Six down, 18 to go!

Thank god that one is over. A quick turnaround will help AFL Fantasy coaches put a tough weekend behind them as rookies stall in value and other money makers start to emerge. It’s becoming clear that the age old adage of “removing rookies first” still rings true and those who held Will Day and/or Tom Green through their suspensions will happily utilise them to remove the underperforming cash cows from their field. We’ve only made it through a quarter of the season, so maintain that glass half-full approach and shuffle your rookies accordingly.

Rookie/cash cows are defined as players who started the season priced at $300,000 or lower

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Mooooving On

Part of our 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

1. Cam Mackenzie, Hawks ($434K, AVG 56, BE 65)
2. Darcy Wilmot, Lions ($368K, AVG 48, BE 52)
3. Reuben Ginbey, Eagles ($490K, AVG 66, BE 63)
4. Alwyn Davey Jr, Bombers ($340K, AVG 46, BE 41)
5. Kade Chandler, Demons ($467K, AVG 66, BE 56)

Injured/non-playing rookies

1. Bodhi Uwland, Suns ($257K, AVG 47, BE 11)
2. Miller Bergman, Kangaroos ($282K, 48, BE 6)
3. Anthony Caminiti, Saints ($356K, AVG 49, BE 31)
4. Matt Roberts, Swans ($223K, AVG 27, BE 18)
5. Campbell Chesser, Eagles ($237K, AVG 37, BE 8)

Cash Cow King – Round 6

Once again, Harry Sheezel sh…wait, he didn’t just waltz to another 100?! Instead of Sheezel and Co continuing their dominance in this race a lot of fresh faces made an appearance in Round 6. Carlton teammates Alex Cincotta (76) and Ollie Hollands (75) feasted against the Saints, with Hawthorn key forward Fergus Greene (71) enjoying a day out down in Launceston. No one else in the rookie realm topped 70, but Richmond ruck Samson Ryan (69) and rebounding Hawk Seamus Mitchell (68) rounded out an eclectic group of nominees this week.

Round 6 Power Rankings

After 6 weeks of action, these are the top 10 cash cow performers in season 2023!

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Making Moves

Money makers

Two of the most popular trade targets Seamus Mitchell ($280K, 68, BE -13) and Alex Cincotta ($238K, 76, BE -9) were able to score at will over the weekend, leading to them both now owning a negative breakeven. Expect the duo to once again be coveted by coaches and both can be considered as viable downgrade options – despite the concerns over Cincotta’s place in Carlton’s side. Don’t panic about the illustrious Will Ashcroft ($568K, 66, BE 48), who battled through a tough game against GWS to finish with decent numbers. His 66-point outing was his second-lowest score of the season and a matchup against Freo at home should be more fruitful for him in Round 7.

Fergus Greene ($377K, 71, BE 8) hasn’t got consideration from coaches as an on-field option and with Mitch Lewis potentially returning that shouldn’t change. Still, it’s nice to see him doing his job for the fantasy community as he continues to climb in value. A lot more teams would have had Luke Pedlar ($415K, 67, BE 28) and/or Ollie Hollands ($445K, 75, BE 36) starting on the field over the weekend, with the pair ensuring they didn’t let down the coaches that trusted them. A 41-point second quarter contributed to Pedlar’s healthy score, while Hollands came to life after half-time to hit another 70+. Their time is coming, but they still have room to grow, along with the likes of Max Michalanney ($436K, 60, BE 37). Adelaide’s young tall is only sitting in 6% of teams and following his third score of 60 or more in the last month, Michalanney is hardly a pressing trade matter.

Keep the faith

After averaging 113.8 in the first 5 games of his career, Harry Sheezel ($751K, 47, BE 102) came crashing back to Earth after a rough showing against Gold Coast. Finally receiving some attention from Nick Holman, Sheez struggled to get going and despite his triple-figure breakeven, I’m backing him in to look more like himself again when North clash with Melbourne on Saturday night. Rookie mainstays Reuben Ginbey ($490K, 62, BE 63) and Kade Chandler ($467K, 59, BE 66) can now be cashed in, although they are probably still residing on the field for a lot of coaches. If you can’t upgrade them to a player of note, there’s nothing wrong with keeping them in your starting 22 for now. I’d be inclined to ditch Chandler first, although the consistent rumours around a Ginbey rest mean there’s not much separating them.

Chandler’s teammate Jacob van Rooyen ($330K, 50, BE 26) doesn’t have the same amount of trust in the fantasy community, with the key forward struggling his way to just nine points through three quarters. Thankfully, kicking three goals in the final frame and scoring 41 points helped him rise again in value, hopefully buying himself more time in Melbourne’s senior side. No-fuss defender Judd McVee ($367K, 57, BE 22) quietly went about his business again against the Tigers, with Samson Ryan ($304K, 69, BE 7) producing a season-best score in the same contest. The less popular Corey Wagner ($330K, 62, BE 12) continued his solid scoring ways, although there are no guarantees that he’ll be in their side to clash with Brisbane.

Cut them loose

An abundance of coaches made the wise decision to ditch Cam Mackenzie ($434K, 45, BE 65) prior to Round 6 and the ones who didn’t will probably copy that move this week. A 25-point effort in the 3rd somewhat saved his score, but Mackenzie’s days are done as a reliable cash cow. Another popular rookie Darcy Wilmot ($368K, 22, BE 52) will join the Hawthorn youngster as one of the most traded-out players after he faltered in epic fashion by managing just 8 disposals. It’s only early, but currently those two have both been flicked out by over 6,500 coaches with Matt Roberts ($223K, 19, BE 18) and Will Phillips ($405K, 22, BE 50) also expected to find their way out of a bunch of teams. Sydney’s young midfielder is still awaiting scan results on a knee injury to determine how long he will be sidelined, while Phillips’ inconsistent role in North Melbourne’s team makes it hard to trust him moving forward.

GameDay Squad – Create. Coach. Compete.

Thin Ice

The days are numbered for Lachie Cowan ($327K, 48, BE 29) as he continues to serve a lockdown role with Carlton’s senior side. Cowan did manufacture the best score of his pro career against St Kilda and even though he hasn’t increased a great deal in price, you could still gain some handy cash by swapping him out for Seamus Mitchell ($47K) or Alex Cincotta ($89K). There are still a lot of people who held onto Alwyn Davey ($340K, 30, BE 41) and could look to chop him out, however, one more decent score could turn his cash generation around. I’d still prefer to offload him, along with MID/FWD Mattaes Phillipou ($416K, 49, BE 32) who once again failed to top 50 points. Scoring is a struggle for Phillipou and he is technically still rising in price, but they may not be enough to help him survive the wrath of coaches.

Wait and see

Added to GWS’ side as a late inclusion over the weekend, Ryan Angwin ($222K, 54, BE 5) certainly didn’t look out of place in his second AFL hitout. I’d be worried he’ll be straight out of the 22 with Tom Green returning, but he could be an option if he holds his spot. Dockers duo Sam Sturt ($237K, 43, BE 7) and Matthew Johnson ($240K, 41, BE 9) did their best on a tough night for the club, although Longmuir may be ready to swing the axe. Sturt’s place in the side is seemingly safer following a Michael Frederick injury, but Johnson has shown enough in my eyes to keep his residence in Freo’s outfit. Their crosstown rivals handed Zane Trew ($252K, 37, BE 24) his first senior game of the season and he didn’t exactly stand out. Injuries may keep him in the team, however, I wouldn’t go bringing him into yours, with Port tall Ollie Lord ($210K, 37, BE 16) falling into the same category despite a solid outing on debut.

Sub status

Subbed On – Dylan Williams, Will Gould, Bailey Humphrey, Bailey Laurie, Will Kelly

Subbed Off – Matt Roberts, Will Phillips

No one can predict an injury and it was a shame to see budding Swan Matt Roberts ($223K, 19, BE 18) go down before half-time. He looks set to miss a decent chunk of time, with Will Phillips ($405K, 22, BE 50) the other relevant rook who was forced to end the game in the vest. In the same game, Bailey Humphrey ($319K, 57, BE 25) was able to kick a pair of goals that contributed to his decent point total. An injury to Touk Miller may create an opportunity for him outside of the forward 50, but it’s still tough to trust him just yet. Another Bailey didn’t have the same impact when he shook the sub vest, with Bailey Laurie ($200K, 12, BE 55) featuring in just 9% of Monday night’s game. Dylan Williams ($268K, 32, BE 17) saw a fair amount of game time and didn’t capitalise from a scoring standpoint, with defenders Will Kelly ($200K, 24, BE 24) and Will Gould ($211K, 20, BE 23) failing to establish themselves as fantasy relevant.

Reserves Watch

There aren’t a lot of rookies staking their claim for a call-up right now, but Jaxon Binns ($238K, 117, BE 30) continues to string together strong performances for Calrton’s VFL side. 29 disposals (including 25 kicks) with 10 marks helped him finish amongst the top scorers, with Hawthorn’s Josh Weddle ($266K, 105, BE 33) accomplishing a similar feat thanks to 25 disposals for Box Hill. Neither of them is expected to crack the senior side in Round 7, but Sydney’s Angus Sheldrick ($200K, 139, BE 25) could replace Matt Roberts after starring in the VFL. The cygnet filled up the stat sheet with 35 touches to go with 5 marks, 6 tackles and 2 goals for a mammoth score that is bound to get the attention of selectors. For North, Geroge Wardlaw ($294K, 92, BE 37) continues to chase an AFL debut and it seems as though it’s only a matter of time before he’s elevated from the state level. My gut tells me this isn’t the week he cracks the Roos’ senior side, but he’s building nicely.

Remember the Name

In no particular order, here are some of the other rookie-priced players to consider throughout the season.

DEFENDERS

Jake Stein (Suns, $288K)
Josh Fahey (Giants, $200K)
Josh Weddle (Hawks, $266K)
Rhett Montgomerie (Bombers, $200K)
Jaokb Ryan (Magpies, $246K)
Sam Banks (Tigers, $200K)
Sam Durdin (Blues, $213K)
Darragh Joyce (Lions, $241K)

MIDFIELDERS

Connor Blakely (Suns, $235K)
Jhye Clark (Cats, $286K)
Blake Drury (Kangaroos, $200K)
Angus Sheldrick (Swans, $200K)
Billy Dowling (Crows, $216K)
Elijah Tsatas (Bombers, $292K)
Darcy Jones (Giants, $260K)
Ed Allen (Magpies, $264K)
Hugh Bond (Crows, $202K)
Jaspa Fletcher (Lions, $278K)
George Wardlaw (Kangaroos, $294K)
Henry Hustwaite (Hawks, $228K)

RUCKMEN

Jacob Edwards (Kangaroos, $200K)
Lachlan McAndrew (Swans, $200K)
Alex Mirkov (Blues, $200K)
Harry Barnett (Eagles, $256K)
Max Heath (Saints, $200K)
Dante Visentini (Power, $200K)

FORWARDS

Josh Sinn (Power, $233K)
Thomas Berry (Suns, $286K)
James Tsitas (Suns, $200K)
Jaxon Binns (Blues, $238K)
Angus Sheldrick (Swans, $200K)
Joe Richards (Magpies, $206K)
Ollie Dempsey (Cats, $200K)
Finlay Macrae (Magpies, $290K)
Patrick Voss (Bombers, $200K)

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