Four down, 20 to go!

I swear, one of these weekends we will catch a goddamn break! We are four fantasy rounds into the 2026 season and so far I’ve had two injured captain scores, five forced trades and an overall rank that continues to spiral downwards. From a cash cow perspective, a lot of our trusty rookies have done some heavy lifting in the early bye rounds while premiums crumble around them. As we return to fantasy normalcy with 22 scorers, their presence is going to be more important than ever. Nailing the right on-field rookies and ensuring you’ve got the right mix in each line will be crucial in helping coaches like myself claw their way out of a deep hole.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 4

It’s not often that we have multiple rookies who post 100+ scores in one weekend, let alone three! Some of the lucky coaches out there may have fielded all four of the nominees and they will once again hope for big-time scores in Round 5. One month in, we have seen 11 rookies earn a vote in the CCK award and a few standout performances could see any of them wrestle pole position away from their peers.

Defenders

Let ’em grow

I think the defensive line is where I still have the most confidence in our rookies. A few characters come with added DEF/MID flexibility (with a few more on the horizon when DPP’s drop) and most coaches are still fielding multiple rooks down back. Lachie Jaques ($555K, 67, BE 6) and Jai Serong ($499K, 105, BE -10) have given us plenty of reasons to trust them, while Josh Farrow ($415K, 101, BE -22) has vaulted into contention on the back of his triple-figure score in Round 4. Farrow helped himself to 21 disposals and a whopping 12 marks on Sunday night and he’ll remain one of the most traded in players this week as a result.

I still think he is best suited to a D7-D8 position, with budding Richmond defender Sam Grlj ($527K, 74, BE 16) battling him on the depth chart in terms of on-field production. There are some concerns surrounding Grlj when it comes to his ability to win enough of the footy to maintain his 70+ average, but he’s given us no reason to doubt him so far this season. Josh Lindsay ($406K, 55, BE 4) is the other rook that coaches may be utilising at D5 or D6. It’s hard to say with confidence whether he belongs on our field or our bench, although Lindsay has shown he can score in a hurry. Giving away four free kicks vs. the Swans hurt him last time out, but it won’t be long until we see him pop for a 75-80+ score.

Let ’em go

If you happen to be reading this as a Zeke Uwland ($372K, 65, BE 14) owner, then congratulations. You deserve to have some joy in your life after the Gold Coast phenom combined to score just 107 fantasy points in his first three career outings. I’m not ready to suggest he’s a viable trade-in, but it’s nice to see him surpassing the 60-point threshold either way. Unlike Uwalnd, all the optimism we had for Lachlan Blakiston ($448K, 33, BE 37) has evaporated with the Bombers’ big man set to be the most traded out rookie this week.

After showing signs of life against Tristan Xerri the other week, I thought he might be able to survive for a few more rounds and produce another respectable score during that time. However, the time to swing the axe is now given that Blakiston has scored less than 50 points in three of his four outings. Michael Sellwood ($370K, 26, BE 22) and Bo Allan ($382K, 33, BE 20) come with the same scoring concerns and should be ignored/discarded as a result, however, I’m not giving up all hope for Wade Derksen ($243K, 46, BE 6). He faces an uphill climb to become a relevant rookie, but I’ll be monitoring him closely in the next week or two.

Midfielders

Let ’em grow

The majority of the fantasy community would have Jagga Smith ($551K, 57, BE 10) and Willem Duursma ($570K, 63, BE 19) residing in two of their final midfield spots, with perhaps one additional cash cow holding down the fort at M8. Smith and Duursma didn’t blow the doors off last weekend and it’s possible that their scores didn’t even play a part in your team’s total for the final early bye round. However, both of these rookies have surpassed $550K and as their price tags continue to soar, I expect them to maintain their strong scoring ways.

Tom Blamires ($467K, 55, BE 10) is the promising talent sitting in my last midfield and spot and incoming DEF status only adds to his allure. Much like Smith and Duurs, his 55 points weren’t much chop last round, but he is becoming an important part of North’s lineup. We can trust him moving forward, although I’m not sure if we can say the same about Jack Watkins ($443K, 21, BE 23). I’m willing to give him another chance and there is hope that he will reward his owners against St Kilda during Gather Round.

Let ’em go

Watkins’ teammate Josh Lai ($292K, 52, BE -5) keeps climbing in value, but I’m just not convinced he’s a serious cash cow. Will he make another $100K? Probably. There is just as high a likelihood that he has a quiet game or two and finds himself back in the SANFL in the near future. Popular trade-outs Jack Carroll ($479K, DNP, BE 30) and Dyson Sharp ($316K, DNP, BE 31) are the other rookies I’m happy to pass on at the moment, although I’m keeping an eye on Jack Dalton ($230K, 30, BE 17). Drafted out of Sandringham as a genuine ball magnet, Dalton spent most of his 59% TOG on debut playing as a half-forward and his score suffered as a result. If he gets a chance to feature closer to the footy, we may have a stellar downgrade option on our hands.

Rucks

Let ’em grow

Once again, the rookie ruckmen are delivering in spades. Not only is Lachlan McAndrew ($593K, 113, BE -18) making us a ton of money and solidifying his place at R2, he currently owns the 6th highest average for all fantasy rucks! His 113 points on Friday night were a welcome reminder that we don’t need to worry about ROB’s presence and that McAndrew is a player that EVERY coach needs. Cheaper alternatives like Cooper Duff-Tytler ($397K, 34, BE 36) and Oscar Steene ($285K, 46, BE -1) produced meh scores, but Mitch Edwards ($291K, 57, BE 1) managed to turn some heads on Easter Monday. Geelong’s ruck project recorded season-highs in points (57), hitouts (18), disposals (10) and time on ground (69%) against the Hawks and some are viewing him as a short-term replacement for Tim English. He is still best suited to a bench spot, but Edwards is poised to keep making money while the Cats give him chances.

Forwards

Let ’em grow

It was tough sledding in the forward line from a rookie perspective last weekend. With Deven Robertson ($469K, DNP, BE 0) suspended and Phoenix Gothard ($446K, DNP, BE -2) on the bye, we turned to Leo Lombard ($406K, 47, BE 22) as a source of production and he didn’t exactly fire. Lombard doesn’t need to be moved on in a hurry, but after scores of 47 and 36 in his last two, we would love to see another 65+ outing to ensure he keeps rising in value. Either way, those coaches that we trusting him on field during the bye rounds should probably pivot so he is moved back to F7 or F8.

Brayden Cook ($524K, 56, BE 24) gives me a bit more confidence as an on-field option, although he too has hardly been a slam-dunk play. Hot and cold quarters tend to sum up Cook’s fantasy profile and while he should maintain an average around the 60-point mark, coaches should start to think about a pivot off of the Adelaide winger. James Leake ($288K, DNP, BE 0) is garnering interest as a trade target this round and his DEF/FWD flexibility makes him incredibly tempting. I’m still not convinced that Leake is a lock in GWS’ best-23, but hopefully he can get enough chances in the next month or so to make a few dollars.

Let ’em go

A week off for Lachie Dovaston ($348K, DNP, BE 22) saw over 4,500 coaches move on from the lacklustre small forward and another 1,500 or so are looking to execute the same trade this round. I’m still stupidly optimistic about Dovaston and unless you’re making an ideal upgrade, he can sit on your forward bench until a better option emerges. There are a few other uninspiring FWD eligible rooks that fit the same bill who may be residing on your bench. The likes of Ty Gallop ($318K, 48, BE 23), Chris Scerri ($282K, 16, BE 27), Latrelle Pickett ($312K, 45, BE 16) or Talor Byrne ($254K, 34, BE 11) haven’t given us to many reasons to trust them yet, so the wise move is to pass on them until they force our hand.

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

Angus Anderson, Magpies – 135 points, 29 disposals, 8 tackles, 1.1 in front of goal
Max Heath, Demons – 116 points, 21 disposals, 42 hitouts, 6 marks
Ben Jepson, Suns – 113 points, 29 disposals, 5 tackles, 2 goals
Will McLachlan, Lions – 112 points, 20 disposals, 13 marks, 2.3 in front of goal
Liam Reidy, Blues – 109 points, 20 disposals, 30 hitouts
Louis Emmett, Bulldogs – 108 points, 21 disposals, 7 hitouts, 8 marks,3.1 in front of goal
Jakob Ryan, Magpies – 105 points, 23 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal
Zane Zakostelsky, Lions – 102 points, 17 disposals, 28 hitouts, 7 marks
Luke Lloyd, Lions – 98 points, 18 disposals, 9 marks, 6 tackles
Sam Swadling, Magpies – 96 points, 28 disposals, 6 marks
Patrick Snell, Swans – 92 points, 26 disposals, 7 marks
Aidan Schubert, Hawks – 91 points, 12 disposals, 7 marks, 5.2 in front of goal
Bailey Macdonald, Hawks – 91 points, 21 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles
Lucas Camporeale, Blues – 89 points, 22 disposals, 5 tackles
Oliver Hayes-Brown, Tigers – 83 points, 23 disposals, 19 hitouts
Lachie Carmichael, Bulldogs – 81 points, 22 disposals, 7 marks
Patrick Retschko, Tigers – 79 points, 22 disposals
Charlie Edwards, Crows – 76 points, 23 disposals
Ollie Greeves, Hawks – 76 points, 17 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.

Murdoch is listed as 1 week. I’ve been forced to keep him so far, due to other injuries. Shall I hold him one more week or trade to Farrow? We all saw how good it was to jump on to “must have” Watkins last week.

— Jon (@welshaustralia1) April 7, 2026

I feel for the coaches that pulled the trigger on Watkins last week following his dud score, but he and Farrow are very different players. The Dons defender should be able to +6 his way to decent point totals each week, but with that being said, Murdock has shown he is a much better scorer early on. If you’ve held him for this long, I think you see it through and hope he returns with a bang in the Round 6 Western Derby.

ZZK to Edwards worth the trade or better off Butters to Smith?

— azz keats (@azzkeats) April 7, 2026

I think it’s absolutely ZZ to Edwards, even with Smith offering much better scores than Butters right now. We can’t get caught sideways trading our premiums and I’m not sure we will see Zakostelsky again anytime soon in the AFL side.

Farrow seems to b flavour of the week. Expectations of his future scoring with other Defenders returning & obviously we can’t expect tons? Thanks heaps! 😃👍🏼

— Shannanniganz (@Shannanniganz) April 7, 2026

Farrow was one of my favourite options heading into the season and to be honest, I was a bit surprised he didn’t get a Round 1 gig. As I mentioned above, we are flush with DEF options, but handy MID status makes him even more appealing. In terms of scoring, Farrow should continue to hit 65+ more often than not, but there is bound to be a dud score or two mixed in. Mason Redman is still listed as out for 4-6 weeks and with Essendon’s season in the toilet, I expect them to prioritise youth and give Farrow a ton of opportunity throughout the rest of 2026.

Are cumming & smile good enough to jump on on their debut games or do we wait a week for both of them

— Jack Waller (@JackWal87706687) April 7, 2026

Sight unseen, I think the smart play is to wait if either of the Tiger cubs are picked for a debut. Cumming and Smillie have both battled injuries to start the season and given where Richmond are positioned, they will likely take a cautious approach and give them low time on ground to start proceedings. I could be wrong about Cumming as he was lighting up the track before hurting his shoulder, but Smillie is one I would certainly wait on.

Remember the Name

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

DEFENDERS

Charlie Edwards (Crows, $230K)
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)
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)

FORWARDS

Sid Draper (Crows, $307K)
Sullivan Robey (Bombers, $318K)
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 🤙