The Thursday Scramble: Round 23. Finals wk3

Just two rounds to go which means only two opportunities to climb the rankings (right Cal?) but just this week to qualify for your Fantasy Grand Final! So don’t take the foot off the pedal. This is the time to push on and go for broke!  Let’s Scramble!!

What to do with Retirees?

Normally we would send them out to the golf course or put them in a home, but in Fantasy, a retiree can be a bonus.  We know that a few guys, Ziebell, Cotchin and Riewoldt are all going to be playing their last games this weekend and not in round 24 so this means two things for us.

Firstly, if you are holding any of them in either Classic or Draft you are going to need to move them on at some point in the next fortnight. The question is do you do it this week before their last game or next week when we know they are going to be out.  Obviously this is going to depend on the player and what their role is and how the have been scoring. The fun part here is that all three of the guys I mentioned above are playing each other this week!  In this game I would be keeping Ziebell for sure as we have seen what he can do and we know he will be fed the ball.  Similarly I would also be playing Riewoldt (you are only likely to have him in draft of course) as the Tigers players are going to look for him at every opportunity up forward.  As for Cotchin, he is a 50/50 and if you can loop him that would be your best bet.

In Draft however, you may want to take another option and that is to pick up someone from the waivers now rather than wait for next week when other coaches are going to be trying to pluck the players that have a great matchp for that last round. This would definitely be the case for a Riewoldt or a Cotchin. You should be able to find someone that is likely to have a great score for the two rounds or at least equal those guys this week and go bigger next week than other options.  This strategy would allow you to get ahead of the game in the scramble to get the guys with great matchups for the grand finals.

Still time for a big move?

You bet there is, the fewer rounds we have left in the season the less risky that big move becomes for you. The question is which one is the right one? The answer to this question all comes down to the players you are moving in and out. When you are considering this I am certain you are referring to the Scale of Hardness, but you are also going to look at your opponent’s side for the week and see what kind of advantage you can get for this week to get you through into that Grand Final.

If you are going to do this then you can consider things like

• Should I try and get in the equivalent to their star? Do you want to cover off their superstar by bringing them in and backing in your other uniques?
• Should I try and get in an alternate star who has a better matchup? This can be a good strategy if you know they have a forced trade and they are likely to have to bring in a player similar to one of your premiums.
• Do I have a great captain option for this week or should I bring in someone else that I can feel really comfortable putting the C on.

Whichever path you take, the last thing you want to be doing is looking back at the results on Sunday night after you have had a close loss and thinking, “if only I had taken a chance”

Those coaches that have taken a chance on Luke Jackson wile Sean Darcy has been out of the side have been rewarded quite handsomely and I am sure most of them wouldn’t have considered him a great option early in the season, but knowing the matchups he had coming against teams without a ruck then it has really paid off.

Things to Remember

• Plan ahead for your loops!  Most of our Red Dot bench players are all playing early in the round, so if you are going to do a VC/C loop then have your plans solidly in place as you don’t want to get caught out not being able to take a huge VC score.
• Go big or go home! That is pretty much where we stand at Prelim Final week, so take that chance on a guy that you normally wouldn’t if they have a great matchup.

Just two rounds to go to get yourself that League win or get yourself that Hat! So it is time to lay it all on the line (as if it wasn’t that way weeks ago) and get the best team on the park (not that you haven’t been trying to do that already) and go for broke.  I hope to see you all back here again next week as we push into round 24. If you have questions for next week please hit me up @pkd73 and I will try and help you out. Thanks again for reading and see you all again next Thursday.