10 down, 14 to go!

I’m not going to sit here and say I told you so… but the downgrade options were always going to emerge. Over the last month, coaches felt like we were in the middle of a genuine ‘rookie crisis’ with very few reliable cash cows filtering through. Fast forward to Round 11 and suddenly we’re spoiled for choice across multiple lines, giving coaches a real opportunity to build a healthy bank balance ahead of the bye rounds. Of course, picking the right rookies is still the difficult part, but with three trades and a fresh batch of DPPs just around the corner, coaches will have far more flexibility to navigate the chaos.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 10

With just two votes separating the top-4 players in this award race, every nomination counts. All of the contenders missed out on votes this round, but that didn’t mean our rookie crop underdelivered. FWD bench pieces Toby Murray and Sullivan Robey maintained their rapid price rise with stellar scores, while the ever-reliable Jagga Smith posted his highest score in a few months. Jack Carroll continues to surprise from a scoring standpoint too, recording his second triple-figure score in the past month!

Strong rookie point totals were easy to find last weekend, with almost every nominee posting a 90+ score!

Who gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 10? 🤔 #AFLFantasy

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) May 19, 2026

Defenders

Let ’em grow

A fresh batch of downgrade options have arrived at a near-perfect time for fantasy coaches. For me, Bodie Ryan ($258K, 61, BE 3) is the standout cash cow down back after his strong bounce-back game vs. Melbourne. I had high hopes for Ryan when he was picked a fortnight ago, although his 23-point debut had me concerned. He looked far more comfortable on Saturday and he sits ahead of Harrison Oliver ($254K, 54, BE 5) as my preferred trade target down back. Should Oliver hold his spot in GWS’ team, he’s still a fine play with both defenders poised to make coaches some handy cash over the next month.

I’m also more than happy to keep trusting Jai Serong ($655K, 79, BE 59) and Josh Lindsay ($656K, 86, BE 43) on field, with both rooks continuing to pump out reliable scores. They could be capable of surviving through the bye rounds – with Jack Carroll ($637K, 101, BE 45) the surprise packet who could fall into a similar category. I thought he was a straightforward trade out back when St Kilda had their early bye, but his scoring output has reached a point where I think coaches can comfortably hold Carroll a little longer. Mainstream cash cows, such as Jacob Farrow ($604K, 80, BE 65) and Sam Grlj ($568K, 78, BE 54), have momentarily saved themselves from the chopping block with their Round 10 score after coaches had already started planning their exits.

Let ’em go

Midfielders

Let ’em grow

Carlton debutant Jack Ison ($264K, 67, BE -4) is shaping up as the obvious downgrade target in the midfield this week, with over 13,000 coaches already pulling the trigger. He may struggle scoring-wise against Port Adelaide this weekend, but more importantly, Ison looks set to keep his place at senior level and he should generate cash quickly. His teammate Jagga Smith ($701K, 91, BE 50) also reminded coaches of what he’s capable of from a scoring standpoint, recording his first 90+ score since Round 1. The looming addition of FWD status next week could make him even more valuable during the byes under Josh Fraser’s tutelage. Milan Murdock ($657K, 63, BE 61) is also expected to gain DPP flexibility, although I’m not as excited about plugging him at F6 after watching him apply a hard tag on the weekend.

He did an unreal job shutting down Lachie Whitfield, but if that role continues, it will seriously cap his scoring output moving forward. It’s likely that he and Willem Duursma ($745K, 70, BE 84) will stay in my team throughout the first part of the byes, however, smart coaches will move on from the Eagles’ duo before they start sliding in price. Duursma has probably reached his maximum price, and turning him into a premium doesn’t require too many extra dollars as it stands right now. I’m happy enough to keep fielding him for a little longer, with scores in the 70-80 range still perfectly acceptable from a rookie during the bye rounds. Hopefully Patrick Retschko ($499K, 54, BE 32) can reach those same heights again over the next month, and he should keep ticking up in value for his owners.

Let ’em go

Keep in mind, not all of the players who made their first AFL appearance last round are good trade targets. Richmond deployed Noah Roberts-Thompson ($250K, 49, BE 8) for the first game of his AFL career, and while NRT was fine with two goals on debut, I think we all want to see more from him before we launch. Thanks to Richmond’s extensive injury list, Roberts-Thompson should have decent job security – along with Sam Cumming ($431K, 35, BE 44) who had his score partially affected by a corked quad. He still managed to play 69% of the game, so he can’t blame his injury for his scoring dud. We may look to offload Cumming sooner than we expected if he keeps scoring at this rate, while Angus Anderson ($509K, 66, BE 46) is another MID rookie who I expect to be on the chopping block over the next few rounds.

Rucks

Let ’em go

After generating plenty of cash while holding down the R2 spot, Lachlan McAndrew ($752K, 72, BE 77) has been a brilliant rookie pick for coaches this season. However, the time has come. With Adelaide heading into a bye next week and McAndrew beginning to slow down, it feels like the ideal time to upgrade him if possible. Nearly 7,000 coaches are spending up to get Brodie Grundy, although a popular move that costs less than $50K could be jumping across to Darcy Cameron. He should benefit from extra ruck responsibility after Oscar Steene ($414K, 37, BE 44) unfortunately suffered an ACL injury on the weekend, forcing his owners into a trade. Ideally, coaches will have Mitch Edwards ($393K, 57, BE 34) sitting on their ruck bench as he keeps quietly doing his job at Geelong and proving to be a handy source of cash gen.

Forwards

Let ’em grow

The same forward rookies continued to deliver last week, with an Adelaide duo once again leading the charge. Brayden Cook ($693K, 73, BE 57) still looks like a perfectly acceptable F6 as the byes near and his teammate Toby Murray ($452K, 91, BE -12) is making a serious charge in terms of cash generation. After initially becoming the rookie many of us overlooked, Murray has posted scores of 91, 69 and 73 in his last three – helping him generate almost $200K in cash! He’s probably too expensive to consider as a trade target now, although a lofty price tag hasn’t stopped some coaches from targeting another FWD cash cow in Sullivan Robey ($491K, 89, BE 4). He continues to build momentum after attending 50% of Essendon’s centre bounce attendances against the Dockers and posting a season-high 89 points.

If he keeps getting midfield clock, then there’s no reason why Robey can’t average 70+ and become a legitimate F6 play. The problem is that he’s no longer particularly cheap, which is why I’d probably lean towards Charlie Banfield ($259K, 60, BE 1) as the downgrade target instead. I’m extremely bullish on Banfield and while there are no guarantees that Ross Lyon will give him an extended run of games, he didn’t look out of place on Sunday against the Tigers. It would be great to get another look at him vs. Fremantle, but regardless, his handy late bye and cheap price tag make Banfield a great bench play – potentially swapping places in your team with Leo Lombard ($490K, 62, BE 27). Going at a 62.2-point clip in the last month, he can stay if need be, but Lombard has done his job as a cash cow now.

Let ’em go

While Lombard has gone at a strong scoring rate in the last four games, Phoenix Gothard ($509K, 37, BE 83) has done the exact opposite. Coaches who rolled the dice on the talented Giants forward will have hopefully chopped him by now, with Gothard scoring 38.5 points a game in the last four matches. You could still make money from trading him to Robey if you’re bullish on the Dons’ MID/FWD. Thomas Anastasopoulas ($253K, 53, BE 6) and Paddy Cross ($308K, 38, BE 8) are two more forward rookies that I’m not rushing to acquire. Neither really stood out from a fantasy perspective on the weekend, with Anastasopoulas doing most of his scoring early before going quiet, while Cross didn’t do enough to convince me his spot in the side is secure long term.

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.

Sam Swadling, Magpies – 138 points, 40 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal
Jack Ough, Giants – 133 points, 39 disposals, 9 tackles
Alex Dodson, Saints – 117 points, 22 disposals, 43 hitouts, 5 marks
Luke Beecken, Lions – 112 points, 30 disposals, 7 marks
Jack Dalton, Hawks – 111 points, 24 disposals, 5 tackles, 3 goals
Oliver Greeves, Hawks – 109 points, 33 disposals, 1 goal
Wade Derksen, Blues – 108 points, 23 disposals, 15 marks
Jai Murray, Suns – 104 points, 28 disposals, 9 marks
Luke Kennedy, Bulldogs – 100 points, 22 disposals, 7 tackles
Beau Addinsall, Suns – 87 points, 29 disposals, 1 goal
Lachlan Carmichael, Bulldogs – 82 points, 22 disposals, 7 marks
Lachy Dovaston, Kangaroos – 72 points, 13 disposals, 2.2 in front of goal
Dylan Patterson, Suns – 71 points, 18 disposals
Xavier Taylor, Demons – 65 points, 14 disposals, 5 marks
Lachie Jaques, Bulldogs – 64 points, 22 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.

Is Robey still an option this week so we can have another look at the debutants last week?

— Glenn Bartlett (@glendi173) May 19, 2026

In short no, it’s not too late for Robey. He has had a massive role change over the last few rounds and as a result, he’s averaged 78.3 in the last three matches. He may not maintain that clip, but Robey has enough midfield minutes to produce consistent 65+ outings. There’s potentially 15 points of upside based on his priced at figure, so he should be a great aide during the bye rounds.

Hi Fry, probably the most popular question this week but how would you rank Ison, Banfield, Ryan and Oliver? Thanks 🙏🏼

— Olivier Calvi (@oliviercalvi06) May 19, 2026

Most of the questions I’m getting this round revolve around these four rookies, so here are my quickfire thoughts on the quartet (for what it’s worth, I like all four of them as trade targets over the next fortnight):
1. Jack Ison – Scores may fluctuate, but I can’t imagine Fraser taking him out anytime soon. That perceived job security makes him No. 1 in my eyes.
2. Bodie Ryan – Feel like he’ll get a run of games and the Hawks have a great fixture for defenders.
3. Charlie Banfield – Great MID/FWD flexibility and late bye. Slight concern over scoring and JS, but he did enough to suggest he’ll keep playing and put up respectable numbers.
4. Harrison Oliver – I feel like his JS is the worst of this group, but that’s just my personal vibe. Should he hold, he’ll keep making a bunch of coin and Rd 13 bye is super convenient.

Could you please help with some rookie roulette this week? Don’t have a way to loop unfortunately.

Murdock vs Retschko
Cook vs Robey

— Brany (@Brany21) May 19, 2026

This is a bloody tough question, but I think you side with Retschko and Robey squaring off in the Dreamtime at the G match. Cook has a tougher matchup in Hawthorn and who knows what Murdock’s role will look like vs. the Pies. Therefore, I’d pick the other two and hope Friday night is a scorefest!

Who goes first bruhn or grlj? Whoever stays will be fielded.

— dragonslayr96 (@dragonslayr96) May 19, 2026

Never forget, rookies go first.

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

RUCKMEN

Aidan Schubert (Hawks, $262K)
Kayle Gerreyn (Bombers, $230K)

FORWARDS

Sid Draper (Crows, $307K)
Jesse Dattoli (Swans, $273K)
Finlay Macrae (Eagles, $293K)
Mitchell Marsh (Crows, $266K)
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 🤙