The Stream Team – Round 7

I know this is a draft-based article, but can I just ask; when did AF Classic got so damn complicated? These rolling lockouts and loopholes and TOG rules and all the top teams looking the same as mine yet I’m ranked 30k plus? Fantasy footy is just different these days, but draft remains pure and that’s where I’ll continue to make my bread (excpet that I had Gulden in every league… Rankine too, so there’s not much dough in the oven).

Anyway, the purpose of this article is to suggest one-week streaming options for draft leagues. Each week, I compile a team of lowly owned players (<40% ownership) that are worthy of a one-week pick-up-and-play, helping you fill any gaps you may have in your starting squads.

But first, let’s see how I went last round:

HITS

Zac Guthrie (96 AF/97 SC) – “defenders against the Doggies.”

Oli Florent (85 AF/100 SC) – he’s a hold for now. Florent and Newman are the go-to guys in the Blues defence.

Levi Ashcroft (97 AF/67 SC) – delightful. Let’s ignore the SC score eh? Does anyone who reads DT Talk actually care about SC? I’d actually like to know.

George Wardlaw (91 AF/97 SC) – he got this done with a TOG% in the low 60s. I’ll be holding him for now.

Elijah Tsatas (89 AF/101 SC) – The SHOE-IN prevails and Elijah is a hold until further notice. Just know that he’s had 2 pretty juicy matchups for his 2 games thus far.

MISSES

Matt Phillipou (41 AF/40 SC) – his TOG% is still low and he played mostly on a wing in this one. It’s just not what we want from him.

I’m content with my suggestions from last week, and although I didn’t crack any AF tons, 5 solid hits is a good strike rate. The Shoe is back on the foot, most importantly (thanks Tsatas), and my lamentable miss in Phillipou just tells me he shouldn’t be rostered in redraft leagues until something changes.

Here are the lowly owned players that I like as stream targets for Round 6 (ownership % taken from AFL Fantasy):

DEFENDERS

Zac Reid (8%) vs. Collingwood – he showed us last year that he’s got some fantasy chops. Now he’s only averaging 60 AF this year, but with the juiciest matchup for defenders in the game, this one feels as safe as houses.

Sam Grlj (20%) vs. Melbourne – we have a perfect loophole option during the Friday night game right here. Running defenders have had it good against the Dees this season and with Sam Banks down and out for a while, Grlj’s prospects are more appealing. Please remember that he is a rookie though, so you have to be willing to take on that risk, but like I said, you can loop him from the pine.

Tom McCartin (3%) vs. Western Bulldogs – one of my favourite streams this year has been general defenders against the Dogs. Now this tip is aimed at deep league players, mostly, but with that said, McCartin has gone 81 and 97 (AF) in his last 2 matches… I just froth getting a hit when the ownership is this low.

MIDFIELDERS

Kane McAuliffe (9%) vs. Melbourne – he scored a 97 last round (from 53% of the CBAs) and Taranto is set to miss this week. Hopper has also been dealing with injury, but isn’t listed on the injury report… In any case, there is some ball to be won in the Tigs’ midfield right now. I love me a roughie under 10% ownership, so much so in this case that I’m proclaiming Mr. McAuliffe as my Shoe-in of the Week!

Xavier Duursma (14%) vs. Collingwood – with an average of ~80 over the last 2 weeks and a plum matchup for wingers, the forgotten Duurs deserves some attention this week. He can go BOOM on his day, and his floor scores won’t completely cripple you from the M6/7 slot.

Jack Bowes (17%) vs. Port Adelaide –  he’s averaging 80 AF playing an outside role and has a fair matchup in the Power this week. Perhaps the Miers injury could benefit ol’ Jack? Don’t expect the BOOM here, but he’s fine for your M6/7 slot this week.

Conor Nash (20%) vs. Gold Coast – we love our inside mids against the Suns right now, and at a 66% CBA rate for the season, this is a stream that simply cannot fail you. Nash is about as exciting as a common cold to stream, but I can assure you of a stress-free 80+ here.

RUCK

Liam Reidy (6%) vs. Fremantle – I know he is also forward listed, but finding a viable ruckman under 40% owned is like searching for a needle in [insert topical, Carlton-based drugs joke here]. Anyway, Pittonet is set to miss this week, so Reidy must be considered, as he should be solo rucking.

FORWARDS

Jacob van Rooyen (8%) vs. Richmond – he showed us his fantasy capabilities with an AF ton in round 1, but really hasn’t done a lot since. All that says to me is that he’s due! He played pretty well against Brisbane last week and although this is a risky stream, it’s got some BOOM potential, probably moreso in SC. You can hide behind a Friday night loophole play if you’re faint hearted.

Sam Lalor (32%) vs. Melbourne – our general forwards are trending well against the Dees so far this season, and there may even be a little more mid-time up for grabs with Taranto out this week (Lalor had 63% CBAs last week, just FYI). His ceiling isn’t tremendous, but the security of a decent score sure is.

Patrick Voss (5%) vs. Carlton – general forwards love a game against the Blues and the Prancing Pony just seems like the kind of bloke who relishes in beating up on a weak opponent on his home deck. Sometimes you just want to stream a bloke that’s fun to barrack for…

Alrighty, folks, that’s all I’ve got this week. Keep an eye on your socials for any breaking news and of course, adjust all streams based on team selections later in the week. I finish writing this article on a Tuesday night so some vital news may come to hand. As always, if you have any streaming queries, get at me in the comments or over at X (I check X more).

Adios.

Matty Faz

I like draft-style fantasy footy, frisbees and the Simpsons.