went at 77 after averaging 102 last year. But the one that copped most ire from coaches was Angus Brayshaw averaging 88. Most took a bit of a punt on him as a second rounder and he let plenty down!

3. Sam Menegola (MID/FWD) 77.6 / 9
Three years of AFL… 95, 105 and 99 have been his season returns. Found himself on the outer.

4. Kade Simpson (DEF) 80.2 / 18
Some expected a slide, some expected a boost with the new kick-in rule… and Docherty out for another season.

5. Toby McLean (MID/FWD) 68.2 / 18
Will lose MID status! He didn’t play through the guts much at all and was dropped at one point of the season. Witherden also could have been the fail here.

6. Callum Sinclair (RUC) 76.6 / 14
More unlucky than being a bad pick in the sixth round, Sinclair’s injury dropped his average slightly but he was down on his previous year’s output where he averaged 92.

7. Connor Blakely (DEF) 74.8 / 14
Probably made it back around the same time drafters expected him to return, so no dramas there, but he didn’t rack up the 90+ average most expected making the punt on him not worth it. Callan Ward could have been in the same boat here.

8. Jack Steven (MID) 76 / 7
Spending a lot of time out of the game as he battled his mental health demons, Steven’s 2019 output when playing was a long way from his best. Sam Jacobs was also disappointing here as he was restricted to just five games while held out of the side by ROB.

9. Jack Riewoldt (FWD) 58.5 / 10
After an 85 average last season, most coaches would have banked on a 75+ average with 22 games played considering he had only missed three games in nine year and averaged under 75 just twice in that time. Special mention to Jeremy Howe for his 69 average, approx. 20 points below his expected output.

10. Brad Ebert (MID/FWD) 80.1 / 11
Initially MID only, there was some talk that Ebert would gain FWD status. That he did at round six when he was averaging over a ton making the Port Adelaide player a great selection in the tenth round. From here he was concussed on 31, missed five games and scored 64, 46, 103 and 33 before sitting out the rest of the year making his FWD status irrelevant.

11. Hamish Hartlett (DEF) 76.4 / 11
You’ve only got yourself to blame.

12. Zach Tuohy (DEF) 68.3 / 15
Six years without missing a game and coming off averages of 86 and 81, the Irish man was a disappointment this year.

13. Wayne Milera (DEF) 76.8 / 17
Started the year well averaging in the 90s. Got injured, generally scored poorly after. Not the most horrible pick, but the one that stands out in this round.

14. Trent Cotchin (MID) 70.7 / 11
Tonned up in round one, but then had seven scores under 75 after that. This round also saw Tom Mitchell (ADP 136) and Liam Picken (ADP 140) drafted with neither playing a game.

15. Tom Liberatore (MID) 76 / 15
Maybe some salary cap hype pushed him up the draft order, but you would have wanted more than 15 games and a 76 average from Libba. You got a full season and a 16 point better average from the first year Walsh in the same round.

16. Aaron Hall (MID) 80.7 / 6
Many expected him to star at North, but injury and mental health issues saw him play just six games. Special mention to pre-season hype boy Bailey Williams who averaged 62 from nine games.

17. Ben Jacobs (MID) 0 / 0
Concussion kept Jacobs out of the Roos’ line up all season. As under-performing/injured defenders, Hodge and Webster were also taken in this round.

18. Orazio Fantasia (FWD) 54.4 / 14
Lowest average since his debut season. Amazingly, he scored a couple of tons this year… but also had 7 scores under 50. Jarrad McVeigh was also a letdown here in the 18th.

Worst Draft Team
DEFENDERS Kade Simpson, Connor Blakely, Hamish Hartlett, Zach Tuohy, Wayne Milera
MIDFIELDERS Stephen Coniglio, Jack Steven, Brad Ebert, Trent Cotchin, Tom Liberatore, Aaron Hall, Ben Jacobs
RUCK Callum Sinclair
FORWARDS Devon Smith, Sam Menegola, Toby McLean, Jack Riewoldt, Orazio Fantasia

Average Draft Position 2019

Top 200 sorted by ADP.

ADP	PLAYER	POS	GMS	AVG	PTS
1	Brodie Grundy	RUC	22	122.1	2686
2	Jack Macrae	MID	22	115.6	2544
3	Patrick Dangerfield	MID/FWD	21	107.5	2257
4	Patrick Cripps	MID	20	101.5	2029
5	Clayton Oliver	MID	22	105.9	2329
6	Max Gawn	RUC	21	111.3	2337
7	Stephen Coniglio	MID	15	103.7	1555
8	Josh Kelly	MID	14	115.9	1623
9	Rory Laird	DEF	22	96.9	2132
10	Adam Treloar	MID	22	113.1	2489
11	Jake Lloyd	DEF	22	107.1	2356
12	Andrew Gaff	MID	20	111	2220
13	Devon Smith	MID/FWD	7	79.4	556
14	Matt Crouch	MID	19	106.2	2017
15	Dayne Beams	MID	9	88.7	798
16	Lachie Whitfield	DEF/MID	16	113.8	1820
17	Angus Brayshaw	MID	22	88	1937
18	Elliot Yeo	MID	21	102.7	2157
19	Justin Westhoff	RUC/FWD	20	77.3	1545
20	Sebastian Ross	MID	22	94.3	2075
21	Nat Fyfe	MID	20	105	2099
22	Zach Merrett	MID	22	108.2	2381
23	Stefan Martin	RUC	22	84.8	1865
24	Lachie Hunter	MID	22	98.6	2170
25	Steele Sidebottom	MID	21	98.5	2069
26	Bryce Gibbs	MID	12	80.8	970
27	Gary Ablett	MID/FWD	21	88.7	1863
28	Sam Menegola	MID/FWD	9	77.6	698
29	Lachie Neale	MID	22	104.7	2304
30	Mitch Duncan	MID	22	105.6	2324
31	James Sicily	DEF	22	83.6	1840
32	Josh Dunkley	MID/FWD	22	111.1	2444
33	Isaac Heeney	MID/FWD	22	89.8	1975
34	Jarrod Witts	RUC	22	104.4	2297
35	Dyson Heppell	MID	17	93.8	1595
36	Scott Pendlebury	MID	22	103.6	2279
37	Kade Simpson	DEF	18	80.2	1444
38	Dustin Martin	MID/FWD	20	97.1	1942
39	Brad Crouch	MID	22	107.9	2373
40	Dayne Zorko	MID	22	104.4	2296
41	Marc Murphy	MID	19	95.9	1822
42	Tim Kelly	MID/FWD	22	96.9	2131
43	Alex Witherden	DEF	21	74.8	1570
44	Joel Selwood	MID	20	78.9	1577
45	Toby McLean	MID/FWD	18	68.2	1227
46	Taylor Adams	MID	10	95.1	951
47	Todd Goldstein	RUC	22	88.4	1944
48	Lance Franklin	FWD	10	70.5	705
49	Jaeger O'Meara	MID	21	99.6	2092
50	Jack Crisp	DEF	22	97.7	2150
51	Rory Sloane	MID	22	99.6	2191
52	Jack Redden	MID	21	91.8	1928
53	Ed Curnow	MID/FWD	22	89.9	1977
54	Shannon Hurn	DEF	19	91.4	1736
55	Callum Sinclair	RUC	14	76.6	1072
56	Tim Taranto	MID	22	112.5	2476
57	Marcus Bontempelli	MID	22	104.7	2303
58	Travis Boak	MID/FWD	21	105.7	2219
59	Jack Billings	MID/FWD	22	98.5	2168
60	Jack Steele	MID	20	96	1919
61	Callan Ward	MID	1	3	3
62	Luke Parker	MID	22	98.5	2167
63	Connor Blakely	DEF	14	74.8	1047
64	Toby Nankervis	RUC	9	78.4	706
65	Tom Rockliff	MID	18	99.3	1788
66	Tom McDonald	FWD	15	63.8	957
67	David Mundy	MID/FWD	22	80.5	1772
68	Tom Phillips	MID	22	90.5	1990
69	Heath Shaw	DEF	22	82.5	1814
70	David Zaharakis	MID	20	79.5	1590
71	Liam Shiels	MID	19	95.4	1812
72	Jack Steven	MID	7	76	532
73	Shaun Higgins	MID	17	95.3	1620
74	Jarryd Lyons	MID	22	97.5	2146
75	Mitch Robinson	MID/FWD	22	93.6	2060
76	Dylan Shiel	MID	21	98.3	2065
77	Sam Jacobs	RUC	5	80.4	402
78	Jesse Hogan	FWD	12	66.1	793
79	Matthew Suckling	DEF/FWD	18	84.7	1524
80	Robbie Gray	MID/FWD	19	81.2	1543
81	Zac Williams	DEF	20	92.7	1854
82	Ollie Wines	MID	12	93.3	1120
83	Chad Wingard	MID/FWD	14	78.4	1098
84	Ben McEvoy	RUC	19	83.3	1583
85	Luke Shuey	MID	22	101	2222
86	Jared Polec	MID	22	88.2	1940
87	Jeremy Howe	DEF	19	69.4	1319
88	Ben Cunnington	MID	22	82	1803
89	Jack Gunston	FWD	20	76.1	1522
90	Jack Riewoldt	FWD	10	58.5	585
91	Tom Hawkins	FWD	22	70.9	1559
92	Brad Ebert	MID/FWD	11	80.1	881
93	Josh P. Kennedy	MID	19	100.3	1905
94	Jack Viney	MID	21	82.3	1729
95	Ryan Abbott	RUC	1	73	73
96	Brayden Fiorini	MID	21	99.7	2094
97	Brodie Smith	DEF	22	87	1915
98	Michael Hurley	DEF	18	77.4	1394
99	Jack Ziebell	MID/FWD	22	89.7	1974
100	Dale Thomas	DEF	20	79.6	1591
101	Shane Savage	DEF	22	78.3	1723
102	Jordan De Goey	FWD	16	84.3	1348
103	Ed Langdon	MID	22	92.1	2026
104	Nic Newman	DEF	20	93.4	1867
105	Jack Martin	MID/FWD	16	83.4	1335
106	Christian Salem	DEF	20	89.6	1792
107	Hamish Hartlett	DEF	11	76.4	840
108	Isaac Smith	MID	19	84.9	1614
109	Dom Sheed	MID	22	95	2089
110	Tom Stewart	DEF	22	95	2090
111	Mitch Wallis	MID/FWD	10	79.3	793
112	Zach Tuohy	DEF	15	68.3	1024
113	Matthew Lobbe	RUC	2	60	120
114	Callum Mills	DEF	22	75.3	1657
115	Matthew Kreuzer	RUC	15	82.7	1241
116	Christian Petracca	MID/FWD	22	75.9	1670
117	Michael Walters	MID/FWD	22	93.5	2056
118	Andrew McGrath	DEF/MID	22	74.7	1644
119	Nathan Jones	MID	22	73.6	1620
120	Luke Breust	FWD	22	68.2	1500
121	Luke Dahlhaus	MID/FWD	21	77.4	1626
122	Touk Miller	MID	18	90.9	1637
123	Bachar Houli	DEF	19	103.2	1961
124	Tom T. Lynch	FWD	16	89.4	1430
125	Ricky Henderson	MID	22	96.6	2126
126	Kane Lambert	FWD	18	86.6	1559
127	Wayne Milera	DEF	17	76.8	1306
128	Toby Greene	FWD	16	98.4	1575
129	Jeremy Cameron	FWD	20	87.5	1750
130	Scott Lycett	RUC/FWD	18	83.4	1501
131	James Worpel	MID/FWD	22	96.7	2128
132	Trent Cotchin	MID	11	70.7	778
133	Dion Prestia	MID	22	99.4	2186
134	Bradley Hill	MID	22	88.7	1951
135	Luke Ryan	DEF	18	80.1	1441
136	Tom Mitchell	MID	0	0	0
137	Shane Mumford	RUC	16	65.7	1051
138	Mason Redman	DEF	19	68.9	1309
139	Jarrod Harbrow	DEF	21	70.7	1485
140	Liam Picken	FWD	0	0	0
141	David Swallow	MID	22	87.9	1933
142	Hugh Greenwood	MID/FWD	14	78.3	1096
143	Blake Acres	MID/FWD	19	67.5	1283
144	Tom Cutler	MID	3	80.3	241
145	Trent Dumont	MID	21	88.1	1850
146	Jordan Lewis	DEF/MID	12	62.3	748
147	Sam Walsh	MID	22	92.2	2029
148	Tom Liberatore	MID	15	76	1140
149	Rhys Stanley	RUC	16	81.3	1300
150	James Harmes	MID	22	94	2067
151	Bailey Williams	DEF	9	62	558
152	Jamie Cripps	FWD	17	64.1	1090
153	Luke Dunstan	MID	18	85.8	1545
154	Jack Darling	FWD	22	71.3	1569
155	Rowan Marshall	RUC/FWD	20	99.2	1983
156	Lachie Weller	DEF/MID	17	82.5	1403
157	Aaron Hall	MID	6	80.7	484
158	Alex Neal-Bullen	FWD	14	61.6	862
159	Jayden Short	DEF	12	70.4	845
160	Aaron Sandilands	RUC	6	72.7	436
161	Jason Johannisen	DEF	19	82.1	1560
162	Daniel Rich	DEF	22	88	1936
163	Luke Hodge	DEF	20	66.2	1323
164	Ben Jacobs	MID	0	0	0
165	Jimmy Webster	DEF	8	59.1	473
166	Tom Bellchambers	RUC	15	71.6	1074
167	Nic Naitanui	RUC	3	72.3	217
168	Charlie Curnow	FWD	11	65	715
169	Caleb Daniel	DEF/FWD	17	93.8	1594
170	Rory Atkins	MID	20	81.4	1628
171	Shaun Burgoyne	DEF/MID	18	70.7	1273
172	Anthony Miles	MID	17	85.4	1451
173	Dom Tyson	MID	3	76.7	230
174	Jacob Hopper	MID	19	93.6	1778
175	Orazio Fantasia	FWD	14	54.4	761
176	Josh Caddy	FWD	15	70.5	1058
177	Kyle Langford	MID/FWD	17	70.6	1201
178	Jarrad McVeigh	DEF	6	62	372
179	Rory Lobb	RUC/FWD	15	79.3	1190
180	Jamie Macmillan	DEF	18	75.1	1351
181	Brandon Ellis	DEF	20	84.8	1695
182	Paddy Ryder	RUC/FWD	17	70.2	1194
183	Dylan Roberton	DEF	0	0	0
184	Brad Sheppard	DEF	22	82.4	1812
185	Cameron Ellis-Yolmen	MID	10	87.9	879
186	Jack Newnes	MID/FWD	20	69.7	1394
187	Tom Campbell	RUC	2	39	78
188	Michael Hibberd	DEF	19	61.3	1165
189	Tom J. Lynch	FWD	22	62.4	1372
190	Ryan Burton	DEF	16	72.2	1155
191	Paul Seedsman	MID	13	72.8	946
192	Dan Hannebery	MID	5	98.6	493
193	Steven May	DEF	8	57.8	462
194	Josh J. Kennedy	FWD	20	54.1	1081
195	Josh Jenkins	FWD	11	75.1	826
196	Brandan Parfitt	FWD	17	72.2	1227
197	Jamie Elliott	FWD	14	67.6	946
198	Chris Masten	MID	15	65.9	989
199	Hugh McCluggage	MID	21	91.4	1919
200	Reilly O'Brien	RUC	18	95.5	1719