15 down, 9 to go!

The end of the bye rounds is finally in sight. The last best-18 round is almost upon us and as we gear up for the final third of the 2026 fantasy season, it’s important to remember a few things. Firstly, if you haven’t done so already, start mapping out your Round 17 side by putting all of your best players onto the field. You may quickly realise that you’re loaded in one particular area or worse, you have 7 gun FWD’s and you can’t fit them all onto the ground. Which leads into my second point. This is the last time all season that we are granted with three trades in one week and it’s important we use them wisely. Coaches are launching into the likes of Luke Jackson, Zach Merrett and Isaac Heeney, although, you may be better suited to target value picks such as Sam Banks, Will Day and/or Sam Durham if it helps remove rookies from your field. There is still over a month before the fantasy finals begin, so keep one eye on the present and one eye on the future as you make your final three bye-round trades.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 15

It’s not often that we get three of the top scorers from one team, but that’s exactly what happened last round. Popular starting picks Lachie McAndrew and Brayden Cook continued to produce for the crew that held them through the byes, but mid-season sensation Hugo Hall-Kahan was the one who really stood out. His first 100+ score should see him earn the majority of the votes with Jai Murray not too fair behind him with a score of 88.

A trio of Crows and a Gold Coast academy gun finished as the best scoring rookies last weekend.

Who gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 15? 🤔 #AFLFantasy

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) June 23, 2026

Back ‘Em In

Stick With ‘Em

Gold Coast stud Jai Murray ($404K, 88, BE -10) is a tad unlucky not to break through as a top-tier rook after his showing vs. the Hawks. He and fellow academy product Beau Adinsall ($310K, 66, BE 8) gave Suns fans a glimpse into the future on Friday night, combining for 36 disposals and a pair of encouraging fantasy scores. The problem for non-owners is that both have already climbed to an awkward price point. If you’re desperate for an M8 option, there’s a case to be made for Murray, but I’d rather look at the cheaper alternatives. The same logic applies to recycled defender Wade Derksen ($393K, 70, BE 10), who rewarded owners with 70 points last weekend. That score is nice, but it’s hard to justify spending up for Derksen at his current price. While a score of 70 will lead to Derksen being ignored, it has likely given Sam Cumming ($500K, 71, BE 34) another lifeline in a few fantasy sides.

There’s a chance the talented Tiger adds FWD status in Round 17, and I’m happy to give him another week in the hope that he gains DPP. He featured at 75% of the CBA’s against North and if that trend continues, it’s worth noting that Cumming will likely miss out on adding positional flexibility. Some of the fantasy community are offloading mainstream ruckmen Lachlan McAndrew ($821K, 74, BE 87) and Mitch Edwards ($490K, 44, BE 46) in preparation for the post-bye era. McAndrew has more than served his purpose for coaches who used him as a fieldable ruck throughout the byes, although he may get one more run with Max Gawn sitting out this week. The same can’t be said for Edwards, with Geelong’s bye offering coaches a perfect opportunity to cut bait and pocket some handy cash. Lastly, Brayden Cook ($693K, 86, BE 66) continues to produce for coaches who have him plugged in at F6, so there’s no urgency to move him on.

Cash ‘Em Out

I’ve been saying it for a few weeks now, but Jagga Smith ($726K, 70, BE 93) and Milan Murdock ($687K, BYE, BE 94) aren’t the answers at F5/F6 we were hoping for. Both established cash cows now own breakevens in the 90’s and it’s easy to pivot to a value option in the forward line such as Sam Durham or pay up for a Jordan De Goey type. The pair meet on Saturday and could easily reward owners with an 80-90 point score, but moving them on remains the smarter long-term play. Over 30% of the competition will be eagerly watching team announcements on Thursday to see if Josh Lindsay ($679K, BYE, BE 83) is named, but he’s a rook I’d still look to move on ASAP. Lindsay isn’t alone on the list of rookies who are pressing trade issues. Sullivan Robey ($614K, BYE, BE 85) remains near the top of the trade out list thanks to his pre-bye dud score and fellow FWD Phoenix Gothard ($602K, 31, BE 79) can’t be trusted anymore either.

Depending on your team structure, the pair can either be downgraded to a bench piece or upgraded to a premium before they dip under $600K. Patrick Retschko ($577K, 50, BE 74), the most traded out rookie this round, could burn us on the way out with a handy score, although he has essentially made all the money he is going to make. The same can be said for bench heartbeats such as Leo Lombard ($522K, 56, BE 61), Michael Sellwood ($469K, 46, BE 63) and Jack Ison ($383K, 45, BE 43). Lombard and Sellwood make sense as trade-outs, but I’m disappointed that Ison didn’t recapture the heights he displayed in his first fortnight. If he keeps getting picked by Josh Fraser, you can stash him at M10 and hope for a turnaround, although I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

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 Carroll, Saints – 155 points, 46 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal
Ben Jepson, Suns – 127 points, 35 disposals, 8 marks
Bailey Laurie, Demons – 122 points, 31 disposals, 7 tackles, 1.1 in front of goal
Oliver Greeves, Hawks – 117 points, 33 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal
Jack Dalton, Hawks – 115 points, 27 disposals, 10 marks
Flynn Riley, Blues – 106 points, 20 disposals, 53 hitouts
Lance Collard, Saints – 103 points, 30 disposals, 7 marks
Latrelle Pickett, Demons – 102 points, 21 disposals, 4.2 in front of goal
Charlie West, Magpies – 97 points, 21 disposals, 8 marks, 3 goals
Angus Anderson, Magpies – 96 points, 21 disposals, 11 tackles
Harrison Coe, Magpies – 84 points, 16 disposals, 5 marks, 28 hitouts
Bodie Ryan, Hawks – 83 points, 26 disposals
Dylan Patterson, Suns – 83 points, 23 disposals
Jack Ough, Giants – 80 points, 28 disposals
Aidan Schubert, Hawks – 78 points, 15 disposals, 6 marks, 2.2 in front of goal
Sid Draper, Crows – 70 points, 20 disposals, 1 goal
Charlie Banfield, Saints – 52 points, 11 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.

Can we hold on ‘disco’ herbert till next week if i can get Merrett and heeney this week? Unsure on his security with some names back

— Thilina Guruge (@ThilinaGur83791) June 23, 2026

Personally, I am. I’m eager to see what his role looks like against the Blues, although to be fair I didn’t watch the bulk of the game against North Melbourne a fortnight ago. Still, even if it wasn’t Herbert in this scenario, I think it’s a great idea to grab the premium when you can. Given that we are at the pointy end of the season and injuries continue to throw us curveballs, I’d launch into Merrett and Heeney (in that order if you had to pick one).

Pods a good forward option with the match up? Or look elsewhere

— Tambo (@RamboTamboDT) June 23, 2026

I made the shuffle from Dovaston to Podhajski last week, mainly because I believe he will have solid job security for the rest of the 2026 fantasy campaign. The FWD rookies have been lacklustre all season, although the Pies spearhead should be fine for bench cover once the byes conclude. Before that happens, let’s hope he can provide us with a best-18 calibre score against the Tigers.

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)
Tyan Prindable (Magpies, $230K)
Luke Beecken (Lions, $230K)
Ollie Greeves (Hawks, $230K)
Ben Camporeale (Blues, $230K)
Oliver Francou (Eagles, $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 🤙