
8 down, 15 to go!
Rookie picks are becoming more important than ever with the number of red dots starting to pile up on the bench for a lot of coaches. With a third or so of the season behind us, there are a few players like Josh Rachele and Josh Ward who have served their purpose as cash cows and they’ve already been chopped out of a lot of successful sides. While axing them is a good strategy, moving on those non-playing duds is also important and making the right rookie picks over the next month could be the launching point a lot of coaches need.
Rookie/cash cows picks are players who start the season at $300,000 or lower
Mooooving On
Part of the weekly trade focus is to remove the rookie-priced players who are no longer making money. When a cash cow sees their average fall in line with their breakeven or they find themselves on the outside looking in for multiple weeks at a time, that’s a good time to give them the axe.
Fattened cash cows
- Josh Rachele, Crows ($460K, AVG 63, BE 75)
- Jason Horne-Francos, Kangaroos ($509K, AVG 67, BE 74)
- Josh Ward, Hawks ($411K, AVG 55, BE 49)
- Marcus Windhager, Saints ($301K, AVG, 41, BE 47)
- Corey Durdin, Blues ($332K, AVG 45, BE 38)
Injured/non-playing rookies
- Jack Hayes, Saints ($408K, AVG 61, BE 65)
- Jackson Mead ($306K, AVG 45, BE 19)
- Reef McInnes ($266K, AVG 38, BE 33)
- Hugh Dixon, Eagles ($353K, AVG 51, BE 30)
- Tristan Xerri, Kangaroos ($523K, AVG 73, BE 55)
Power Ranking Cash Cows – Round 8
After eight weeks of action, these are the top-10 cash cow performers in season 2022!
Power Ranking #AFLFantasy Cash Cows Round 8
1. Nic Martin – ↔️
2. Nick Daicos – ↔️
3. Tyson Stengle – ⬆️ 6
4. Nathan O’Driscoll – ⬇️ 1
5. Sam Hayes – ⬆️ 2
6. Ben Hobbs – NR
7. Jason Horne-Francis – ⬇️ 3
8. Greg Clark – ⬇️ 3
9. Paddy McCartin – NR
10. Jack Carroll – NR pic.twitter.com/4QjCL3RDan— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) May 10, 2022
Cash Cow King – Round 8
Prolific scores were few and far between from the rookies last week, with an unlikely hero emerging as the top scorer for the round. Tyson Stengle (114) is relishing his third chance at Geelong, posting a season-best score against GWS, with the ever-reliable Nic Martin (104) not too far behind him. A large portion of coaches would’ve been stoked with Ben Hobbs’ (95) efforts and Round 8 also saw Nick Daicos (83) reside amongst the best cash cows. Hobbs is getting my vote this week for his performance against the Hawks, but this should be a tight vote.

Round 9 Rookie Rankings
DEFENCE
The absence of George Hewett has seen a big portion of the fantasy community plug Nathan O’Driscoll ($464K, 65, BE 48) onto their fields in recent times, with the young Docker performing admirably. His scoring hasn’t been at the same level of Nick Daicos ($638K, 83, BE 90), but then again, there aren’t many rookies that can keep up with the Collingwood jet. Some coaches looked to ditch the Rising Star favourite last week, but I’d want to hold Daicos at least until his bye arrives. I wouldn’t want to be playing anyone other than those two in my backline right now even after the purple patches we’ve seen from Paddy McCartin ($371K, 86, BE 26) and Josh Gibcus ($401K, 44, BE 32). McCartin returned to action with his highest score of the year and Gibcus has shown promise too, but they’re still best served as best options.
Top-5
-
Nick Daicos (Magpies)
-
Nathan O’Driscoll (Dockers)
-
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (Saints)
-
Josh Gibcus (Tigers)
-
Paddy McCartin (Swans)
Residing in over 60% of teams, Sam De Koning ($304K, 65, BE 7) keeps getting better and better, with his DPP status bound to be helpful with trade flexibility. A group of cheaper defenders took part in Round 8, but none of them impressed me enough to suggest you can pick them with confidence. Jordan Boyd ($251K, 40, BE 17) has been in and out of Carlton’s side already this year and we haven’t seen enough from the likes of Buku Khamis ($204K, 44, BE 12) and Rory Thompson ($200K, 39, BE 14) to pull the trigger.
Best of the Rest
These players may or may not be in the selection mix this week, but be sure to keep them on your 2022 watchlist in case they burst onto the scene. In no particular order:
Darcy Wilmot (Lions, $260K)
Josh Fahey (Giants, $208K)
Isaac Chugg (Magpies, $190K)
Josh Eyre (Bombers, $190K)
Rory Thompson (Suns, $190K)
Garrett McDonagh (Bombers, $192K)
Bodhi Uwland (Suns, $190K)
Jacob Wehr (Giants, $190K)
MIDFIELD
As alluring as the nightclub scene is in Perth, I’m hoping Greg Clark ($250K, DNP, BE -31) keeps making the right decisions and returns to action this week. Should he be named for West Coast, Clark is the clear No. 1 trade target amongst a midfield crop that is offering tons of value. Jack Carroll ($284K, 55, BE -10) is the newest name emerging after two games for Carlton and Ben Hobbs ($373K, 95, BE 12) rewarded the coaches who picked him with an unreal score against the Hawks. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, with my patience finally over for Jason Horne-Francis ($509K, 59, BE 74). A player who I thought could carry us through the bye rounds hasn’t been excelling lately with just one score over 60 in his last four games. It’s time to cut ties…
Top-5
-
Greg Clark (Eagles)*
-
Nick Daicos (Magpies)
-
Ben Hobbs (Bombers)
-
Jack Carroll (Blues)
-
Jason Horne-Francis (Kangaroos)
Robbie McComb ($313K, 50, BE -1) was stiff to not crack the top-5 this week and the Dogs midfielder is still poised to be an important cash cow for coaches over the next month. Geelong duo Mitch Knevitt ($266K, 66, BE 8) and Cooper Stephens ($210K, 53, BE 6) could be in the same position if they hold their spot in the Cats’ side, with the pair playing their part in a big win over GWS. Over 20,000 sides currently own Stephens and now that he’s broken through, hopefully he and/or Knevitt can hold a place in the best 22 for the foreseeable future. Keep your ear to the ground on names like James Tsitas ($190K, DNP, BE 25) and Tyler Sonsie ($236K, DNP, BE 31) as potential debutants after 116 (29 disposals) and 100 points (30 disposals) respectively in the VFL.
Best of the Rest
These players may or may not be in the selection mix this week, but be sure to keep them on your 2022 watchlist in case they burst onto the scene. In no particular order:
Arlo Draper (Magpies, $202K)
Cooper Murley (Magpies, $194K)
Matty Roberts (Swans, $224K)
Matthew Johnson (Dockers, $250K)
James Tsitas (Suns, $190K)
Josh Goater (Kangaroos, $248K)
Hugh Jackson (Power, $190K)
Tom Joyce (Eagles, $190K)
Bailey Laurie (Demons, $190K)
RUCK
I’m getting dizzy trying to keep up with the basement priced ruckmen playing for West Coast. Callum Jamieson ($211K, 73, BE -2) was the latest Eagle to step up to the plate, holding his own against Brisbane’s two-pronged attack and scoring well in the process. I wouldn’t be trusting him to replicate that, with the smarter investment Aiden Begg ($257K, 54, BE -4) or Sam Hayes ($341K, 63, BE 10). Paying over $300K for a rookie is considered taboo, but there’s still some value to be made by adding Hayes in your R3 slot if you haven’t already. Begg is also a solid trade target, with Brodie Grundy’s injury paving the way for the young Magpie and Darcy Cameron to shoulder the workload.
Top-5
-
Sam Hayes (Power)
-
Aiden Begg (Magpies)
-
Callum Jamieson (Eagles)
Best of the Rest
These players may or may not be in the selection mix this week, but be sure to keep them on your 2022 watchlist in case they burst onto the scene. In no particular order:
Paul Tsapatolis (Cats, $190K)
Jacob Edwards (Kangaroos, $190K)
Mac Andrew (Suns, $282K)
Max Heath (Saints, $190K)
Alex Mirkov (Blues, $190K)
FORWARD
I don’t need to spend too much time on Nic Martin ($602K, 104, BE 39) with the Essendon prospect making a case for Cash of the Year honours through one-third of the season, but let’s address the Josh Rachele ($460K, 56, BE 75) issue. A large number of coaches have abandoned ship in recently and with a putrid average of just 48 points in the last month, you can understand why. He will once again be a popular trade out candidate, although there aren’t too many viable FWD targets at the moment. GWS’ Cooper Hamilton ($250K, 44, BE 2) is likely the next best rookie to aim for and while he only managed 10 touches on the weekend, Hamilton is better than his score suggests and hopefully he’ll produce vs. the Blues this weekend.
Top-5
-
Nic Martin (Bombers)
-
Tyson Stengle (Cats)
-
Cooper Hamilton (Giants)
-
Elijah Hollands (Suns)*
-
Josh Rachele (Crows)
* if named
Keeping up with Elijah Hollands ($190K, DNP, BE 25) the untried Sun posted his regulation score of 87 from 27 touches but a debut doesn’t appear to be too close on the horizon. You’d be smarter to invest in Maurice Rioli ($270K, 54, BE -8) who is throwing water on my “small forward don’t score” take, with a negative breakeven already leading to over 2,000 coaches snapping up the exciting Tiger. Downgrading a player like Connor MacDonald ($356K, 52, BE 40) or Corey Durdin ($332K, 44, BE 38) to pull a move like that off wouldn’t make you a ton of cash, but it could help patch up a red dot on your bench.
Best of the Rest
These players may or may not be in the selection mix this week, but be sure to keep them on your 2022 watchlist in case they burst onto the scene. In no particular order:
Ely Smith (Lions, $190K)
Elijah Hollands (Suns, $190K)
Jesse Motlop (Blues, $238K)
Jai Serong (Hawks, $190K)
Sam Darcy (Bulldogs, $288K)
Ned Long (Hawks, $190K)
Joel Jeffrey (Suns, $196K)
Shannon Neale (Cats, $190K)
Sam Philp (Blues, $205K)
Arthur Jones (Bulldogs, $206K)
Ash Johnson (Magpies, $190K)
Maurice Rioli (Tigers, $190K)
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @SportsbyFry for all things AFL Fantasy (and more)! Feel free to hit me up with any questions you have throughout the season. Good luck! ✌️

Which trade option is best?
1. Xerri to Jamieson and JHF to Petracca
2. JHF to Clark and McDonald/Durdin to Cameron
3. JHF to Clark and Coleman to Duncan
4. Xerri to 190k ruck and JHF to Oliver
5. McInnes to Clark and McEntee to Hamilton
6. Xerri to Hayes and JHF to Clark
Is Jamison an eagle? Trade him with caution.
I personally think that Clark’s output could be similar to JHF. They’re both in really crap teams.
JHF would be averaging more in a better team’s midfield. Bad luck for him.
Who would be your choice for a $190K ruck?
I like option 3, without seeing your team.
I like No. 2 personally mate
3.
Clark is a must have, any option without him is a non starter.
Xerri should be gone too, but then McInnes and McEntee aren’t doing anything either, and by the time you fix those two, Xerri might be close to returning and helpful with the byes. Can’t keep kicking the can down the road with all of them though.
Would you trade hewett if he is out again? I’ve got other issues but if I hold, will have to field McCartin or SDK
I’m holding Super Hewett this week (really hoping he is back in), I’d field McCartin over SDK as he is against the bombers who are easy to score against for defenders. Good luck mate
Fielding those two isn’t ideal, and if he doesn’t get up there’s nothing wrong with trading him out
Sideways trading to avoid playing a rookie, means you’re playing a rookie somewhere else, for longer.
Keep progressing ths build.
is it cogs to witherden/dawson or a rookie fix in preparation for the byes (Ned Moyle to Knevitt)
Not a terrible move, but I’d rather keep Cogs and patch up the red dot regardless
Hey Fry, great article mate!
Is it better to trade JHF to a premo (which premo, out of Macrae, Trac, Boak, Laird)
OR
Fix up non-playing rookies for the byes
Cheers mate!
If your bench isn’t littered with red dots then I don’t hate the idea of chasing an upgrade. There’s still enough trades left to swing a few bench pieces too
Who goes first out of McEntee and McInnes?
McEntee for me
Which 3 would you field from Clark, Carrol, McComb, Coleman or NOD?
Clark, Coleman then Carroll if he holds
Who to trade in out of Jamieson or Stephens (Geelong)?
Definitely Stephens
Trade out fattened cash cows or fix up red dots?
Each coach will be in a bit of a different position. If you can get a cow up to a decent premium then I’d go that route, but it depends on what downgrade targets make themselves available too
What is the best trade option?
1. Daicos – Clark & Rosas – Duncan
2. O’Driscoll – Clark & Rosas – D.Cameron
I’d want to hold onto Daicos over NOD so No. 2
Oliver and Stephens or Zorko and Hobbs??
If both of them are on your field then Zork/Hobbs otherwise Oliver/Stephens
Every year there is a rookie you want to get rid of, but something else more important repeatedly gets in the way.
For me this year that rookie is Rachele. I may have to keep him for yet another week, or two.
Every god damn season! Hopefully he can core a few 70’s or so for you before you FINALLY get to part ways with him
Thanks to JHF for your cash gen! but its time to move on.
Thoughts on these trades?
J. Horne-Francis -> P. Cripps
M. Rowell -> D. Cameron Via M. Duncan DPP to midfield
leaves me with $56k in the bank.
Agreed! Those sound like pretty elite trades if you ask me!
Trades are fine. Obviously, you don’t have too many round-12 bye players to balance out
Hi Fry, I’m a bit stuck this week any trade suggestions?
Def: Short, Dawson, Whitfield, Sicily, Hewett, NOD.
(De Koning, Skinner)
Mid: A Brayshaw, Neale, Laird, Cripps, Green, Daicos, Rowell, Carroll.
(Hough, Ward)
Ruck: Gawn, Preuss
(S Hayes)
Fwd:
Dunkley, Heeney, Cogs, Brodie, Butters, N Martin.
(H Dixon, Durdin)
Utility:
C MacDonald
I’ve got 223k in the bank any advice.
Maybe trade either Ward or MacDonald to Clark and then Rowell to an uber premo
I’d turn a red dot to a green on your bench then turn Rowell into an elite MID
Cash in Ward, Dixon, Durdin. If you can one down/up with those 3 to a legit premium I’d do it, otherwise double downgrade and sort out Skinner/Hough.
Clark needs to come in, for either Ward/Hough, or swing Daicos down back and trade Skinner for Clark. Gives you a solid bench option down back with NOD, who covers for Hewitt if he’s out, which is better than SDK on the field. Increases your scoring output by about 30 with that one move alone, and then you don’t have to take SDK scores any longer.
That would be my focus as your other lines are slightly stronger due to having to play SDK+NOD on field often. Also Clark is a must have, so it’s a way to kill 4 birds with one stone. Higher scores on field, bring in a must have rookie, improves def bench cover, cleans up a red dot.
So: Skinner to Clark via Daicos to def.
And: Dixon/Durdin to whoever leaves you with enough cash to get Ward or Rowell up to who you want next week (as you probably can’t to it with the ~160k left this week), while also being a solid enough bench option.
How do you rate these trades?
JHF to Clark and McEntee to Cameron
This enables me to dump Carrol off field
Looks like next weeks trade could be Xerri to one of the rookie rucks and trade an underperforming premium like Butters to an Uber premium
Sounds like a pair of great moves if you ask me!
Foley -> Touk
OR
Rachele -> Cameron (and spend the cash next week)
OR
Rachele -> premo FWD such as English or Parker
Tough one, I think I’d go Rachele to English if he’s back, but all 3 are solid choices TBH
Dixon & Naish to G.Clark & Duncan
Or
Windhager & Naish to G.Clark & D.Cameron
I’d go No. 1 mate
Maurice Rioli or DeKoning for F6 this week? Thanks Fry Legend
I’d back in Rioli
Rumours of 2 new rookies: L.Cleary at WBD & McGuinness at NM. Any news on their Fantasy potential?
Both have averages around the 70 mark, but I’d want to get a look at them first before investing
Do I need a backup ruck for Gawn? I currently have Xerri at R3 and looking to trade him next week as I have had other more pressing problems arising. Is Gawn a certainty to play?
Xerri for Hayes
Hopefully not, the big man should be able to suit up but this weekend is a perfect chance for him to rest. I guess we’ll find out when teams are announced tonight!
Outstanding as always Fry! I’ve been trying to get Durdin off my field for weeks but other issues keep cropping up…
DEF: Crisp, Whitfield, Sicily, Hewett, Daicos, O’Driscoll [De Koning, Stein]
MID: Steele, Smith, Neale, Macrae, Cripps, Mitchell, Green, McComb [Stephens, Windhager]
RUC: Gawn, Preuss [S.Hayes]
FWD: Dunkley, Heeney, Treloar, Coniglio, N.Martin, Durdin [Rosas, Mead, Dixon]
Clark is a must have this week so Dixon goes and Clark plays on field instead of McComb, but that only gives me $121k in the bank before my 2nd trade, so not enough to upgrade Durdin or NOD.
So I either double downgrade and upgrade next week, or whack that $121k on an underperformer such as Mitchell or Coniglio.
Team image: https://ibb.co/p1xSbfq
Stunning midfield. Your team is as close to complete as any team I’ve seen.
Yeah good team. Only negative is Durdin on field is just not it. Need to get him to Cameron or someone who can score
Cheers mare!
I’d go down the double downgrade route, maybe by turning Durdin into Hamilton or Hollnads if he’s named.
Is Clark a must have this week?
If you don’t bag him this week. You will pay alot more next week. He will generate alot of cash unless something unforeseen happens
if he gets 75, he’ll go up 75K…so what do you think Aza
No, he’s not a must.
In a word, yes
Love your work Fry man!!
Thinking of doing these trades:
Gibcus > $238k or less Fwd or Def rookie
Durdin > Cameron
Thoughts?
Solid moves to me mate, although there’s no one that springs to mind in the DEF/FWD line under $238k
Is Zac Williams an issue that needs to be dealt with asap? Or is focusing on getting rookies off your field first more of a priority.
I’d try flick Williams up if you can, but it depends on who you can get for your rookie upgrade
Too early to trade for NOD? Can reach Parker/Heeney and get NOD off ground.
I’d hold off on flicking NOD for those Swans targets, but he’s got to go eventually
Hey lads, this is how my team is looking after trades this week
Def:Crisp, Houston, Whitfield, Hewett, Sicily, Daicos (NOD, De Koning)
Mid: Mills, Keays, Oliver, Neale, Macrae, Cripps, Cogs, Clark (Knevitt, McComb)
Ruck: Gawn, Preuss (Dixon)
Fwd: Dunkley, Treloar, Brodie, Rozee, N. Martin, Cameron (Durdin, Skinner)
Utl: (Carroll)
Trades were
Butters>Cameron
Ned Moyle>Knevitt
any other suggestions for moves?
Personally I’d go for Stephens over Knevitt, but if he holds his spot he’s still a fine target
FRY!!! Need you advice for trades.
My Team:
D: Houston, Whitfield, Hewett, Sicily, Rich, N. Daicos (O’Driscoll, Stein)
M: Macrae, Neale, Oliver, Mitchell, M. Crouch, Rowell, Hobbs, McComb (Stephens, Caroll)
R: Gawn, Witts (Preuss)
F: Treloar, Coniglio, Broome, Butters, N. Martin, Rachele (Durdin, Windhager)
U: S. Hayes
1st trade looking at Rowell to Clark.
Lost for 2nd trade. Should I get upgrade one of the mid rooks to Petracca or get rid of Rachele for a premium FWD or Cameron????
Over 600k in bank
Thanks in advance
With that much money in the bank I’d do Rowell to Clark and throw that $$$ on Rachele or Crouch to get another big name player
Cheers Fry. Is it too risky to trade Lipinksi to Oliver when it means P.McCartin is onfield for a few weeks? League win only at stake
If you aren’t too concerned with overall rank that’s not an awful mood. Although, be ready for a 40/50 from McCartin…
Thanks mate ;)
Hey Fry!
Always had other injury concerns so I still got them.
But if hewett is out again should i go:
English to Oliver
&
Hewett to Angus Brayshaw?
Hewett looks like he’s going to play mate, don’t hate the English to Oliver move though
Hey Fry. What option would you rather do?
1) Gibcus and NOD > Cameron (dpp) and Kemp / Cleary
2) Z Williams and Gibcus > Short and Cleary / Khamis / Thompson
3) Z Williams and NOD > Short and Rioli
4) Z Williams and NOD > Zorko and Any FWD rook
I like trading out the NOD/Williams combo mate. If you have to play both players on the field I’d go No. 3 otherwise, No. 4
Short at $878k or Zorko at $761 + $117k in the bank
See which one helps your byes more, but I’d go Short
Thinking of this mate… thoughts?
NOD > Darcy Cameron (Dpp)
Mead > M Rioli
Two red dot bench players to a Cameron and playing rook.
Sounds pretty good to me!
Carroll (Carl) or M. Rioli (RIC)
Carroll
Of the debutants who would we bring in?
I’d lean towards recommending Sam Butler, but to be honest I’d rather wait a week on all the debutants
Cheers fry
Great write up to!
Hobbs or McComb onfield?
Hobbs
Go Cameron + cash or Zorko/Duncan. Going Cameron will allow me to get me a big mid in next week.
Rioli or Hamilton? Off- field