Six down, 18 to go!

Thank GOD those early bye rounds are done! Fantasy normalcy sort of returns this round with a nine-game slate over five days and 22 players once again contributing to our total score for the week. A handful of the relevant rookies were able to assist during the best-18 weeks and hopefully they can maintain their promising scores as they climb in value. We can’t leave them on our field forever though and as we reach the quarter mark of the fantasy season, it’s time to start thinking about an exit strategy for a lot of our mainstream cash cows.

Make sure to also cast your eyes over:
My DT Talk 2024 Rookie Guide
My DT Talk 2024 Preseason Watchlist
SBF article – The most important rookies/cash cows for 2024

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

Cash Cow King – Round 6

The bulk of the fantasy community welcomed Matt Roberts back from his week off with welcome arms and he rewarded his faithful owners right away. The Sydney halfback posted a round-high rookie score – finishing a few possessions ahead of Harley Reid in his head-turning Derby debut. Jeremy Sharp was on the receiving end of Harley’s highlights but that didn’t stop him from racking up plenty of his own points, while Sam Clohesy almost mirroring his production as he continues to excel just three games into his career. Way back on Thursday night, we saw Hugo Garcia produce while he managed to avoid the dreaded sub vest and as a result, he’ll become a popular target this week. Hard to go past the Swans’ stud with my vote for this week, although you could realistically make a case for all of the Round 6 nominees.

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Round 6 Power Rankings

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

Power Ranking 2024 #AFLFantasy Cash Cows Round 6 💰🐮

1. Matt Roberts ⬆️ 1
2. Sam Clohesy ⬆️ 1
3. Jeremy Sharp ⬆️ 1
4. Harley Reid ⬆️ 2
5. Oliver Dempsey ⬇️ 4
6. Darcy Wilson ⬆️ 1
7. Will Graham ⬆️ 1
8. Harvey Gallagher ⬆️ 1
9. Colby McKercher ⬆️ 1
10. Ryley Sanders ⬇️ 5 pic.twitter.com/OLmmAFRrih

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) April 23, 2024

Making Moves

Money makers

It’s no surprise to see Hugo Garcia ($271K, 71, BE -13) as the most traded in player ahead of Round 7. St Kilda’s young gun produced a score that would’ve likely counted in a rough best-of-18 week for most coaches, laying a game-high nine tackles in 75% game time. If he can keep having a presence around stoppages then there’s a chance Garcia could even find a place on our field and non-owners shouldn’t hesitate pulling the trigger. 233 coaches are also keen on acquiring Toby Conway ($384K, 77, BE 6) after he helped himself to 41 hitouts against Brisbane. It’s a lot of capital to invest in what will be a bench player, but the Cats’ ruck prospect has shown promising signs in his two games this season.

With a single-digit breakeven, Conway will continue to rise rapidly when Chris Scott uses him as the sole ruck – although it’s clear that Rhys Stanley is still their preferred R1. A fresh batch of DPP additions will allow coaches to shuffle a few magnets in their team, perhaps opting for a switch to get Matt Roberts ($598K, 89, BE 41) into defence. His return on the weekend was welcomed by almost 40% of the competition with the Sydney halfback proving he’s still the best cash cow in the game. Roberts will continue to rise in value, with Gold Coast duo Sam Clohesy ($422K, 73, BE -15) and Will Graham ($387K, 50, BE -1) not too far behind him as DEF options.

I’d still feel better with Graham sitting on the bench, although it’s clear that their cash generation is going to be crucial for future upgrades. Jeremy Sharp ($573K, 74, BE 46) can also be trusted to maintain his price rise for a few more weeks, gathering 17 disposals despite the one-way Derby traffic. Speaking of, you would know by now that the Eagles are resting Harley Reid ($498K, 80, BE 21) for their upcoming game in the Gold Coast – an annoying development for almost every coach still paying attention to fantasy. Taking a glass-half-full approach, avoiding a tougher fixture against the Suns might prolong Reid’s money-making ability, while also acting as a convenient loop option in our MID or FWD line this round.

Keep the faith

I’ve flirted with the idea of trading out Darcy Wilson ($457K, 61, BE 30) recently, however the Saints first-rounder has put a putrid Round 3 score behind him to average 70 in his last three matches! Earning a Rising Star nomination for his performance against the Bulldogs, Wilson’s time is almost up for fantasy coaches although his improved scoring means we can trust him for a little longer. Harvey Gallagher ($427K, 65, BE 41) has almost reached his peak value too, although he was another rookie who ensured he’ll continue his price rise over the coming rounds. Off the back of his dismal score vs. Essendon, the talented Bulldog impressed enough for him to maintain his residence in our teams…for now.

The popular FWD rookies don’t stop there with Oliver Dempsey ($551K, 54, BE 58) starting to test our faith after he failed to fire vs. Brisbane. The conditions weren’t ideal for the classy Cat and while I back him in to right his scoring wrongs, there is a world where coaches consider flicking him out to reach another gun premium. If you bat rather deep in the forward line for rookies, there’s a world where you can pull the trigger on trading one of these three to find the cash for an upgrade. In saying that, the likes of Kai Lohmann ($352K, 49, BE 10), Aaron Cadman ($422K, 59, BE 32) and Harvey Thomas ($381K, 45, BE 22) are still best served as bench players, so I wouldn’t mortgage your team’s future by fielding one of them instead of Wilson/Gallgher/Dempsey.

Cut them loose

For starters, any coaches reading this with Orazio Fantasia ($266K, 19, BE 42) in their sides need to act quickly and trade the Blues forward out. There aren’t as many coaches who invested in Roos goalkicker Tyler Sellers ($200K, -2, BE 95) although he deserves a special mention for registering the same number of free’s against as disposals through two career games, catapulting his breakeven to 95. Woof. There are a few more popular rookies that could be in the firing line this round with both  Jhye Clark ($304K, 25, BE 55) and Zane Duursma ($392K, 22, BE 69) pressing issues that need to be addressed. Clark owners may struggle to find a cheaper alternative, but cash generation is still vital as we are only a quarter of the way through the season.

Flicking the Geelong MID should be high on your priority list, along with getting rid of Duursma after he recorded another crap score – the third time he has scored less than 35 points in his last four hitouts. If you’ve luckily dodged all those underperforming rooks, there’s still a world where you can move on from Ryley Sanders ($501K, 22, BE 83) and/or Colby McKercher ($459K, 64, BE 72) as they leak cash following a promising start. Both mainstream cash cows come with their red flags and while we back them in to turn their misfortune around, jumping off before they continue to lose value isn’t a terrible tactic.

Thin Ice

The large majority of our rookies are either moving in the right direction or have been traded away after their shortcomings. Bodhi Uwland ($345K, 17, BE 39) and Charlie Lazzaro ($400K, 35, BE 40) fall into a weird position where they aren’t necessarily urgent trade-out candidates, nor are they helping make our teams better. Every team structure will be different and there are likely bigger issues you want to address at the trade table over moving on from Uwland and Lazzaro. In a perfect world, neither of these underperformers will be in your lineup now that they have stagnated in value and moving them on for a more reliable replacement is a move I’d strongly consider ahead of Round 7.

Wait and see

While most fantasy coaches were locked in watching Hugo Garcia on Thursday night, Riley Garcia ($332K, 66, BE 18) featured in the same game and showed a lot of positive fantasy traits. The biggest question surrounding the oft-forgotten Bulldog is what role he will play with Liberatore back in the side. If Riley can dodge the sub vest and again find his way into the midfield mix, another 60+ score is certainly within reach this weekend against Freo. Unfortunately, we won’t find out about his role/place in the team for another day and a half, which may lead some coaches to look at other rookie trade targets.

Enter North Melbourn duo, Blake Drury ($310K, 44, BE -9) and Bigoa Nyuon ($290K, 47, BE -6) who became popular acquisitions last round and still own negative breakevens. Both Roos came back down to Earth after their strong scores against Geelong – registering a pair of 40’s in a clash with the Hawks. The score is concerning enough, but another dud like that could see one or both of them axed from Clarkson’s senior outfit. There is still appeal in trading for the pair given their money-making ability, but you’d feel a lot better about your 30-man squad if they weren’t chewing up a bench spot. Quick shoutout to Gold Coast debutant Jake Rogers ($255K, 22, BE 37) who had some OK moments in his first AFL hitout, but can’t be considered as a worthwhile cash cow.

Sub status

Subbed On – Ryley Sanders, Reef McInnes, Jhye Clark, Charlie Lazzaro

Subbed Off – Ethan Read

Rookies continue to be felled by the dreaded sub vest, although Round 6 was relatively kind to our cash cows. I’ve already had my two cents on Sanders, Clark and Lazzaro, but Ethan Read ($252K, 24, BE 40) hasn’t thrived the way I thought he would have. He played a decent amount of the game vs. Hawthorn a few weeks ago, but from three AFL hitouts, Read has an average of just 24 and continues to decline in value.

State League Stats

Ted Clohesy, Cats (128) – 26 disposals, 13 tackles, 2 behinds
Bruce Reville, Lions (122) – 25 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles, 1 goal
Mitch Hardie, Cats (118) – 32 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 behinds
Caleb Mitchell, Swans (113) – 25 disposals, 8 marks, 2 goals
Liam Reidy, Dockers (107) – 12 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 42 hitouts, 1 goal
Toby McMullin, Giants (107) – 14 disposals, 11 tackles, 4 goals
Lewis Hayes, Bombers (103) – 26 disposals, 9 marks
Ethan Phillips, Hawks (103) – 19 disposals, 17 marks
Jaxon Binns, Blues (102) – 27 disposals, 4 marks
Jack Bytel, Magpies (100) – 21 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles
Finlay Macrae, Magpies (98) – 25 disposals, 8 marks
Karl Worner, Dockers (94) – 28 disposals, 9 marks
Charlie Dean, Magpies (94) – 19 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles
Oscar Ryan, Crows (91) – 22 disposals, 5 tackles
Cooper Simpson, Dockers (91) – 19 disposals, 5 tackles, 2.4 in front of goal
Shaun Mannagh, Cats (89) – 22 disposals, 7 tackles
Lachlan McNeil, Bulldogs (89) – 18 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles, 1.2 in front of goal
Joel Freijah, Bulldogs (85) – 18 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal
Hamish Free, Kangaroos (84) – 13 disposals, 4 marks, 27 hitouts
Dante Visentini, Power (81) – 13 disposals, 7 tackles, 28 hitouts
Patrick Voss, Dockers (74) – 10 disposals, 6 marks, 3.3 in front of goal
Brayden George, Kangaroos (72) – 19 disposals, 4 marks
Chris Burgess, Crows (72) – 12 disposals, 7 marks, 3 goals
Darcy Jones, Giants (69) – 14 disposals, 7 tackles, 1 goal
Josh Fahey, Giants (69) – 19 disposals, 4 marks

Remember the Name

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

DEFENDERS

James Leake (Giants, $252K)
Jakob Ryan (Magpies, $200K)
Billy Wilson (Blues, $201K)
Riley Hardeman (Kangaroos, $234K)
Archie Roberts (Bombers, $200K)
Jedd Busslinger (Bulldogs, $200K)
Charlie Edwards (Crows, $240K)

MIDFIELDERS

Ed Allen (Magpies, $200K)
Caiden Cleary (Swans, $231K)
Hugh Jackson (Power, $200K)
Harry DeMattia (Magpies, $228K)
Mitch Hardie (Cats, $200K)
George Stevens (Cats, $200K)
Jack Bytel (Magpies, $270K)

RUCKMEN

Henry Smith (Lions, $200K)
Coen Livingstone (Eagles, $200K)
Max Heath (Saints, $200K)
Nathan Kreuger (Magpies, $261K)
Archer Reid (Eagles, $213K)
Will Verrall (Demons, $200K)
Dante Visentini (Power, $283K)
Taylor Goad (Kangaroos, $243K)
Mitch Edwards (Cats, $207K)

FORWARDS

Tyrell Dewar (Eagles, $200K)
Kynan Brown (Demons, $200K)
Nate Caddy (Bombers, $273K)
James Tsitas (Suns, $200K)
Ashton Moir (Blues, $216K)
Steely Green (Tigers, $200K)
Darcy Jones (Giants, $200K)
Billy Dowling (Crows, $200K)
Brayden George (Kangaroos, $200K)
Logan Morris (Lions, $210K)

Fry

An Australian coffee/burrito enthusiast who is the frustrated owner of 16 fantasy teams. Writer for SportsbyFry and DT Talk ?