Two down, 22 to go!

I’m well aware that rookies probably aren’t your focus this week. Long-term injuries to a pair of popular premiums in Connor Rozee (my captain last round 🙄) and Christian Petracca have left coaches scrambling as we try to fill our lineup with as many premiums as possible in another early bye round. That doesn’t mean we should neglect our money makers entirely, as cash generation is always an important focus in the first few weeks/months of the fantasy season. Yes, it hurts to have six or maybe seven figures (I promise this wasn’t a 6 7 joke) in the bank and no way to use it all, but we will eventually get a chance to spend it. As a wise man once said, fewer games this week means fewer injuries – right?

Rookies/cash cows are typically defined as players priced at $400,000 or lower to commence the season

Cash Cow King – Round 2

We needed our rookies to go off again with some big names on the pine in Round 2 and our crop of cash cows more than held their own. Seven of them managed to record an 80+ score with three Eagles in the form of Milan Murdock, Willem Duursma and Deven Robertson all earning a nomination as some of the best from last weekend. Mature-aged MID Jack Watkins rounded out the top-4, showcasing his wares with 23 touches and the first goal of his AFL career in a convincing victory over the Bombers.

Defenders

Let ’em grow

There may be a few thin backlines this week, with Round 0 specialists Lachie Jaques ($484K, 74, BE -25), Michael Sellwood ($350K, 64, BE -4) and Jai Serong ($419K, 59, BE 2) all on the bye. Almost 500 combined coaches are opting to move one of these rookies in an effort to get close to 22 green dots, but that’s getting too cute for my liking. With that trio out of action, we are hopeful that Sam Grlj ($420K, 53, BE 1) can pop for an impressive score against Freo – although, it’s worth pointing out that the forecast for Saturday’s clash is bleak and wet. That doesn’t bode well for a massive score from the Tigers’ cub.

Some may be tempted to invest in West Coast’s Bo Allan ($306K, 54, BE -2) following a decent hitout against the Roos. I would tread with caution as Allan has never really displayed the greatest fantasy pedigree as a junior or in the WAFL. Yes, he did average a semi-respectable 73.6 points from his five WAFL games in 2025, but I don’t think there’s much room for growth from the scores he’s putting up in the 50’s. Keep your eyes tuned to the Bombers’ socials for a potential Jacob Farrow ($314K, DNP, BE 30) debut following his stellar VFL outing over the weekend. Coupled with Mason Redman’s 6-8 week injury absence, I expect Farrow to be the most traded in rookie if he gets a gig. Most of us will have to wait until Round 4 to grab him though.

Let ’em go

I think it’s fair to say we would ALL happily part ways with Lachlan Blakiston ($410K, 44, BE 32) if it wasn’t for our forced trades. Despite owning a promising role as Essendon’s R1, he has dropped miserable scores of 47 and 44 in the first fortnight. That isn’t what we signed up for when we plugged Blakiston into D6 and after giving away nine free kicks this season, things won’t get any easier in a matchup with Tristan Xerri on Saturday. We probably won’t have Josh Lindasy ($310K, DNP, BE 1) to take his place on field either, after the Eagles made the disappointing move to drop the first gamer. His job security was the red flag attached to his fantasy allure in the preseason and hopefully, it isn’t long before Mini gives him another run. Also, if you’re still holding onto Zeke Uwland ($347K, 46, BE 29), then I would use his bye round as a great excuse to abandon ship.

Midfielders

Let ’em grow

Thank god we get Jagga Smith ($381K, DNP, BE 41) back! Most coaches could be looking at a doughnut in their midfield this round, which isn’t the end of the world in another best-18 weekend. However, some popular MID cash cows have been bitten by the injury bug and our depth could be tested in Round 3. Listed as a test for this week, coaches may hit the reverse trade button if Dyson Sharp ($316K, 16, BE 31) gets up for the match against North, however, we are going to be missing Milan Murdock ($387K, 88, BE -37) for the foreseeable future. The exact injury timeline hasn’t been released yet, although scans did reveal a “moderate‑grade injury”. I’m not a doctor, but that sounds like he’s going to be out for a month plus – which is a cruel blow to nearly half the fantasy competition and to Milan himself, following a breathtaking start to his AFL career.

It isn’t all doom and gloom though. Murdock’s teammate, Willem Duursma ($439K, 85, BE -7) has made just as impressive a start to his pro career with his full bag of tricks on display last weekend. The reigning No. 1 pick finished the match with two goals from 15 touches with seven marks and an encouraging score of 85. There is a world where we’ll be able to play Duurs at M8 behind Jagga coming out of the byes, given the scoring prowess he has shown. Another fantasy-relevant hamstring injury could thrust Jack Watkins ($324K, 95, BE -29) into a similar stratosphere alongside Duursma as a startable rookie.

His pop score of 95 coincided with Connor Rozee going down and while it looks good on paper, I’m still not convinced he’s the right play. Watkins scored 53 of his points in the fourth quarter once the result was well and truly determined and the Power will welcome Ollie Wines back from his suspension this weekend. Let’s see him prove he’s a must-have cash cow by going off against the Eagles before we all trade him in. He’s probably more suited for an M9-M10 role, which is where Tom Blamires ($337K, 60, BE -16) and Jack Carroll ($453K, 48, BE 19) will take up residence once the early byes conclude.

Let ’em go

There are no cash cows who are immediate trade concerns from our midfield group – given that our focus is on injured premiums this week. Dyson Sharp is currently the rook who most are giving the flick, but he may still suit up vs. North Melbourne. Murdock will become a player we may move on from urgently once his injury timeline is confirmed and our midfield cash cow stocks took another hit today when news filtered out of Brisbane regarding promising draftee Dan Annable ($346K, DNP, BE 17). During a match sim session on Saturday, Annable hurt his shoulder (an issue that has plagued him for the whole preseason) and the Lions have opted to play it safe and send him in for surgery. If you are one of the 7%-8% of coaches who own Annable, he’ll become a trade priority once the dust settles, as he’s looking at a 12-16 week recovery timeline.

Rucks

Let ’em grow

Lachlan McAndrew ($392K, 84, BE -19) did it again for the R2 truthers – this time against the popular VC choice on Friday night footy! If it wasn’t for a blood rule late in the piece, then McAndrew may very well have outscored Tim English and pushed for the first triple-figure score of his career. Either way, we can’t be unhappy with his start to the season and he’ll have another chance to shine against Geelong in the first game of Round 3. The stocks are rising for Eagles draftee Cooper Duff-Tytler ($376K, 52, BE 15) as well. It’s more of a slow burn, but CDT has shown he can pinch hit in the hitout category while kicking two snags against North as well. Let’s hope Zane Zakostelsky ($298K, DNP, BE -3) can complete the hat-trick of optimism with a strong score against GWS, as most owners will start him on field alongside McAndrew this weekend.

Forwards

Let ’em grow

It remains Deven Robertson ($403K, 90, BE -41) and then everyone else in the forward line. With daylight second at the moment, Dev Rob has made a stellar start to life as an Eagle with his price already climbing $171K! He won’t win any award for disposal efficiency by foot (33% so far this season), but Robertson has arguably been the most impressive cash cow to start 2026. We thought Brayden Cook ($424K, 48, BE 10) was capable of entering the same conversation with 14,000+ coaches buying into the hype last week. The effects of the hot and cold wing were on full display against the Bulldogs with Cook registering six points in the 1st qtr and ZERO in the 3rd – only to save his score with 20 points in the 2nd and 22 in the 4th.

I’ve still got hope that the Adelaide MID/FWD can produce a healthy average for his owners, although a loophole strategy might be handy on Thursday night to avoid a potential stinker against the Cats. With popular FWD’s on the bye, it may be all hands on deck in your front six – with the likes of Lachie Dovaston ($333K, 36, BE 15) and Phoenix Gothard ($380K, 83, BE -22) being called up from our benches. While we still haven’t seen the high point total I’ve been trying to manifest from Dovaston, Gothard appears to be the one who got away for most of us. The electric GWS forward went gangbusters with 19 disposals and a pair of goals in Round 2, but I can’t advise trading into him with the bye just around the corner for the Giants.

I’d honestly feel much better trading into Todd Marshall ($433K, 82, BE 9) after his ripper score vs. Essendon. A fruitful run of opponents could lead to a few more 70+ outings from Marshall, especially if he’s going to maintain his high kick-handball ratio (15-0 against the Dons). He could become a short-term play for cash generation purposes and a few scores like this throughout the byes would be greatly appreciated. You don’t have to cull Leo Lombard ($378K, 36, BE 8) to make room for him, with the Gold Coast youngster still poised to make a handy chunk of change. I can understand why some want to offload him on his bye round, but I’m backing Lombard to produce another 60+ score once he returns to action.

Let ’em go

The flops in the forward line are somewhat obvious with Latrelle Pickett ($290K, 23, BE 34), Jacob Newton ($252K, 25, BE 16) and Ty Gallop ($309K, DNP, BE 20) struggling to get going from a fantasy standpoint. If they are a green dot during Round 3, then I can understand the appeal in holding them and keeping your fingers crossed for a best-18 calibre score. It probably isn’t happening though. Similar can be said for Chris Scerri ($259K, 60, BE -3), with over 2,000 coaches buying in after his debut game vs. Melbourne. While I was encouraged by Scerri as a Freo fan, I can’t endorse him as a fantasy type after one showing where his team had the game on their terms for the majority of the hitout. I don’t think he’ll gather 20 disposals in many matches either, so it’s wise to wait and see if he can back it up first. Finally, keep your eye on Finlay Macrae ($293K, DNP, BE 28) as a potential inclusion for West Coast after he lit up a practice hitout against East Fremantle.

Reserves Report

Here is a list of the most noteworthy fantasy scores we saw from potential cash cows in the reserves around the country over the weekend

Jack Ough, Giants – 131 points, 35 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals
Oliver Hannaford, Giants – 129 points, 33 disposals, 8 marks, 3.2 in front of goal
Jack Dalton, Hawks – 119 points, 119 points, 27 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles, 1 goal
Jacob Farrow, Bombers – 109 points, 31 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal
Will Lewis, Bulldogs – 106 points, 14 disposals, 6 marks, 6.3 in front of goal
Max Heath, Demons – 104 points, 17 disposals, 36 hitouts, 1 goal
Oliver Greeves, Hawks – 103 points, 21 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal
Oliver Wiltshire, Cats – 102 points, 18 disposals, 4.1 in front of goal
Jesse Dattolli, Swans – 93 points, 20 disposals, 2.1 in front of goal
Jay Polkinghorne – 87 points, 14 disposals, 4.6 in front of goal
Harry Kyle, Swans – 87 points, 21 disposals, 6 marks, 4 tackles
Alex Dodson, Saints – 84 points, 22 disposals, 15 hitouts
Liam Fawcett, Tigers – 84 points, 15 disposals, 8 marks, 2.4 in front of goal
Patrick Retschko, Tigers – 72 points, 24 disposals
Dylan Patterson, Suns – 71 points, 29 disposals
Sullivan Robey, Bombers – 53 points, 15 disposals

Q & A

The weekly Q&A section aims to address the biggest rookie/cash cow issues that we are facing. 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 questions below.

Do we go Murdock to Watkins to keep cash gen flowing?

— Dylan Capelinha (@dylancapelinha_) March 24, 2026

It makes sense to flick out the guy with a suspected long-term injury to the guy with a negative breakeven who scored 50+ in the last quarter of footy he played. However, I’ve highlighted some of my concerns around Watkins and I’m assuming everyone will be moving on from the likes of Petracca and Rozee this week and chasing the premiums coming off the Round 2 bye. If you have the luxury of making a rookie shuffle, then you could roll the dice on Watkins thanks to Port’s friendly fixture.

Yeah which ones can score like primos 🤣

— SimonStax (@SimonStaxPoker) March 24, 2026

Our lord and saviour, Jagga Smith.

Hi Fry, thoughts on Farrow? If named this week probably can afford to wait and see how he goes but he seems to be the next best rookie target.

— Olivier Calvi (@oliviercalvi06) March 23, 2026

Couldn’t have said it better myself. I think we try to spend some of the millions we have in the bank this week for players like Miers, Zorko and Daicos x2 and then invest in Farrow. I’m a believer, so it’ll be a bummer to miss out on him during the North matchup. Although, time on ground doesn’t seem to be a guarantee for Essendon players so it’s wise to wait a week if he gets a gig.

Too late for Todd?

— MitchR (@MitchRiddle43) March 23, 2026

Not at all. Port Adelaide’s upcoming fixture: vs. Eagles, @ Tigers, vs. Saints – three matchups that all bode well for defenders. I don’t expect him to hit 80+ each week, but he is capable of pushing his price tag north of $550K-$600K if he keeps moving in the right direction.

Gothard or Watkins?

— Puddy’sPigs (@Sheezel54) March 23, 2026

Tricky one. I can’t endorse trading in a player with an upcoming bye, even if it is a rookie. For that reason, Watkins is the answer.

Remember the Name

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

DEFENDERS

Jacob Farrow (Bombers, $314K)
Charlie Edwards (Crows, $230K)
Wade Derksen (Blues, $230K)
James Leake (Giants, $262K)
Dylan Patterson (Suns, $334K)
Oskar Taylor (Giants, $294K)
Lachlan Carmichael (Bulldogs, $270K)
Cooper Simpson (Dockers, $340K)
Matt Whitlock (Kangaroos, $230K)
Harrison Ramm (Power, $268K)

MIDFIELDERS

Harry DeMattia (Magpies, $230K)
Josh Smillie (Tigers, $230K)
Luke Urquart (Kangaroos, $230K)
Adam Sweid (Dockers, $254K)
Harry Kyle (Swans, $298K)
Tyan Prindable (Magpies, $230K)
Luke Beecken (Lions, $230K)
Sam Cumming (Tigers, $326K)
Jack Dalton (Hawks, $230K)
Ollie Greeves (Hawks, $230K)
Patrick Retschko (Tigers, $230K)
Ben Camporeale (Blues, $230K)
Sam Swadling (Magpies, $230K)

RUCKMEN

Aidan Schubert (Hawks, $262K)
Kayle Gerreyn (Bombers, $230K)
Max Heath (Demons, $376K)
Callum Coleman-Jones (Kangaroos, $230K)
Oscar Steene (Magpies, $230K)

FORWARDS

Sid Draper (Crows, $307K)
Sullivan Robey (Bombers, $318K)
Talor Byrne (Blues, $230K)
Jesse Dattoli (Swans, $273K)
Finlay Macrae (Eagles, $293K)
Mitchell Marsh (Crows, $266K)
Charlie Banfield (Saints, $230K)
Harvey Harrison (Magpies, $300K)
Jay Polkinghorne (Cats, $230K)

Fry

Australian coffee/burrito enthusiast and the frustrated owner of 16 fantasy teams. Writer for SportsbyFry and DT Talk 🤙