12 down, 12 to go!

Congrats team, we’ve reached the halfway point. In one of the more testing AFL Fantasy campaigns to date, our weekly trade focus once again includes an injury to a popular premium as we gear up for the ‘easy’ bye round. If you rookies score the same way they did last round, then it will be hard for us to top 1,800 with our favourite downgrade targets in Jack Ison (29) and Charlie Banfield (39) failing miserably. These score fluctuations can hurt, but don’t let the underperforming rookies force you to overpay for premium players. We still need balance.

To help achieve that, I’ve tweaked the structure of the article moving forward – grouping rookies by the decisions we actually need to make, rather than just their positions. Cash cows will still play a vital role in the second half of the season, so don’t neglect them entirely as we look to pay up for the Jordan Dawsons of the world ahead of Round 13.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 12

The premier vote-getters put forth strong efforts in Round 12, with three scores in particular standing out. No offence to Jai Serong, who continues to have a stellar season, but MID/FWD’s Jagga Smith and Milan Murdock as well as Rising Star favourite Willem Duursma were the rookies generating all the buzz. Getting 90+ scores from a trio of cash cows in the bye rounds was a massive boost and hopefully there are more impressive rookie numbers on offer this weekend.

Rising Star favourites and mature-aged wonders dominate the group of nominees this week!

Who gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 12? 🤔 #AFLFantasy

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) June 2, 2026

Back ‘Em In

Stick With ‘Em

To be clear, the rookies in this section can absolutely be moved on if it helps you facilitate an upgrade. For example, Richmond pair Sam Cumming ($459K, 54, BE 44) and Patrick Retschko ($579K, 45, BE 48) would have been fielded by most of their owners on the weekend, yet there’s a fair chance neither score counted among your best 18. The Tigers rank dead last for total Fantasy points this season, making it difficult for Cumming and Retschko to rack up enough of the footy to become genuine bye-round contributors. It pains me to say it, but I’m putting Josh Lindsay ($681K, 63, BE 71) in this category as well.

By no means is he a must-trade, and depending on your structure, you may need to lean on him for another fortnight. However, the West Coast defender has essentially made all the money he’s going to make and cashing him out is a move I’m strongly considering this round. Last week, it was Leo Lombard ($513K, BYE, BE 41) who was a popular trade-out, with nearly 15,000 coaches pulling the trigger. If you’re still holding Lombard, you could keep him around in the hope of a few more 60+ scores, although I still think moving him on is the correct play.

Key position types Toby Murray ($464K, BYE, BE 47) and Mitch Edwards ($438K, 64, BE 23) could also be cashed in if your finds are drying up. You may be able to squeeze a few extra dollars out of them, but they’ve effectively done their job and there’s no guarantee either of them will produce a best-18 score during the byes. We were hoping popular downgrade option Charlie Banfield ($349K, 39, BE 9) could provide exactly that, although his lacklustre outing last Thursday now has us concerned. I’m still bullish on the Saints youngster, but with several teammates nearing a return, another quiet performance could leave him vulnerable when the teams are announced later this week.

If you didn’t buy into Banfield, then perhaps you’re one of the 7,000 coaches who are adding Thomas Anastasopoulos ($292K, BYE, BE -1) to your mix. He’s a reasonable downgrade choice who has already had his bye, although I’m not convinced that the Port small forward will keep pumping out 50+ scores every week. Still you can hide behind a negative breakeven and a matchup with West Coast this weekend. Harry Kyle ($318K, 57, BE 15) is another cash cow earning consideration after his debut last weekend. While a score of 57 looks encouraging, he was one of Sydney’s lowest scorers against the Tigers and the pending return of Callum Mills could see him be a one-hit wonder rather than a long-term solution.

Cash ‘Em Out

On a weekly basis, this section will be the shortest as most of these players are obvious trade-out candidates. For example, Sam Grlj ($560K, 53, BE 65) is the 4th most traded out player this week, but I assume that the majority of coaches reading this have already dealt the dashing Tiger, so there’s no point rehashing his prospects. The same could be said for Lachie Jaques ($529K, 44, BE 78), Tom Blamires ($579K, BYE, BE 68) and in more recent times, Angus Anderson ($511K, 49, BE 53). That trio should be ditched instantly if you haven’t already given them the flick.

Adelaide duo Lachlan McAndrew ($751K, BYE, BE 84) and Brayden Cook ($686K, BYE, BE 82) saw their ownership plummet last week and their price tags are now at a point where you can turn them into genuine premiums without much fuss. There is a world where you hold onto them if you didn’t pull the trigger during their bye, but both have already made a stack of cash and done exactly what we asked of them. All rookies need to go at some point, right? Jack Carroll ($639K, 72, BE 66) and Michael Sellwood ($516K, 45, BE 62) have reached that stage too. Both rooks have done exactly what we asked of them, and cashing them in now will generate some handy funds for upgrades elsewhere.

On the cheaper side of things, rookies such as Paddy Cross ($361K, 25, BE 32), Ty Gallop ($393K, 37, BE 40), Harvey Johnston ($308K, 48, BE 8) and Bailey Macdonald ($272K, 46, BE 7) remain on the outside looking in when it comes to preferred trade targets. None of them have done enough to convince me they’re worth prioritising at the trade table, and there are more established cash cows still available. For now, this quartet are players that I’m happy to ignore.

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.

Joel Fitzgerald, Demons – 152 points, 40 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles, 1 goal
James Tunstill, Lions – 118 points, 29 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles
Jakob Ryan, Magpies – 113 points, 33 disposals, 5 marks
Billy Coutee, Swans – 107 points, 27 disposals, 6 tackles, 1.1 in front of goal
Jack Ough, Giants – 105 points, 33 disposals
Max Heath, Demons – 17 disposals, 33 hitouts, 1 goal
Oliver Wiltshire, Cats – 91 points, 19 disposals, 7 marks, 3.1 in front of goal
Lachlan Carmichael, Bulldogs – 89 points, 24 disposals, 6 marks
Will McLachlan, Lions – 89 points, 11 disposals, 6 marks, 7 goals!
Alex Dodson, Saints – 88 points, 17 disposals, 29 hitouts
Caleb May, Bulldogs – 88 points, 11 disposals, 38 hitouts, 1 goal
Tobyn Murray, Dockers – 87 points, 13 disposals, 7 tackles, 2 goals
Mitch Podhajski, Magpies – 84 points, 10 disposals, 7 tackles, 2.4 in front of goal
Zane Zakostelsky, Lions – 83 points, 14 disposals, 23 hitouts, 6 marks, 1 goal
Tom Burton, Tigers – 82 points, 21 disposals, 9 marks
Sam Swadling, Magpies – 78 points, 18 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal
Finlay Macrae, Eagles – 73 points, 18 disposals, 6 tackles
Oliver Francou, Eagles – 72 points, 19 disposals, 7 tackles
Wade Dersken, Blues – 72 points, 16 disposals, 8 marks
Bodie Ryan, Hawks – 66 points, 20 disposals, 5 marks
Marcus Herbert, Eagles – 64 points, 23 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.

Hey Fry

Would you buy into a newbie rookie like Fitzgerald or Hubert at $230k or pay up for Ison or Banfield?

I’m thinking best 18 means the newbie cheap rook is better play for next 4 rounds if the saved cash can be used elsewhere?

— Neil (@Lefty113) June 2, 2026

Usually, I want to wait a week on $230K players to see how they fit into the system to avoid buying into a 1-2 week wonder (shoutout Harrison Oliver) – however, the byes allow us to take a bit more risk. With added trades to utilise each week, we can save a lot of extra coin by going straight to the bottom instead of paying an extra $120k-$130K for the likes of Banfield and Ison. If the rookie you’re buying is going to be on your bench once the byes conclude anyway, you can probably afford to bite the bullet and go the $230K guy – just make sure you don’t get stuck with a bench full of dead weight when Round 17 rolls around.

I’m stuck on trades so just looking at dead rooks. Who goes first-Harrison Oliver or Charlie Edward’s?

— Pax (@tellmemorepal) June 2, 2026

Charlie Edwards goes first. I’m not convinced that he will play again this season, while Oliver could at least see an AFL field again.

Fitzgerald surely debuts right

— libertarian West ozzy (@centristozzy) June 2, 2026

He’ll force Steven King’s hand eventually with the way his VFL numbers are stacking up! Remember, he won’t have the same license to roam and do whatever he likes when he (hopefully) makes his AFL debut. That doesn’t mean we won’t all jump aboard, but I don’t think Fitzy will become Tom McCarthy 2.0. I’ve been wrong before though…

Hi Fry, the million dollar question for you 😅Can you please rank the following mid season draftees: Artemis, Fitzgerald, Herbert and Hall-Kahan (just named to debut) and would you launch straight away at any of them if named? Thanks 🙏🏼

— Olivier Calvi (@oliviercalvi06) June 1, 2026

As I kind of talked about above, there’s a world where you can launch into all of them as soon as they are picked. Of course, there’s a higher degree of risk involved, so if I had to rank them, I would legitimately rank them in the order you listed them – Artemis, Fitzgerald, Herbert, Hall-Kahan. That’s based on how I perceive their role and scoring record to translate to their respective AFL sides, but the more news that filters out closer to their first game will help us paint a clearer picture.

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)
Jaxon Artemis (Bombers, $230K)
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)
Joel Fitzgerald (Demons, $230K)
Tyan Prindable (Magpies, $230K)
Luke Beecken (Lions, $230K)
Ollie Greeves (Hawks, $230K)
Ben Camporeale (Blues, $230K)
Marcus Herbert (Eagles, $230K)
Oliver Francou (Eagles, $230K)
Sam Swadling (Magpies, $230K)

RUCKMEN

Aidan Schubert (Hawks, $262K)
Kayle Gerreyn (Bombers, $230K)
Harrison Coe (Magpies, $230K)
Caleb May (Bulldogs, $230K)

FORWARDS

Sid Draper (Crows, $307K)
Jesse Dattoli (Swans, $273K)
Finlay Macrae (Eagles, $293K)
Mitchell Marsh (Crows, $266K)
Mitch Podhajski (Magpies, $230K)
Jay Polkinghorne (Cats, $230K)

Fry

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