21 down, three to go!

I ussually hate this time of the fantasy. With everyone rocking completed teams, luxury trades are dominating our weekly moves – not making much room for rookies anymore, but they’ve had their fair share of attention. I find that particularly at the pointy end of the campaign, we are always burnt by one trade or another when you swap premium for premium and lose 30-50 points. For me, it was Zak Butters to Errol Gulden and I know most coaches have a similar story of hardship or a big letdown during the year. Soldier on though, the finish line is close and there are only six more trades to navigate!

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. Oliver Dempsey, Cats ($636K, 72 AVG, 98 BE)
2. Billy Dowling, Crows ($517K, 66 AVG, 57 BE)
3. Logan Evans, Power ($555K, 73 AVG, 65 BE)
4. Bruce Reville, Lions ($344K, 48 AVG, 84 BE)
5. Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Demons ($380K, 52 AVG, 42 BE)

Injured/non-playing rookies

1. Arie Schoenmaker, Saints ($362K, 59 AVG, 15 BE)
2. Joel Freijah, Bulldogs ($446K, 56 AVG, 46 BE)
3. Nathan Kreuger, Magpies ($414K, 53 AVG, 61 BE)
4. Joe Richards, Magpies ($412K, 56 AVG, 61 BE)
5. Charlie Dean, Magpies ($387K, 48 AVG, 43 BE)

Cash Cow King – Round 21

With three rounds of votes still to be counted, there is just ONE vote separating the top three for Cash Cow King honours! Matt Roberts (93) and Colby McKercher (97) could vault to the top of the leaderboard if they poll maximum votes this weekend, with the pair both nearly cracking the triple-figure threshold. Darcy Jones (98) bested both of them for the highest rookie score of the weekend while ascending Lions forward Kai Lohman (89) and Essendon debutant Archie Roberts (80) earned a nomination for their Round 21 scores.

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Making Moves

No one is chasing a rookie as a trade priority this late in the season, so as a result, I’ve streamlined the article before I get stuck into the awards next week. If there’s a cash cow I don’t cover that you’ve got questions about, feel free to drop them below or hit me up on my socials.

DEFENCE

Colby McKercher ($761K, 97, BE 79) – If you’re left fielding any rookie in the backline, you want it to be Colby McKercher. He has only played four of the nine possible games since North Melbourne’s bye and yet, the Rising Star hopeful has averaged 98.7 points when he’s been in the lineup. Despite the offer on value, I wouldn’t go chasing McKercher though with the ascending Roo a likely chance to miss another match before the season is out.

Matt Roberts ($633K, 93, BE 9) – The last month has been huge for Matt Roberts, vaulting the Swans cash cow back into fantasy relevance on the back of some stellar scores. 93 on the weekend despite Sydney getting SMASHED by the Power was a great return – taking his average to 105.5 in the last month. Genuine target for mine and the perfect D7 loop option if you’re flush with cash.

Logan Evans ($555K, 54, BE 65) – On the back of two straight 50-point efforts, it’s time to axe Logan Evans. Port Adelaide’s mid-season recruit is sitting on the bench for half of the coaches that own him and by flicking Evans to a basement-priced defender, it’s possible you won’t need to do another downgrade for the entire season! He’s been great, but a dip in price is coming so get ahead of the curve.

Lawson Humphries ($521K, 71, BE 43) – Make no mistake, if you need the cash for an upgrade and Lawson Humphries is the only inflated rookie you can trade – do it. However, I still think holding on to the Geelong cash cows is a wise move over the final three rounds, with Humphries still scoring in great bunches. He should reach his breakeven of 43 in front of a WA home crowd as the Cats clash with Fremantle and juicy fixtures against St Kilda and West Coast to close the fantasy season could lead to more fieldable scores from Humphries.

Joe Fonti ($284K, 9, BE 38) subbed on – Joe Fontempelli tried his best to rack up during his limited game time and the GWS youngster still managed to increase his price last round. I can’t see him breaking into the Giants’ 22, making Fonti somewhat irrelevant over the final three weeks.

Hugh Bond ($251K, 22, BE 21) – Crappy, irrelevant score from the guy who may be sitting at D7 or D8.

Archie Roberts ($240K, 80, BE -1) – We saw one helluva debut from Archie Roberts at the MCG, only further frustrating fantasy coaches that we won’t be nice and cheap next season. It didn’t take long for the Dons defender to hit the ground running with 32 of his points coming in the first quarter alone! Ripper downgrade option for those who need a cheap DEF.

Angus McLennan ($227K, 62, BE -1) – I’ll be straight with you, I barely knew a thing about Angus McLennan before his debut on Sunday. What I do know is that the 2022 rookie selection has averaged 61 in his 15 VFL games this year and could be worth a dice roll to close the year. I’d rather Roberts if you’re in the market for a defensive downgrade though.

Dan Curtin ($215K, 2, BE 52) subbed on – It’s fair to declare that things haven’t gone to plan for Daniel Curtin in his first AFL season. He’s the only top-10 draftee from last year yet to play a full game, with four appearances as Adelaide’s sub ruining his chances of becoming a relevant rook. There’s still optimism for Curtin and I know I’m not the only one watching him closely with the hope he enters 2025 priced at $200K.

MIDFIELD

Harley Reid ($574K, 43, BE 80) – There are over 500 coaches still trading Harley Reid out of their team this week, with the West Coast phenom still clearly hanging around for a few of the less fortunate coaches. His recent form has been fine, but as the Eagles’ season winds down I have a hunch a few more dud scores are on the way from the future superstar.

Zac Taylor ($373K, 64, BE 8) – Those who invested in the Adelaide rookie a few rounds ago will be happy to see him continuing a price rise – slowly but surely. Some coaches are opting to trade Taylor out ahead of Round 22 and if you need the cash there’s no point holding onto him. Although, he’s only a decent game away from cracking the $400K threshold with the Crows MID shaping up as a perfect final downgrade choice.

Bruce Reville ($344K, 27, BE 84) subbed on – We’ve seen a dramatic fall from grace by Bruce Reville, with the sub vest the main reason for his dramatic price slide. Entering Round 16, Reville was playing a crucial role as a money-making MID/FWD for the bulk of the fantasy community, producing an average of 62.1 points from his eight games. Since then, Brisbane’s cult hero has scored just 77 in five weeks – including a DNP last week and three straight games starting as the sub. If you haven’t already, cut your losses.

Harvey Johnston ($200K, 42, BE 11) – In his third AFL game, it’s fair to say that Harvey Johnston didn’t light the world on fire. Still, a few early appearances as the sub didn’t allow the Eagles teenager to get a decent run and he showed flashes of promise last Friday against Gold Coast. I’m hoping Johnston avoids the vest in the final three weeks and lays the foundation for a successful fantasy tenure.

Clay Hall ($200K, 17, BE 35) subbed on – There were moments when Clay Hall looked clean around stoppage and was able to help West Coast gain first use of the footy. There were also plenty of moments where Hall was a bit all at sea and went long patches of the game without making his presence felt. For selfish reasons, let’s hope he continues to have ‘moments’ while starting in the vest to ensure he’s nice and cheap for season 2025.

RUCK

Henry Smith ($238K, 51, BE 6) – Doing his bit to keep the rookie rucks relevant at the pointy end of the season. I salute you, Henry Smith!

FORWARD

Oliver Dempsey ($636K, 55, BE 98) – It might be time to move Ollie Dempsey on, but to be fair there aren’t a lot of candidates sticking their hand up as potential replacements. The likes of Dylan Moore, Izak Rankine and Brent Daniels are being sought after by the fantasy community and on paper, they are better players to own for the last three rounds. Dempsey could outscore all three of them during the run home thanks to his friendly fixture – however, I’d still prefer to chase a bigger name and cut the crafty Cat.

Shaun Mannagh ($530K, 72, BE 45) – As I mentioned when discussing Lawson Humphries, there are reasons to hold Shaun Mannagh with the hopes he can pop off in one or two of his final games this fantasy season. Averaging 80+ since he re-entered the team in Round 17, Mannagh has helped a portion of coaches each week with a potentially fieldable score and I’d want to hold him unless you deparaately need the cash.

Billy Dowling ($517K, 46, BE 57) – Failing to surpass 50 points last weekend has all but sealed Billy Dowling’s fate. The promising Crow has played a crucial role since the bye rounds for coaches and we thank him for his services – but, he’s about to decline in value and with just three rounds left he has to go. There’s a world where you can keep Dowling and try to loop his score on your field against the Bulldogs this week. Although, he’s the most traded out player this week for good reason.

Andy Moniz-Wakefield ($380K, 50, BE 42) – There are still some who are trusting AMW arnd trying to squeeze all the possible juice they can out of the orange. While Moniz-Wakefield has gained a ton of fans this season and has the makings to be a fantasy player of the future, his job is done for 2024 and trading Melbourne’s spark plug is still the right option.

Steely Green ($313K, 34, BE 29) subbed off – This was always the risk with investing in Steely Green with the Tigers’ small finding himself subbed out after playing less than 50% of the match against North. I can’t see that changing drastically either with Green now destined to reside as a brown dot for the rest of the year.

Corey Warner ($268K, 8, BE 31) subbed off – Throughout the season, I’ve liked what Corey Warner has shown in small doses. He has only played over 65% of game time in one of his five matches this season, so his fantasy shortcomings aren’t entirely his fault.

Tyrell Dewar ($209K, 52, BE 15) – Fine score from West Coast’s small forward, but he isn’t one to invest in.

State League Stats

Here are the noteworthy 💰🐮 AFL Fantasy numbers from Round 21 in the state leagues

Ryley Sanders, Bulldogs (134) – 39 disposals, 3 goals
Charlie Lazzaro, Kangaroos (123) – 24 disposals, 5 marks, 13 tackles, 1.1 in front of goal
James Leake, Giants (121) – 35 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles, 1 behind
Bailey Laurie, Demons (119) – 29 disposals, 10 tackles
Oskar Faulhead, Suns (116) – 28 disposals, 5 marks, 9 tackles
Luke Beeckan, Lions (107) – 24 disposals, 12 marks
Finbar Maley, Kangaroos (104) – 15 disposals, 13 hitouts, 7 marks, 5 tackles, 2 goals
Hugh Jackson, Power (101) – 20 disposals, 8 tackles, 1.1 in front of goal
Jai Serong, Hawks (101) – 101 points, 20 disposals, 9 marks
Kynan Brown, Demons (94) – 18 disposals, 8 tackles, 1 goal
James Tunstill, Lions (92) – 20 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals
Harvey Gallagher, Bulldogs (91) – 925 disposals, 5 marks, 2 goals
Karl Worner, Dockers (90) – 27 disposals
Jack Carroll, Blues (84) – 24 disposals
Jedd Busslinger, Bulldogs (82) – 20 disposals, 8 marks
Jake Rogers, Suns (80) – 17 disposals, 9 tackles, 1 goal
Max Ramsden, Hawks (80) – 12 disposals, 24 hitouts, 2 behinds
Marty Hore, Demons (76) – 16 disposals (16 kicks!), 8 marks
Jaxon Binns, Blues (64) – 23 disposals
Joel Freijah, Bulldogs (58) – 14 disposals, 5 marks, 1.2 in front of goal

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)
Saad El-Hawli (Bombers, $200K)
Jacob Blight (Tigers, $200K)

MIDFIELDERS

Clay Hall (Eagles, $200K)
Hugh Jackson (Power, $200K)
Harry Rowston (Giants, $241K)
Harry DeMattia (Magpies, $228K)
Mitch Hardie (Cats, $200K)
George Stevens (Cats, $200K)

RUCKMEN

Coen Livingstone (Eagles, $200K)
Max Heath (Saints, $200K)
Archer Reid (Eagles, $213K)
Will Verrall (Demons, $200K)
Taylor Goad (Kangaroos, $243K)
Mitch Edwards (Cats, $207K)

FORWARDS

James Tsitas (Suns, $200K)
Ashton Moir (Blues, $216K)
Tom Anastasopoulos (Power, $200K)
Brayden George (Kangaroos, $200K)
Max Hall (Saints, $200K)
Campbell Gray (Tigers, $200K)
Toby Murray (Crows, $200K)

Fry

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