Eight down, 16 to go!

Congratulations, we’ve made it one-third of the way through the season. Some coaches will certainly feel like quitting after a weekend FULL of fantasy headaches, but it’s important to remember there are still 16 weekends of action – plenty of time to right any wrongs. The sub vest continues to plague cash generation for a few of our rookies and the number of cash cows we started with continues to dwindle as we improve our starting 22. Another important week of trades looms for the fantasy community and nailing the right rookies/culling the cash cows who have peaked in value is still of the utmost importance.

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 ($367K, 46 AVG, 56 BE)
2. Oliver Dempsey, Cats ($539K, 69 AVG, 75 BE)
3. Seth Campbell, Tigers ($406K, 50 AVG, 60 BE)
4. Harvey Gallagher, Bulldogs ($414K, 53 AVG, 56 BE)
5. Matt Roberts, Swans ($630K, 78 AVG, 82 BE)

Injured/non-playing rookies

1. Ryley Sanders, Bulldogs ($501K, 63 AVG, 84 BE)
2. Charlie Lazzaro, Kangaroos ($406K, 50 AVG, 46 BE)
3. Bodhi Uwland, Suns ($345K, 42 AVG, 39 BE)
4. Chris Burgess, Crows ($302K, 42 AVG, 28 BE)
5. Zach Reid, Bombers ($244K, 17 AVG, 38 BE)

Cash Cow King – Round 8

It’s not often that three rookies score triple-figures on the same weekend and we were soooo close to achieving that in Round 8. Born again Saint Darcy Wilson (100) continued his stellar form with three snags against North, while popular names Colby McKercher (99) and Caleb Windsor (99) fell agonisingly short of raising the bat. That trio stood out from the rest of their cash cow peers, although those who opted to hold Jeremy Sharp (86) were shuffled with his performance over the weekend. Kai Lohmann (82) rounded out this week’s nominees with Darcy Wilson once again too hard to overlook for my vote.

 Loading ...

Round 8 Power Rankings

After 8 weeks of action, these are the top 10 cash cow performers in season 2023!

Power Ranking 2024 #AFLFantasy Cash Cows Round 8 💰🐮

1. Colby McKercher ⬆️ 6
2. Darcy Wilson ⬆️ 3
3. Matt Roberts ⬇️ 2
4. Sam Clohesy ⬇️ 2
5. Harley Reid ⬇️ 2
6. Jeremy Sharp ↔️
7. Will Graham ⬇️ 3
8. Caleb Windsor (NR)
9. Blake Howes (NR)
10. Oliver Dempsey ⬇️ 2 pic.twitter.com/sV3aQR6g7M

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) May 7, 2024

Making Moves

Money makers

We have been treated to more than a few debutants in the past fortnight, some of whom are putting their hands up as obvious downgrade choices. Over 28,000 coaches have already pounced on Darcy Jones ($281K, 56, BE -8) and through two games, there’s no reason to suggest he won’t play a role for the fantasy community. He isn’t the only viable option under $300K, with a few other rookies coming under consideration. All four of these dudes come with an element of risk whether it is related to job security or scoring potential, but that doesn’t rule them out completely. Bruce Reville ($221K, 52, BE 5) showed promise in his first AFL games (13 disposals, 13 kicks – noice) and I can’t see Brisbane dropping him this week given all their injuries, while Calsher Dear ($232K, 67, BE -4) has the chance to string a few games together as Mitch Lewis and Mabior Chol battle injuries.

Magpies debutant Lachie Sullivan ($225K, 57, BE 3) is the rook I’m really keen on, although it’s expected that he’ll be demoted back to the sub role when Jordan De Goey and Tom Mitchell return. A matchup against the Eagles this week should see Sullivan put a healthy score though, making him a tempting pick even with the uncertainty around his place in the side. The final cheap cash cow on offer in Taj Woewodin ($288K, 49, BE 1) boasts handy FWD/DEF status, although he’ll likely cap out as a player averaging 50-55 – making him a bench play at best. Some of our proven, established cash cows are maintaining their price rise thanks to some epic scores, with Darcy Wilson ($565K, 100, BE 24) proving to be a saviour in the FWD line over the past fortnight. His 100-point effort against the Roos that featured three goals saw him outperform every other rook this round, narrowly edging out Colby McKercher ($539K, 99, BE 18) and Caleb Windsor ($462K, 99, BE 16).

Keep the faith

While almost everyone reading this welcomed Harley Reid ($526K, 55, BE 44) back to their fantasy side on the weekend, the extraordinary Eagle fell short of his lofty scoring standards. A slow start didn’t help his score and I believe that he’ll return to 70+ points before too long. Gold Coast pair Sam Clohesy ($515K, 65, BE 45) and Will Graham ($490K, 56, BE 36) were also slightly underwhelming against Brisbane and if they falter in one of their Darwin matches over the next two rounds, that could be the end of their money-making days. They should still produce against North Melbourne and Geelong – two teams that have given up plenty of points to their opponents so far in 2024. In recent times, no one has allowed their opponents to score better than Richmond and that was evident on Sunday when Jeremy Sharp ($581K, 86, BE 68) and his teammates clashed with the Tigers.

A lot of coaches opted to give the Fremantle winger the flick last week and his 86 points were a welcome return to form for 27% of the competition. Still, he faces a tougher task this week vs. Sydney and I’m sure if he drops another 50 the coaches who traded him out won’t be disappointed. In that same game, Tigers tall Mykelti Lefau ($382K, 59, BE 11) continued his price ascension as he continues to establish himself as a presence inside-50 for Richmond. He was matched up with Josh Draper ($276K, 49, BE 21) at times, with the young Dockers defender still residing in a few teams. Some coaches may have also been forced to stick with Blake Howes ($452K, 50, BE 37) or Jhye Clark ($311K, 62, BE 37) as they addressed bigger issues within their team. The duo will likely rise in price again following Round 9 and any additional cash they can make from here is a bonus. Finally, Kai Lohmann ($433K, 82, BE 21) produced his season-best effort on Sunday managing to fill the box score to the delight of nearly 5,000 coaches.

Cut them loose

In a perfect world, fantasy coaches will address the underperformers on their bench and reignite cash generation by moving them on. The forward line is littered with these types of characters and with this week’s trades, some are already opting to move on Seth Campbell ($406K, 35, BE 60), Aaron Cadman ($425K, 49, BE 53) and Harvey Gallagher ($414K, 47, BE 56). As I mentioned above, there are downgrade options available, but if you’re going to move a rookie off your field, you probably want to go up to a better performer. Oliver Dempsey ($539K, 60, BE 75) has fallen below expectations for three weeks now and he can’t be trusted in our FWD line anymore, so moving him on is a near priority if you have some funds up your sleeve. The most traded out player right now who isn’t under an injury cloud is Sydney rook Matt Roberts ($630K, 49, BE 82), with almost 6,000 coaches opting to launch from his price point. He has surpassed his breakeven of 82 in five of his eight games this season, but if you’ve managed to avoid most of the carnage and you’re in a position where you can upgrade Roberts, don’t hesitate.

Thin Ice

Our patience is being tested by some of the popular cash cows. We don’t expect every rook to dominate on a weekly basis, however the yo-yo efforts we’ve seen from Harvey Thomas ($431K, 31, BE 45) make it near impossible to predict his weekly output. We expected a dud score when he was listed as their starting sub, but despite coming into the game in the first quarter the Giants’ small only managed to chalk up 10 disposals and a lacklustre point total. Blake Drury ($372K, 49, BE 30) is another small struggling to launch from a fantasy standpoint – trapping a portion of the community by scoring 101 in his first game of the season and following it up with 44, 38 and 49 points. I’m honestly surprised that Drury has remained in North’s senior team with his tenure potentially coming to an end this round.

I don’t want to speak it into existence, but Hugo Garcia ($344K, 47, BE 19) is in a very precarious position with regards to his place in St Kilda’s team as well. In his four (maybe three and a half) career games so far, Garcia has racked up 38 disposals and laid 29 tackles, which is both good and bad. His high tackle count allows him to reach 40+ points every week, but the lack of disposals is holding him back from pushing his score into the 60-70 range. If he keeps going at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before Ross decides to vest him or send him back to Sandringham. A few more quiet games from Jake Rogers ($288K, 20, BE 27) might see him sent back to the two’s as well, with the former first-rounder struggling to get going against Brisbane. Two scores in the 20’s from three AFL games isn’t going to cut it.

Wait and see

The sub vest continues to ruin some of our cheaper cash cows and uncertainty around their place as a best-22 member will only spell doom for future cash generation. Daniel Curtin ($281K, 35, BE 32) was the first player who fell into this basket last round – performing well in patches but forced to watch the game’s conclusion from the bench. Recent debutants Riley Hardeman ($268K, 29, BE 19), Logan Morris ($216K, 33, BE 19) and Charlie Clarke ($200K, 21, BE 28) found their fantasy output for Round 9 capped by a red or green vest and it’s wise to wait on this quartet before we know more on Thursday night regarding the team structure. Dockers youngster Copper Simpson ($203K, 19, BE 25) dodged both vests to get his first full run at AFL level against Richmond, although it didn’t translate to a stellar score. He featured in 72% of the game for his 19 points – looking every bit like a teenager who was slightly lost playing his first game at the MCG. With the Dockers facing a five-day turnaround, we can expect to see Simpson as the sub or finding his way back to Peel Thunder for this weekend’s game.

Sub status

Subbed On – Lachie Sullivan, Harvey Thomas, Toby Pink, Bailey Laurie, Harvey Johnston, Nick Watson, Logan Morris

Subbed Off – Daniel Curtin, Angus Hastie, Riley Hardeman, Charlie Clarke, Ethan Read

A huge number of rookies were affected by the sub vest last round – a trend that doesn’t seem set to end anytime soon. Pour one out for Angus Hastie ($200K, 31, 62) who managed his best score of the season but still owns a massive breakeven thanks to his appearances in the vest. Also, Toby Pink ($236K, 11, BE 35) as the sub? Wtf Clarko! I swear I won’t spend every week whinging about the sub rule in this section, but it’s a serious bummer to see a portion of our potential downgrade options have their cash generation ruined for the season by a few vestings.

State League Stats

Jaxon Binns, Blues (129) – 26 disposals, 8 tackles, 2 goals
Ryley Sanders, Bulldogs (124) – 28 disposals, 8 marks, 9 tackles
Ted Clohesy, Cats (121) – 25 disposals, 8 marks, 6 tackles, 1 goal
James Tunstill, Lions (120) – 25 disposals, 5 marks, 10 tackles
Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Demons (118) – 30 disposals, 7 marks, 4 tackles
Harry Rowston, Giants (114) – 29 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal
Charlie Lazzaro, Kangaroos (113) – 28 disposals, 7 tackles, 1 goal
Mitch Hardie, Cats (110) – 26 disposals, 5 marks, 8 tackles
Lawson Humphries, Cats (110) – 28 disposals, 9 marks, 4 tackles
Joel Freijah, Bulldogs (108) – 26 disposals, 11 marks
Billy Wilson, Blues (107) – 27 disposals, 7 marks
Josh Sinn, Power (106) – 29 disposals, 4 tackles, 4 marks
James Tsitas, Suns (103) – 27 disposals, 8 tackles
Bodhi Uwland, Suns (102) – 22 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal
Ned Moyle, Suns (99) – 17 disposals, 34 hitouts, 2 goals
Ethan Phillips, Hawks (96) – 20 disposals, 15 marks
Arie Schoenmaker, Saints (96) – 27 disposals, 6 marks
Will Verrall, Demons (96) – 19 disposals, 5 tackles, 23 hitouts
George Stevens, Cats (94) – 21 disposals, 8 tackles
Kynan Brown, Demons (94) – 17 disposals, 10 tackles, 1 goal
Liam Reidy, Dockers (94) – 14 disposals, 43 hitouts
Nick Madden, Giants (93) – 13 disposals, 6 tackles, 31 hitouts, 1 goal
Oisin Mullin, Cats (93) – 22 disposals, 8 marks
Billy Dowling, Crows (90) – 25 disposals, 5 marks, 7 tackles,
Caiden Cleary, Swans (90) – 25 disposals, 4 tackles, 1 goal
Shaun Mannagh, Cats (88) – 15 disposals, 6 marks, 4.1 in front of goal
Finlay Macrae, Magpies (86) – 25 disposals, 4 tackles
Kane McAuliffe, Tigers (85) – 22 disposals, 5 tackles
Chris Burgess, Crows (83) – 14 disposals, 8 marks, 3.1 in front of goal
Caleb Mitchell, Swans (79) – 21 disposals, 1 goal
Tyrell Dewar, Eagles (74) – 15 disposals, 5 marks, 1.3 in front of goal
Bigoa Nyuon, Kangaroos (73) – 15 disposals, 7 marks
Josh Fahey, Giants (70) – 22 disposals, 5 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)

Fry

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