13 down, 11 to go!

We’ve navigated our way through the first two bye rounds and there are still nine trades up our sleeve before we return to best-22 scoring. Some coaches are coming off an underwhelming weekend, but it’s important to maintain focus on the long-term picture. We can’t afford to sideways shuffle players like Dan Houston and Sam Walsh if it means we’ll be stuck fielding 3-5 rookies once the bye rounds conclude. That doesn’t mean every struggling premium gets a free pass, but the rookies you invest in are just as important as the upgrades you make. There are still 11 rounds to go in the 2026 campaign, so don’t derail your season for a quick sugar hit of points on field in Round 14.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 13

His ownership dipped by close to 20% once his bye arrived, but coaches who held onto Lachie McAndrew were chuffed to see his mammoth 128 points last round. He’ll likely see the lion’s share of the votes this round, but capable on field rooks like Willem Duursma, Milan Murdock and Jai Serong will get some love from their owners as well. Only three votes separate the top three cash cows in this award race, and all three appear amongst the nominees this week. Even if McR2 claims the four votes, the rest of the order will be telling as the quest for the CCK crown heats up.

A career-high from McR2 will likely win the poll, but the rest of the votes are still crucial in the Cash Cow King race 🏆

Who gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 13? 🤔 #AFLFantasy

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) June 9, 2026

Back ‘Em In

Stick With ‘Em

Last week, I suggested that Jack Ison ($376K, 30, BE 34) was going to continue to grow rapidly in price, despite a poor showing in Round 12. Well, that take has aged like milk. Consecutive scores of 30 and 29 have put a dent in both his cash generation and job security, leaving owners in an awkward spot heading into Carlton’s bye. I’m not ready to give up on Ison just yet, but he needs to show something sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed there’s a pop score just around the corner. Returning from Richmond’s bye, both Sam Grlj ($560K, BYE, BE 62) and Sam Cumming ($459K, BYE, BE 42) need a strong return as well if they want to remain in a high number of fantasy sides.

The pair have seen their ownership steadily decline to the point that most people reading this will have moved on from the Tiger cubs. Leo Lombard ($525K, 53, BE 50) has also been discarded by nearly 20,000 coaches in the last few rounds. Any coaches who are still fielding these rooks may have bigger issues to face, but with their prices peaking and cash gen slowing, it makes sense to move them on if a viable trade target presents itself. A portion of the fantasy community are trusting Tom Cochrane ($291K, 60, BE 6) to be that guy after his strong showing in game No. 4 against the Eagles over the weekend. Personally, I’m not convinced he’ll be much better than the bloke he replaced in Anastopoulos, although I do understand the appeal given Port Adelaide have already had their bye.

I’m keen to see a bit more before calling him a genuine option, particularly with a tougher matchup against the Swans this week. Similar doubts surround Luker Kentfield ($249K, 47, BE 9) after his debut in the King’s Birthday match. An injury to Brodie Mihocek could help his job security, but his scoring output doesn’t really scream “must-have” just yet. To be honest, Mitch Podhajski ($258K, 59, BE 1) arguably looks the best of this group from a cash cow perspective, but it’s hard to justify trading into a player who has his feet up this week. On that note, Geelong also opted to rest Mitchell Edwards ($438K, DNP, BE 21) last round, but his owners don’t need to panic as he still has a bit of cash to make once he returns to the side.

Cash ‘Em Out

Let me preface this by saying Jagga Smith ($738K, 57, BE 82) doesn’t have to go this week at the trade table. However, the Blues rookie has more than served his purpose as a cash cow and, despite all the talk about him flirting with a spot at F6, I still view him as a Tier 2 starter in the forward line. For added context, excluding his score from Sunday, Jagga had averaged 83.8 points from his previous six matches – which, over the course of the season, is basically what Toby Greene and Jack Ginnivan are producing. Good numbers, but not exactly elite production. There is a somewhat juicy fixture on the horizon for the Blues after their bye, however now feels like the perfect time to thank Smith for the $500K+ he has made and upgrade him to a premium.

At opposite ends of the ground, Josh Lindsay ($681K, DNP, BE 68) and Brayden Cook ($678K, 68, BE 82) will also be among the popular trade-out targets for coaches prior to Round 14. Lindsay struggled to get going in the WAFL with just 10 touches last weekend, while Cook looks set to lose cash in a tougher matchup against the Bulldogs on Thursday night. Take the cash they have made and run while you can still make a profit. Currently the third-most traded-out player, Angus Anderson ($502K, 39, BE 57) can also be discarded to bank a few dollars, while Michael Sellwood ($508K, 50, BE 61) earns a pat on the back for quelling the Wizard’s influence on his way out. Toby Murray ($455K, 33, BE 64) is about to bleed cash quickly, so his owners should look to move him on, and I would be surprised if DEF cash cows Wade Derksen ($345K, 49, BE 9), Bodie Ryan ($317K, 40, BE 13) and Beau Macdonald ($307K, 49, BE 5) held onto their spots when Round 15 teams are announced.

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.

Jack Watkins, Power – 123 points, 33 disposals, 8 marks
Max Heath, Demons – 121 points, 22 disposals, 17 hitouts, 10 marks, 6 tackles
Beau Addinsall, Suns – 121 points, 29 disposals, 8 marks, 7 tackles
Joel Fitzgerald, Demons – 119 points, 33 disposals, 7 marks
Oliver Greeves, Hawks – 108 points, 26 disposals, 10 marks
Luke Kennedy, Bulldogs – 101 points, 17 disposals, 15 tackles
Harry DeMattia, Magpies – 101 points, 24 disposals, 2.1 in front of goal
Oliver Francou, Eagles – 97 points, 26 disposals, 4 marks
Charlie Edwards, Crows – 95 points, 25 disposals, 1 goal
Lachie Jaques, Bulldogs – 92 points, 26 disposals
Dylan Patterson, Suns – 91 points, 19 disposals, 8 marks
Jack Carroll, Saints – 83 points, 24 disposals, 5 marks
Zeke Uwland, Suns – 77 points, 13 disposals, 9 marks, 1.1 in front of goal
Lachlan Carmichael, Bulldogs – 64 points, 19 disposals, 5 marks
Zane Zakostelsky, Lions – 60 points, 13 disposals, 10 hitouts, 1 goal
Marcus Herbert, Eagles – 53 points, 16 disposals, 
Caleb May, Bulldogs – 51 points, 9 disposals, 26 hitouts
Charlie Banfield, Saints – 50 points, 13 disposals, 1 goal
Josh Lindsay, Eagles – 40 points, 10 disposals, 1 goal
Lachy Dovaston, Kangaroos – 28 points, 7 disposals, 1.1 in front of goal

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.

If selected, Would you go a 230k with an upcoming bye that looks to be a higher scorer: Fitzgerlad, Francou, Herbert or a rookie who has had there bye like Cochrane but lower pedigree of scoring?

— Brendan (@aflbsmith) June 9, 2026

To be honest, I’d target the better long-term rookie. Unless it completely cooks you for Round 15 or 16, we still need to focus on cash gen for the final stretch of the season and guys like Fitzgerald are going to play a big role in that department.

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)
Jay Polkinghorne (Cats, $230K)

Fry

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