Connect with us
Join our Patreon

Cash Cows

Fry’s Cash Cows – Rd. 17

As we farewell the mid-season bye rounds, Fry helps us navigate the cash cow landscape!

16 down, eight to go!

The end of the mid-season byes means that we are officially two-thirds of the way through the season. It’s not often that we get to this point of the year and find no rookies left on our field, however that’s the position a lot of coaches find themselves in right now! It’s bizarre to think there are still eight rounds of fantasy footy remaining, although none of us have ‘completed’ our teams yet. There are still premiums to shuffle and rookies to pounce on for cash generation, so be sure to make wise investments over the next few rounds and set yourself up for fantasy finals success.

Rookie/cash cows are typically defined as players who started the season priced at $400,000 or lower

You can find more fantasy advice from Fry by joining the Fantasy SportsbyFry Patreon community!


Cash Cow King – Round 16

A trio of West Coast Eagles found themselves amongst the nominees in Round 16, with Clay Hall earning a Rising Star nod for his efforts against the Magpies. He joined Tom McCarthy and Jack Hutchinson amongst the Cash Cow King’s last round, while starting sensation Max Hall also earned votes for his 88-point outing. They were all outpaced by Adelaide’s young gun Daniel Curtin as he racked up 26 disposals, kicked two goals and posted a career-best 118 points! It’ll be hard to ignore the talented Crow with my vote this week, but I expect McCarthy to get the lion share of the recognition.

*If you’re having issues submitting your vote try clicking “view results” first and that should resolve the problem 🤞

Who's gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 16?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Round 16 Power Rankings

After 16 weeks of action, these are the top 10 cash cow performers in season 2025!

Making Moves

As we gear up for the home stretch of the 2025 fantasy season, I’ve simplified the rookie piece to look at each positional group. While most of the fantasy community have moved their cash cows off the field, there are still some of us fielding a few rooks across multiple lines. Hopefully, this will act as an easy guide to help coaches get the best 22 scorers on-field each round!

DEFENCE

Not only is Tom McCarthy ($394K, 95, BE -38) the best defensive cash cow on offer – he is the best rookie, period. Scores of 101 and 95 in his first two AFL outings have coaches looking to make an unprecedented move and bring a rookie back ON to their field. If possible, the smartest tactic is to loop McCarthy during his Friday night clash with GWS, however he’s shown enough to suggest that he’ll be capable of hitting 75-80+ in most of his matches to close the season. Outside of the Messiah, there isn’t a lot to get excited about down back. Players such as  Riley Bice ($546K, DNP, BE 92), Riley Hardeman ($494K, 19, BE 81) and Jaxon Prior ($646K, BYE, BE 67) should be gone by now and there are only a few bench pieces I trust. One of them, I watched live on Sunday afternoon and while his stat line of nine disposals and five marks didn’t jump off the page, Alix Tauru ($350K, 48, BE 20) still excelled.

While his scoring pedigree suggests we’ll continue to see subpar scores in the 40/50 point range, Tauru should be given every opportunity to succeed at the Saints over their final eight games of the season. Angus Clarke ($460K, BYE, BE 35) is another cash cow with some dollars already on his head and an average of 51.5 in the last month suggests he doesn’t have a lot of growth left. If he holds onto his place in Essendon’s side when the teams drop, you could keep him at D7-D8, although it’s probably more advantageous to cash him in and use the $$$ for another on-field upgrade. Luamon Lual ($312K, BYE, BE 12) is in a similar place, supposedly hanging by a thread in the Bombers’ outfit, joining the likes of Kaleb Smith ($414K, DNP, BE 15) and Bo Allan ($263K, 42, BE 15) as uninspiring picks. I still haven’t sold all of my Billy Wilson ($232K, 25, BE 24) stock either, with the Blues debutant one to monitor if Carlton opt to give him a second senior game this weekend.

AFL 2025 Round 16 - Fremantle v St Kilda - A-60294170

MIDFIELD

There are still a few relevant pieces in the midfield that coaches have a level of trust in, with Harry Rowston ($327K, BYE, BE -22) leading the charge. Currently the most traded in player ahead of Round 17, a breakeven of -22 is hard to ignore and the GWS youngster has hardly put a foot wrong in his last two outings. While he is still best served as a M9 pick, your MID bench could also consist of Mani Liddy ($357K, 61, BE -6) and/or Zak Johnson ($441K, BYE, BE 8), with the pair still poised to make some convenient cash over the coming rounds. I feel much safer about Liddy’s cash generation potential, with Johnson sure to come under fire if Essendon welcome back a few troops this round. We’ve already seen Johnson’s magnet move across multiple lines for Brad Scott in his four senior games and he may find himself demoted to the dreaded role as starting sub vs. Gold Coast.

We don’t need to jump at shadows just yet, but it’s worth flagging for those who are looking at a rookie to move on from. Some coaches may also have Hugh Jackson ($311K, 60, BE 10) residing on their midfield bench as he continues to yo-yo between a poor score and a 60-point outing. His prospects understandably aren’t as high as some of the rookies I’ve already mentioned and if you haven’t already acquired Jackson, then I wouldn’t go chasing him now. Similar could be said for first-year Bulldog Cooper Hynes ($252K, 28, BE 15) and budding Eagle Clay Hall ($385K, 79, BE 15). There have been a few hundred coaches who have already targeted upcoming Magpies debutant, Roan Steele ($230K, DNP, BE 25) and I can understand the appeal given his track record in the WAFL (80.6 AVG from 7 games) before becoming a mid-season draftee. Having averaged 20.2 disposals and 78.2 points in his four VFL games with Collingwood, there’s optimism around his prospects as long as he can avoid the sub vest against Carlton.

RUCK

A few relevant faces have rotated through R3 over the last half a dozen weeks, with fantasy coaches focused mainly on Nic Madden ($382K, BYE, BE 1) and his place in the Giants’ senior side. All reports indicate that Kieren Briggs will return to action against West Coast and if that’s the case, Madden’s numbers will obviously be affected. However, we could see the GWS prospect stay int he side to support Briggs for at least another few games. If that’s the case, there’s no urgency to give Madden the flick, but should he find himself out of the team this round, then some will want to take the money and run. Vigo Visentini ($262K, BYE, BE -1) is in a similar position, having lost no fans following his efforts on debut against Luke Jackson last Thursday. If he is given another chance to play AFL, then Visentini should continue to make money – even with a tough matchup against Jarrod Witts on the horizon.

FORWARD

In short, we shouldn’t be fielding any rookies in the FWD line and if you are, fixing that is priority No. 1 this week. Yes, the likes of Daniel Curtin ($659K, 118, BE 19) and Elijah Hewett ($637K, 52, BE 60) performed at a stellar clip through the byes and if you have bigger issues to address you could maybe get away with them at F6 for another round or two. I’d sleep much better at night without them still on-field though. Our other loyal servants including Sam Davidson ($672K, 39, BE 76)Levi Ashcroft ($689K, BYE, BE 90) and Max Hall ($523K, 88, BE 41) are long gone and there are only a few bench options that we feel good buying into at the moment.

AFL 2025 Round 16 - Richmond v Adelaide - A-60296989

Archer May ($296K, BYE, BE -11) seems to be the pick of the bunch following his 74-point effort in his last hitout vs. the Dockers. However, we can’t forget that he scored a measly 42 the week before and as a key forward, he’ll likely top out at 50-55 points if he can’t hit the scoreboard. Max Ramsden ($377K, 74, BE 1) falls into a similar category, although his ability to pinch hit in the ruck boosts his fantasy floor. Shaking himself free of the sub vest in Round 16 saw Jasper Alger ($242K, 60, BE 6) post a healthy score and almost 3,500 fantasy coaches are targeting him as a result. Once they get past the Cats at GMHBA this weekend, Richmond plays the Bombers and Eagles in the following fortnight, which may make Alger a fine, short-term source of cash gen.

A couple of characters may have also found their way to our FWD benches with Sam Butler ($458K, 36, BE 32) and Kai Lohmann ($471K, BYE, BE 28) emerging as solid cash plays during the best-18 rounds. With lowish breakevens still tied to their name, there’s no urgency to offload this duo – especially with the lack of bonafide replacements. They will have to be cashed in at some point, but hopefully they still have a few dollars to make before then. We could target Eagles debutant Jobe Shanahan ($262K, 36, BE 21) if West Coast continues to give him games, while it’s also worth noting that Tyrell Dewar ($464K, DNP, BE-15) has already been ruled out for this week.

Sub status

Subbed On – Flynn Young, Harry Sharp, Robert Hansen Jr, Seamus Mitchell

Subbed Off – Charlie West

A rather irrelevant group of rookies were affected by the vest over the weekend, with Magpies first-gamer Charlie West ($230K, 19, BE 31) the only cash cow who found himself taken out of the game. News has filtered out since that West has a bone stress injury in his foot that will rule him out for the next 5-6 weeks. Rough for the 9,861 coaches who brought him in last round…

Q & A

I’m adding a Q&A section to the weekly articles to help address the biggest issues we have with our rookies/cash cows. If I don’t get to your answer in the article, I promise I’ll answer it on Twitter – and as always, you can drop your follow-up question below.

Getting a lot of similar questions to this and the answer may depend a bit on how the rest of your bench is travelling. If you’re litered with red dots, it’s probably important to prioritise Harry Rowston as he will continue to make a ton of cash over the final two months. If your bench is relatively healthy, I’d prioritise getting points on field – which means Daicos and the best rookie you can get.

I’m bullish on Hotton, who has scored 52 and 91 in his two VFL games to date. However, it’s important to realise that as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL in his draft year we probably aren’t going to see the best of him in 2025. If he does break into the senior team before Richmond’s campaign concludes, then it’s highly likely that he’ll be rocking a green vest and his TOG will be fairly lacklustre. Again, I rate the kid, but I’ve got my fingers crossed he stays out of the system so he can be our starting F7 in 2026!

My preference is always to watch these rooks before investing, but if they avoid the starting vest then they instantly have more appeal. Slated to play a role across the wing and half forward, there’s appeal in targeting Steele, but I still default to waiting a week and getting a lookt o see how he adjusts to AFL life.

Remember the Name

In no particular order, here are some of the other rookie-priced players to consider throughout the season.

DEFENDERS

Josh Gibucs (Tigers, $230K)
Luke Beecken (Lions, $230K)
James Barrat (Saints, $247K)
Ben Jepson (Suns, $230K)

MIDFIELDERS

Luke Urquart (Kangaroos, $230K)
Josh Smillie (Tigers, $322K)
Cody Anderson (Hawks, $230K)
Ben Camporeale (Blues, $230K)

RUCKMEN

Max Heath (Saints, $230K)
Taylor Goad (Kangaroos, $230K)
Tom Campbell (Demons, $316K)
Kayle Gerreyn (Bombers, $232K)
Lachlan McAndrew (Crows, $302K)

FORWARDS

Zac Banch (Kangaroos, $230K)
Ashton Moir (Blues, $230K)
Liam McMahon (Bombers, $230K)


FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER@SportsbyFry for all things AFL Fantasy! Feel free to hit me up with any questions you have throughout the season. Good luck! ✌️

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

43 Comments
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

43 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Fantasy Boomer
Fantasy Boomer
26 days ago

Great Article once again mate! Is it more important to fix up none playing rooks like El hawli, simpson, camporeale etc to Rowston and may/alger or leave them and trade Matt roberts and Caleb Daniel to better premos? I’ve only got McCarthy on field as the only rookie left on field. Love your thoughts?

jake
jake
26 days ago

The other options for the second trade are,
Cerra->Merret/Green
Long->Merret/Green
Horne-Francis->Petracca

Screenshot-2025-07-02-143014
John
John
26 days ago
Reply to  jake

Whitfield out with concussion this week

Jack
Jack
25 days ago

What about Wil Dawson in defence scored 47 no mention, low BE and 250k?

Looney Pelicans
Looney Pelicans
25 days ago
Reply to  Fry

I think Will would love some flowers Fry

Jack
Jack
24 days ago
Reply to  Fry

W.Dawson 54 only 5 points behind Dale.
Good for the bench and going up in price😉

Uncle Roy
Uncle Roy
25 days ago

Hey fry, Love your work. Do you tick off

Long –> Flanders

Kako –> Martin

Devil_Inside
Devil_Inside
25 days ago

G’day Fry, who to trade out first? Mills, Daniel, Long, or Cerra?

Woosh
Woosh
25 days ago

Love your work as always Fry.
I need an F8 downgrade and was set on May, but do you think saving the $ and going Alger makes more sense?
My F7 is Lohman so I’ll likely need to cash him in over the next fortnight, so could wait on Alger and grab him next week around the $300k mark

blud
blud
25 days ago

Hi Fry, love the work. Would you downgrade Long to Rowston and play McCarthy at M8 to get Lohmann to Nic Martin/Matt Kennedy? Also, which of those two to pick? Martin’s run is great and he could be massive…

Hans the German
Hans the German
25 days ago

Hey legend.
Who scores more this week?
Callum Mills or Matt Roberts
Thx bud

P-Liddy
P-Liddy
25 days ago

Hey Fry,

I’m planning to upgrade Long to either Caldwell, Green or Dunkley. Going Caldwell will leave me $74k in the bank. My only rookie on field is McCarthy but I’m still fielding the likes of Mills, McKercher, Docherty and Daniel. Should I pay up for Caldwell or leave some cash for next week and good Green/Dunkley?

Jack
Jack
25 days ago

Hey fry, I have a sort of completed team and Sinclair I’ve owned from round 3 hasn’t been getting it done it’s been a roller-coaster. Plus big breakdown.
So Sinclair to Caldwell
Johnson to Rowstan

Tiffle_tree
Tiffle_tree
25 days ago

G’day legend! Top read! Could you rank Caldwell, Green and Holmes? Is it worth missing a cash cow to fit in Caldwell or Holmes?

John
John
25 days ago

Hey Fry, great as usual. Would love to hear your thoughts on my trades:

Clarke—>May (DPP)
Daniel—>Martin

D: NWM, Holmes, Sheezel, Sinclair, Clark, McCarthy (Clarke, Busslinger)
M: Dawson, Rozee, McClug, Steele, Cerra, Anderson, Docherty, Sheldrick (Rowston, Johnson)
R: Xerri, English (Madden)
F: Smith, Kennedy, Trac, Jackson, Darcy, Daniel (West, Whitlock)
UTL: Boyd
$169k

Sluggerz
Sluggerz
25 days ago

Great Article as always mate! Want to keep my cash gen going on my bench but still have on-field moves to make – would you go Johnson to Rowston or Boxshall to Alger (& holding johnson)?

Winger
Winger
25 days ago

Awesome article Fry! Ranked 966 at the moment, what are your thoughts on this high risk/reward move with a Mills down to Rowston and fielding McCarthy at D6 to then being able to go Doc to Caldwell with 340k for next week?

Alternatively was thinking dead rook (Berry) to Alger and Doc to Green with $0 left

Hi34
Hi34
24 days ago

Hi fry what you think??
Should I bring in a red dot so I can loop McCarthy or go for Alger. Have three playing rooks I’m confident in. And also..
Long to Caldwell or green, can do Holmes and gulden as well if I go for a red dot.
Or
Daniel/bowey to butters merret or dunks thanks

Hi34
Hi34
24 days ago
Reply to  Hi34

Thanks

Last edited 24 days ago by Hi34
Tom_LDN
Tom_LDN
24 days ago

Hi Fry, brilliant work. I have been tossing up over Holmes and Caldwell all week and decided on Holmes. I now only have 266 k for a rook. Should I just go Alger or is there someone else you have in mind?

DMR_Bikes
DMR_Bikes
24 days ago

Hi Fry, which of the two do you prefer?

1) Z Johnson + Long to Caldwell + Rowston
2) Madden + Long to Holmes + Alger

Leaning on 2) since the rooks are all on the bench and Madden isn’t making cash.

Facetime
Facetime
24 days ago

Hi Legend! Great read as usual! Which do you prefer?

1) Long & Madden to Green and Rowston
2) Long & Madden to Holmes + Alger
3) Long & Madden to Caldwell + Alger

Love your work and look forward to your reply!

Adrian
Adrian
24 days ago

Awesome article again Fry – keep up the excellent work.
Thinking
Whitfield to NWS
Travaglia to Archer May via dpp
Travaglia / Delana to Rowston
Would each be a good trade and please rank above trades
Cheers




Recent Comments

  • DH4 on My Team 2025: R21: “F Jack SteeleJul 28, 10:19
  • Warnie on My Team 2025: R21: “Become a free member of our Patreon and you can get last week’s edition. https://www.patreon.com/posts/134823914Jul 27, 21:10
  • Hi34 on My Team 2025: R21: “Daniel to Grundy woohooJul 27, 20:44
  • brian Smith on My Team 2025: R21: “Just got DaZorAshed this round. NWM just about scored the same as the three of them on his own!! But…Jul 27, 18:33
  • Jay on My Team 2025: R21: “Is scale of hardness available for final rounds to general publicJul 27, 17:40

Podcasts

Advertisement

More in Cash Cows