Will Ashcroft – Deck of DT 2025

Click here for 2025 Fantasy Classic prices.

Why should I pick him?

Only a finite percentage of AFL players have their childhood dreams realised by winning a league premiership. Of that small group, only 38 of those successful athletes have the honour of being crowned as the best player on Grand Final day. Will Ashcroft is one such player. The youngest winner of the GF BOG medal in the AFL era, Ashcorft created history in the 31st game of his career and there is no reason why the fantasy phenom can’t take his game to even greater heights in 2025.

If it wasn’t for an ACL tear in his rookie season, it’s possible that Ashcroft would already be considered as a near-premium in AFL Fantasy circles. Through the first 18 games of his career in 2023, we saw Will average 84.6 fantasy points and over 22 disposals – establishing himself as a stellar cash cow until he was ultimately ruled out of action. Almost 12 months later he returned to Brisbane’s senior side and as you would expect, there were signs of rust and inconsistency. From a fantasy standpoint, Ashcroft averaged a subpar 71.2 points from his first six games in 2024 while attending just 27% of the centre bounces.

From that point onwards, it was as if the lauded Lion flipped a switch. He excelled over Brisbane’s final seven games of the year, displaying the impressive traits that seduced fantasy coaches during his pre-AFL days. Will averaged 99.8 fantasy points and over 26 disposals to help steer his club towards a memorable flag – finding himself at almost 40% of the CBA’s during that time. Still five months shy of his 21st birthday, there’s no reason to think that the ball-magnet out of Sandringham will decline in production, with the ascending Lion in prime position to have a traditional ‘third-year-breakout’.

It’s no secret that Brisbane will become the ‘hunted’ in the upcoming campaign as they do their best to defend the throne. However, I don’t see that having an effect on Will’s fantasy output. There aren’t many players that have recorded 20+ touches in 21 of their first 31 career games and with a Norm Smith Medal in his back pocket, Ashcroft’s confidence should be sky-high.

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

Even though he has missed significant time, let’s get one thing straight – Will Ashcroft is NOT injury-prone.

Sure, he missed a handful of games as a junior and during two years at Brisbane he has only appeared in 31 of a possible 53 games. An ACL tear is the obvious reason for Will frequently appearing in a Lions tracksuit though – and all signs point to Ashcorft owning a clean bill of health this preseason. Regardless of any potential health concerns, when we consider him as a starting pick are you absolutely sure that he is a slam dunk?

I understand the upside and as a young, inexperienced AFL footballer, the expectation is that Ashcroft will continue to build his way towards future stardom. However, that doesn’t mean he will burst out of the gates in 2025 and prove his worth as a starting pick in a crucial MID line. I talked up Will’s ball-winning ability earlier in the article, but it is worth pointing out that Ashcorft has only attended over 55% of the CBA’s ONCE in his 31 career games. With the Lions out to prove themselves as more than a one-hit-wonder, you can’t expect them to steer away from a proven on-ball rotation of Neale, Dunkley and McCluggage, right?

Ashcroft has proven he is capable of pushing around the ground to chalk his fair share of marks (5.2 per game last season), but he still has some work to do before I consider the budding father-son talent as a truly elite fantasy player. I haven’t even mentioned Brisbane’s Round 3 bye yet, with a stinker in one of Will’s first three games spelling doom for those who pull the trigger on him as a starter. There are a bunch of value options around a similar price that I prefer and I’ll happily leave Ashcroft out of my team and force him to prove me wrong early on.

Deck of DT Rating.

QUEEN

If the early bye rounds didn’t exist, I’d be tempted to pick Will Ashcroft in my starting team. As it stands right now, I’m leaving him out and feel very comfortable doing so. A 100+ score in Opening Round might change my (our) thinking, although I feel much safer saving a few dollars and picking Clayton Oliver, Will Day or Sam Docherty in the M3-M5 range. To be honest, I feel even safer paying up for a potentially fallen premium such as Connor Rozee or Tim Taranto. So far, Ashcroft has capped out as a preseason trainee until he proves he belongs with the fantasy elite.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @SportsbyFry for all things AFL Fantasy (and more)! Feel free to hit me up with any questions you have throughout the season. Got something to say about the Deck or AFL Fantasy in general? Join the conversation and use the hashtag #AFLFantasy.

Fry

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