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Seven down, 17 to go!

The time has come. After seven rounds of the fantasy season and some healthy point totals along the way, a lot of our popular cash cows are at a point where they need to be moved on. As it stands right now, 8 of the 10 most traded out players started the season priced as rookies and moving them on before they start to decrease in value is the optimal move. We could see some of these cash cows produce another pop score that helps them make another $60K-$70K, but turning them into a discounted premium should be the focus for every serious fantasy coach ahead of Round 8.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 7

One cash cow stands out above the rest through the early portion of the fantasy season. Willem Duursma earned his 5th nomination in seven weeks after his impressive 103 on the weekend – although, that wasn’t the best rookie performance we saw in Round 7. In the same game, Jack Carroll helped himself to 106 points while another nominee in Josh Lindsay was a kick away from raising the bat too. 91 points from Richmond’s second game sensation, Patrick Retschko saw him round out the nominees – with the ever impressive Duursma earning my vote for this week.

Three players earn their first nomination of the season, while an Eagles rook continues to lead the pace in 2026

Who gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 7? 🤔 #AFLFantasy

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) April 29, 2026

Defenders

Let ’em grow

We FINALLY got the Josh Lindsay ($547K, 97, BE 22) score that I’ve been trying to manifest for weeks – and almost half of us left him on the bloody bench! West Coast’s defensive phenom helped himself to 31 disposals in a blowout loss against the Saints and with a friendly fixture over the next fortnight, Lindsay will probably slide into D5-D6 for a lot more of his owners. You may have Jacob Farrow ($619K, 70, BE 46) and/or Jai Serong ($628K, 80, BE 51) currently sitting in those slots, with the latter likely looped onto the deck for coaches after his 80 points vs. the Bulldogs on Thursday.

In that same hitout, Michael Sellwood ($468K, 63, BE 30) maintained his decent scoring output with a third consecutive 60+ effort. He keeps making money and proving that he can be a relevant cash cow, while Jack Carroll ($569K, 106, BE 26) came from the clouds to reignite his cash generation. Anyone who held onto the Saints DEF/MID through his mediocre start was rewarded with a career-best fantasy score, fuelled by an absurd 46-point fourth quarter!

Let ’em go

As everyone aims for on-field upgrades, three popular rookies find themselves as the most traded-out players heading into Round 8. Lachie Jaques ($586K, 57, BE 73), Tom Blamires ($549K, DNP, BE 39) and Sam Grlj ($572K, 61, BE 62) are being cashed in now that they have seemingly flatlined in price and I fully endorse giving any of them the flick. If Blamires somehow made his way back into the squad when the teams are announced on Thursday, then I could see a world where he is held. However, these cash cows could lose money as soon as next round and selling them at their peak is an ideal move.

Midfielders

Let ’em grow

After nearly 11,000 coaches decided to trade Jagga Smith ($619K, 89, BE 54) away last weekend, he was always going to respond with a near season-best effort against the Dockers. I still feel like moving him on was still the right play and his money-making days are almost behind him. If you flicked Smith out for Patrick Retschko ($338K, 91, BE -24), not only did you net yourself $337K, but you also made up two points! Richmond’s recycled winger was everywhere against the Demons and after his 91-point showing, he will certainly be the most coveted player this round at the trade table. His teammate Sam Cumming ($343K, 58, BE 22) is also receiving plenty of love from coaches as a downgrade option fresh off his debut game.

I clearly have Retschko ahead of the Tigers’ top-10 draftee in terms of trade priority, but Cumming should have a long runway in the senior side through the middle portion of the fantasy season. You probably won’t field him many weeks, although a matchup with West Coast on Saturday could lead to a strong point total. Speaking of, coaches who are starting Willem Duursma ($709K, 103, BE 46) and/or Milan Murdock ($559K, 75, BE 13) won’t be moving their magnets anytime soon and another decent score from Angus Anderson ($440K, 67, BE -6) ensured he keeps moving in the right direction.

Let ’em go

Outside of Jagga and maybe a defender who owns MID status, there aren’t any obvious rookies that need to be traded out of our midfield at the moment. I should give Charlie Edwards ($294K, 46, BE 3) a mention as some coaches are exploring a move for the Crows youngster. There is a world where he stays in the side and makes a few more dollars while scoring around the 50-point mark in the process, but I think the performances from Jake Soligo and a few others in the SANFL may push him out of the senior side.

Rucks

Let ’em grow

The ever-reliable Lachlan McAndrew ($732K, 84, BE 72) did his thing with another 80+ outing on the weekend – his fifth in just seven matches this season. I would love to trade him into Luke Jackson ASAP, but there’s no reason why we need to address McAndrew as a trade-out while he keeps putting out strong, fieldable scores. The same can’t be said with the rest of the rookie RUC crop, as popular trio Mitch Edwards ($380K, 20, BE 36), Oscar Steene ($373K, 39, BE 26) and Cooper Duff-Tytler ($366K, 43, BE 40) all faltered in Round 7. Edwards couldn’t make the most of Mark Blicavs’ early injury and despite attending 53% of the ruck contests, Steene also struggled to matter from a scoring standpoint.

Forwards

Let ’em grow

A week is a long time in footy, and an even longer time in AFL Fantasy. After his 99-point heroics in Round 6, Phoenix Gothard ($578K, 36, BE 58) came crashing back to Earth with a season-low score against North – finishing the contest with just 10 touches. I don’t think you need to panic and instantly trade him out, however, it’s clear we can’t trust the Goth on our field each week. You would feel much safer with Brayden Cook ($597K, 72, BE 51) at F6 after he produced another strong score, while the Todd Marshall ($517K, DNP, BE 24) owners continue to be teased by the Port Adelaide swingman. He missed his third game of the season after being announced as a late out against the Cats, and yet, I still have faith that Marshall can provide a few more pop scores for almost 10% of the competition over the upcoming month.

Let ’em go

Marshall’s absence seemed to be a good thing for Jack Watkins ($438K, 29, BE 69) owners, after he was announced as the late call-up. Instead, Watkins managed just 34% game time and was a huge non-factor. If you had the Power mature-ager still sitting in your midfield, I’d look to trade him out ASAP. Speaking of trade outs, over 6,500 coaches swung the axe and moved Leo Lombard ($408K, 56, BE 42) on after his scoring rate spluttered in recent weeks.

So naturally, much like Jagga, Lombard produced his best score since Round 1 and his 56 points may have helped some coaches avoid disaster. If a FWD downgrade option emerges, I still think he and Lachy Dovaston ($352K, 52, BE 35) can be moved on – however, that player probably isn’t James Leake ($324K, 50, BE 6). The Giants’ backman only scored 29 points in his final three quarters of action and I’m still not convinced that he’ll be in the team on a consistent, weekly basis.

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

Reece Torrent, Lions – 148 points, 27 disposals, 8 marks, 13 tackles
Harvey Harrison, Magpies – 114 points, 21 disposals, 12 tackles
Kye Fincher, Saints – 111 points, 32 disposals, 9 marks
Jack Ough, Giants – 106 points, 30 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal
Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Demons – 105 points, 31 disposals, 6 tackles
Paddy Cross, Demons – 100 points, 22 disposals, 9 marks, 2.2 in front of goal
Jack Watkins, Power – 99 points, 25 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal
Oliver Hayes-Brown, Tigers – 94 points, 27 disposals, 19 hitouts, 5 marks
Dylan Patterson, Suns – 94 points, 22 disposals, 7 marks,
Sam Swadling, Magpies – 90 points, 24 disposals, 6 marks
Wade Derksen, Blues – 85 points, 18 disposals, 7 marks, 7 hitouts, 2.1 in front of goal
Finlay Macrae, Eagles – 81 points, 25 disposals
Jevan Phillipou, Swans – 78 points, 14 disposals, 5.1 in front of goal
Ollie Greeves, Hawks – 78 points, 21 disposals, 2 goals
Hussien El Achkar, Bombers – 77 points, 13 disposals, 4.3 in front of goal
Lachlan Carmichael, Bulldogs – 73 points, 18 disposals, 6 marks
Sid Draper, Crows – 69 points, 18 disposals, 5 tackles

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.

Too late to get Anderson?

— CD13 (@cdthirteen) April 28, 2026

I think so mate. He’s been stellar in his three games to date, but $440K is a lot to pay up for a rookie who will be on our benches. Save yourself some dollars and target one of the Tigers’ cubs.

Hi Fry, we have been so blessed with rookies so far but it seems there aren’t many new ones on the horizon. Could we possible be running out of reliable options in the next couple of rounds? Thanks 🙏🏼

— Olivier Calvi (@oliviercalvi06) April 28, 2026

First of all, yes it seems like our downgrade options are drying up, but we get to this point every season and new rookies always emerge. The mid-season draft in late May will provide us with some fresh meat too, so it’s not all doom and gloom. With that being said, it’s clear that we don’t have a lot of reliable targets at the time of typing. Retschko and Cumming are the obvious downgrade options, but I wouldn’t feel great about buying into anyone else under $350K. There are clear job security and/or scoring concerns with the other rookie-priced players, so we may have to get creative with our cash gen.

Will Edwards – is he a good slow burn? 7 rounds til his BYE, reckon he could hold long enough to make enough cash?

— FMF (@ForgiveMeFat) April 28, 2026

I genuinely think he was a one-hit wonder and the Swans gave him a debut so that Joel Hamling could enjoy the 10-year flag reunion with his Footscray mates. With Tom McCartin going down, Edwards might survive team selection on Thursday – although I’m not convinced the key defender will score more than 45 on any given day.

Thoughts on Aleer?

— Zac Ingles (@ZacIngles) April 28, 2026

I’m not going to do it, but I have considered Leek Aleer this week at the trade table. Attening 39% of the ruck contests in the last fortnight has seen Aleer post scores of 73 and 70, with the GWS talent recording 8 tackles as well on the weekend. I feel as though they will give Kieren Briggs another run after he has gone 110 and 132 in his two weeks of VFL, but Aleer is exactly the type of creative cash gen play we might need to consider if the rookie options don’t emerge.

Need a fwd downgrade option. Leake, Jefferson or someone else?

— IJ (@sunnycoastblue) April 28, 2026

Don’t we all! I’m still rocking with Deven Robertson at F7, purely because the cash cows in our forward line are putrid. I think that Jefferson could string a few games together over the coming months, although as a key forward his scoring output will probably hover around the 40-point mark. If I had assurances that James Leake would get a long leash, he’d be the one to target, but he feels like he’s playing on borrowed time. It’s not what you wanted to hear, but let’s hope someone puts their hand up soon!

Remember the Name

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

DEFENDERS

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)
Ben Camporeale (Blues, $230K)
Sam Swadling (Magpies, $230K)

RUCKMEN

Aidan Schubert (Hawks, $262K)
Kayle Gerreyn (Bombers, $230K)
Max Heath (Demons, $376K)

FORWARDS

Sid Draper (Crows, $307K)
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 🤙