The Thursday Scramble: Round 13 Bye Week 2

Ok, one down, four to go. This was one of the harder byes with so many popular players on the bye. Did the Fantasy Gods really have to make it harder with so many popular players getting vested at the time we needed them most?  And does having just two teams on the bye make it any easier?  Nope.  Time to Scramble!!

Vesting Hell

What a weekend we saw with a number of the rookies we were relying on this week getting poor scores and being vested, but not only did we have to suffer the low score we have now seen their value drop too. In a season where we are having trouble generating cash this makes it even harder. So it is a season where we may need to use stepping stones a bit more than we have in the past.

There will be likely a rush to any of the mid season draftees that get a game this week. Just remember, they are probably getting a game due to injury and unless they are long term injuries (i.e. Essendon) then they may be short lived in the team. However, they are the ones that are going to make you the most cash so it is not a bad strategy to dump one of the red dots you have that hasn’t made much money because at least you will get something from them. Now, the other thing you need to remember is, these guys coming in haven’t been in the system and are also massively likely to be getting a vest. So you could be just trading one problem for another.

Time to go Shopping

This is the week we have been waiting for, finally we have some players that do not have a bye coming for the rest of the season. There are a few things that I want you to keep in mind when you are selecting these guys.

1. Use the Scale of Hardness.  Remember that what people are averaging so far isn’t necessarily what they will average for the remainder of the season. With only 12 rounds to go not everyone will have the same draw.  Look for people who get to play teams like both Richmond and West Coast who are giving up points and if you find anyone that gets to play both these teams and one of them twice then that is an absolute bonus.
2. Keep hunting the value. Don’t blow the whole of your bank in this first week. Cash is incredibly hard to come by this year and as a result you still need to maximise your money. While we all want the Bont, he costs a lot and the money you spend on him could see you have to settle for someone you don’t really want but they are all you can afford later.
3. Plan out your trades as best you can. Just following on from the previous point it is good to know exactly how much money you need to execute your plan and get the guys that you want in.
4. Just because they have come off their bye last week doesn’t mean you have to get them straight away. Similar to playing the value game, keep an eye on the BE of the players. They may have a monster BE this week and by waiting a week you will save some valuable cash that will help you get a trade over the line in coming weeks when things start to get really tight.

Restraint in Limited Trade formats is going to be key.

For those playing RealDreamteam and SuperCoach we are faced with a bit of an issue this year. We love getting the three trades a week over the byes and it means you can really accelerate your teams progress, however, with three a week for 5 weeks that chews through a heap of trades and if you have already used plenty then you could find yourself with just a couple of trades left to get you from round 17 through to 24. So just keep that in the back of your mind as you navigate these byes and it means that you may need to sacrifice some points on field and not do as many trades. Ideally you would exit the bye period with about 5 trades left at least.

Things To Remember

• You are half way home!  Yes, we are at the half way point of the season and if you have made it this far through all the crap we have had to deal with then you are doing a good job. Don’t give up.
• Don’t panic if you take a tumble down the rankings in one bye week, as I said a few weeks back, you have to look at this as a single round that lasts 5 weeks. Once every player is back on even footing then you can see where things are really at.
• Mid Season draftees can be hit or miss. As I said above, these guys have been in local leagues so won’t be indoctrinated into the system and are huge vest chances.

Keep your upgrades going, keep on top of the moves you want to make and keep an eye on the BE’s of players.  These are all things we need to be vigilant about during the bye period and hopefully you will come out the other side with a better team!  Won’t be hard for the rabble that are my team but I am sure you are all doing better.

Dunny

A passionate Port Adelaide Fan who simply loves footy! That is how I would describe myself. Catch my weekly article "The Thursday Scramble" with all the last minute things to think about for the weekend Follow: @pkd73.