Seven down, 17 to go!

Last weekend was rough. A brutal series of events saw a lot of us fielding extra rookies, shuffling bench pieces and desperately trying to pick the right downgrade target. An important week of trades looms with some cheap options available that can replace a few of our maxed-out cash cows. While each and every rook has to leave our team at some point this season, it’s still important to make sure you’re offloading, and investing in, the right ones.

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

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. Zane Duursma, Kangaroos ($381K, 48 AVG, 54 BE)
2. Aaron Cadman, Giants ($425K, 53 AVG, 53 BE)
3. Harvey Gallagher, Bulldogs ($422K, 54 AVG, 61 BE)
4. Oliver Dempsey, Cats ($547K, 70 AVG, 76 BE)
5. Jeremy Sharp, Dockers ($570K, 71 AVG, 76 BE)

Injured/non-playing rookies

1. Ryley Sanders, Bulldogs ($501K, 63 AVG, 84 BE)
2. Jhye Clark, Cats ($304K, 36 AVG, 56 BE)
3. Bodhi Uwland, Suns ($345K, 42 AVG, 39 BE)
4. Toby Pink, Kangaroos ($242K, 34 AVG, 21 BE)
5. Chris Burgess, Crows ($302K, 42 AVG, 28 BE)

Cash Cow King – Round 7

During a week where he felt like no one could dodge a bullet, there were a few of our popular rookies who performed admirably. The best of the bunch was Colby McKercher (109) with the rebounding Roo helping himself to 12 kick-ins (11 played on) that helped push his point total into triple-figures. 38 points in the final quarter of the weekend helped Matt Roberts (82) continue his strong season, while Will Graham (83) and Blake Howes (80) also earned a nomination for their impressive points total. For my vote this week, I’m rewarding Darcy Wilson (92) as the durable Saint ran amok at Adelaide Oval last Friday to register his highest fantasy score of the season so far.

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Round 7 Power Rankings

After 7 weeks of action, these are the top 10 cash cow performers in season 2023!

Power Ranking 2024 #AFLFantasy Cash Cows Round 7 💰🐮

1. Matt Roberts ↔️
2. Sam Clohesy ↔️
3. Harley Reid ⬆️ 1
4. Will Graham ⬆️ 3
5. Darcy Wilson ⬆️ 1
6. Jeremy Sharp ⬇️ 3
7. Colby McKercher ⬆️ 2
8. Oliver Dempsey ⬇️ 3
9. Harvey Thomas (NR)
10. Harvey Gallagher ⬇️ 2 pic.twitter.com/zZFnpRj9O7

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) April 30, 2024

Making Moves

Money makers

There weren’t a lot of people who invested in Taj Woewodin ($250K, 71, BE -1) or Darcy Jones ($234K, 70, BE -6) prior to Round 7, but as it stands right now they are the cash cows that coaches covet. Now owning handy FWD/DEF status, Woewodin did his work in defence for Melbourne last week as he continues to benefit from the absence of Jake Bowey and Christian Salem. There are some concerns about his permanent place in the side, with Darcy Jones falling in the same basket as GWS potentially welcomes back Toby Greene and Brent Daniels. However, both rooks could prove to be handy options thanks to their cheap price tag. Some coaches opted to jump on the Mykelti Lefau ($336K, 47, BE -1) bandwagon thanks to his ridiculously low breakeven and he responded by climbing $50K in price. Those who invested can keep riding out his price rise, although it’s too late to chase Lefau as a FWD bench option.

Popular starting picks Darcy Wilson ($505K, 92, BE 22) and Colby McKercher ($488K, 109, BE 34) produced the best rookie scores of the weekend and as a result, they’ll continue to make valuable coin over the next few rounds. Similar could be said for Suns duo Will Graham ($451K, 83, BE 7) and Sam Clohesy ($478K, 59, BE 19), with Graham particularly thriving against West Coast with another 11 tackles. The ever-reliable Matt Roberts ($631K, 82, BE 55) is also maintaining his price rise after saving his score late with plenty of junk time +6’s – continuing his reign as the best rookie in 2024, having now increased $386K from his starting price.

Keep the faith

I’ve been somewhat of a hater through his three games with North Melbourne this far, but Bigoa Nyuon ($344K, 65, BE -1) continued his upward trajectory last week playing a variety of roles for Clarko. The key defender attended a handful of ruck contests against the Crows, while still hauling in 7 marks to maintain a negative breakeven. He should continue to tick along as a handy money maker on the bench, much like another mainstream F7-F8 option in Harvey Thomas ($423K, 77, BE 24). Some were able to loop his handy 77 onto their field last round and if you’re a Thomas owner, you won’t be unhappy as he sets his sights on the $500K price bracket.

Most of us opted to cash in Demons duo Caleb Windsor ($416K, 67, BE 39) and Blake Howes ($435K, 80, BE 31) when, or even before their Round 6 bye arrived, however, their efforts against Richmond have left both rooks with a breakeven in the 30’s – a threshold you’d back them in to surpass against Geelong this weekend. Their residence is coming towards an end, but there is enough positivity to suggest they can stay for a few more rounds if you have bigger issues to address. We expect Hugo Garcia ($312K, 41, BE 5) to follow a similar trajectory after his ownership increased by 17% before he clashed with Port Adelaide on Friday night. It is a concern to see Garcia registering just 59% game time and I’m sure I’m not the only coach worried about a potential appearance in the sub vest against North Melbourne. Still, he will undoubtedly continue to make cash in the games he does play and hopefully Ross Lyon doesn’t demote the talented Saints junior.

Cut them loose

We’ve reached the point of the season where a lot of our bench rookies are ready to be moved on. Cash cows like Seth Campbell ($416K, 37, BE 52) and Aaron Cadman ($425K, 33, BE 53) have likely been there since day one and they probably aren’t the biggest trade priority for owners. Although, with viable downgrade options available it’s a wise move to shuffle some of these cash cows and ensure that you’re still maximising cash generation. For that same reason, you could also move on from Zane Duursma ($381K, 51, BE 54) or Harvey Gallagher ($422K, 32, BE 61) with both seemingly reaching their peak.

There could be a tad more growth on offer for popular options Jeremy Sharp ($570K, 39, BE 76) and Oliver Dempsey ($547K, 50, BE 76), with the duo still residing on-field for virtually all of their owners. As it stands right now, both Sharp and Dempsey find themselves as No. 1 and No. 2 respectively on the list of trade out candidates prior to Round 8 and a breakeven of 76 is far from guaranteed for either of them this week. If I had to only choose one to flick out, I think I’d feel more comfortable moving on from Dempsey. If parting ways with both of them helps you net a nice upgrade though, don’t hesitate.

Thin Ice

Most rooks reside in one of two clear camps at this point of the season – they are either trade out options, or there’s still growth left and they can stay for the time being. A couple of cash cows are hovering in no man’s land though, leaving their owners in a tricky position. Two Kangaroo youngsters fall into this category with Charlie Lazzaro ($406K, 46, BE 46) ultimately failing to make the most of his MID minutes and Blake Drury ($346K, 38, BE 16) disappointing after a 100+ outburst a few weeks ago vs. Geelong. Lazzaro’s ownership percentage is inflated by a lot of ghost ships who have already given up on their team, but anyone reading this with him in their squad of 30 will sleep a lot better when he isn’t wasting away on your bench.

Drury on the other hand may still have an ability to turn things around, although he’ll have to dodge the axe on Thursday first. After Zac Fisher was demoted to the sub role, Drury spent a chunk of the game in defence and it’s possible the two swap roles ahead of this weekend’s match with St Kilda. He’s not in the firing line just yet, but more underwhelming efforts will see coaches surely drop him from their team. Another FWD that is uninspiringly going about his business is Kai Lohmann ($386K, 54, BE 21), having now found a regular place in Brisbane’s team with Zac Bailey still on ice. Lohmann has only kicked two goals in his last three matches and unless we see that trend reserve, I’ve got no qualms with coaches ditching him.

Wait and see

The fantasy gods handed us FIVE debutants last week and a few of them will become popular trade targets in the coming weeks. I don’t advise making Patrick Voss ($217K, 47, BE 8) a trade priority with Jye Amiss set to take his place either this week or next, but there’s a world where Cooper Simpson ($203K, 28, BE 21) plays a role for the fantasy community. It’s worth highlighting that Simpson started as the sub against the Bulldogs and it’s going to be tough for the young Docker to shake that role. If he continues to don the green then his fantasy potential will certainly have a ceiling.

Lock it in, Dan Curtin will debut in Showdown LV 🔒🙌 pic.twitter.com/rrxbKZMyR0

— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) April 30, 2024

North gave rebounding backman Riley Hardeman ($253K, 54, BE 10) his first crack at AFL level and he performed fine without blowing us away. I expect him to keep churning out 50’s but those who are interested may want to sneak another look in before investing. There will be a lot of coaches who instead opt to target preseason darling and soon-to-be Crows debutant Daniel Curtin ($279K, DNP, BE 35) now that he is locked in to take on Port Adelaide. A number of factors including a Thursday night game and a matchup with the Power makes me think it’s wise to get a sneak peek at Adelaide’s talented youngster before investing. And yet, I still expect him to be a handy rook through the middle portion of the fantasy season. If you desperately need to add a DEF cash cow, Curtin should be able to perform well enough to justify a regular place in Adelaide’s senior team – allowing to pull the trigger ahead of tomorrow night’s Showdown.

One of Curtin’s draft peers, Jake Rogers ($280K, 69, BE 11) is trying to carve out his own niche for Gold Coast, fresh off a Rising Star nomination and 22 disposals against the Eagles. Personally, I think ignoring Rogers is the better tactic as he will spend a lot of time as a forward for the Suns and he obviously won’t be matched up with West Coast each week. Finally, it’s worth highlighting that Ryley Sanders ($501K, DNP, BE 84) produced 33 touches and 9 clearances against the AFL Academy boys with Footscray’s VFL team technically on a bye. Another popular trade out option this week, it’s hard to envision Sanders sliding straight back into the Bulldogs’ 22, with another appearance as the sub the most likely outcome.

Sub status

Subbed On – Bailey Laurie, Harvey Harrison, James Tunstill, Angus Hastie, Jaxon Binns, Cooper Simpson, Max Ramsden

Subbed Off – Caleb Windsor, Josh Draper, Jai Serong

Another round, another cash cow who has been RUINED by the sub rule. Seriously, get this crap out of our game! Jaxon Binns ($200K, 6, BE 53) has spent the better part of 18 months building towards his first AFL appearance, and it came in such a lacklustre fashion. Entering the Blues’ lineup as a late inclusion for Orazio Fantasia, Binns was handed the sub vest and played just 22% of the game vs. Geelong while gathering two touches. I’m sure his first AFL game went exactly as he dreamed it would throughout his childhood…

State League Stats

Nick Madden, Giants (166) – 31 disposals, 8 marks, 8 tackles, 33 hitouts, 14 clearances
Josh Fahey, Giants (161) – 161 points, 39 disposals, 10 marks, 5 tackles, 2 behinds
Finlay Macrae, Magpies (125) – 31 disposals, 6 marks, 5 tackles, 1 goal
Archie Roberts, Bombers (116) – 22 disposals, 6 marks, 7 tackles, 2 goals
Bruce Reville, Lions (116) – 25 disposals, 10 marks, 5 tackles
Wade Derksen, Giants (115) – 23 disposals, 13 marks
Daniel Curtin, Crows (113) – 31 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal
Harry Rowston, Giants (113) – 25 disposals, 5 marks, 7 tackles, 1 goal
Toby Conway, Cats (110) – 20 disposals, 28 hitouts, 3.1 in front of goal
Ted Clohesy, Cats (104) – 26 disposals, 7 marks, 2.1 in front of goal
Mitch Hardie, Cats (101) – 29 disposals, 10 marks
Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Demons (97) – 19 disposals, 9 marks, 5 tackles
Bodhi Uwland, Suns (95) – 21 disposals, 8 marks
Angus Hastie, Saints (95) – 25 disposals, 7 marks
Arie Schoenmaker, Saints (93) – 27 disposals, 7 marks
Marty Hore, Demons (87) – 19 disposals, 10 marks
Jhye Clark, Cats (82) – 22 disposals, 5 tackles
Shaun Mannagh, Cats (82) – 16 disposals, 7 marks, 2.1 in front of goal
James Tsitas, Suns (78) – 17 disposals, 4 marks, 7 tackles
Oisin Mullin, Cats (78) – 17 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal
Toby Pink, Kangaroos (71) – 13 disposals, 8 marks
Billy Dowling, Crows (66) – 18 disposals, 6 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)
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)
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 ?