17 down, 7 to go!

The majority of the fantasy community were happy to welcome back 22 on-field scorers. Some, however, were probably wishing we could go back to best-18. Round 17 was a stark reminder of how important it is to build a healthy squad, not just a starting 22 full of uber premiums. Coaches who happily banked Hugo Hall-Kahan’s 80 points on Friday night were left scrambling when Lachie Whitfield copped a head knock. That scenario reinforced just how important reliable bench cover is with seven rounds to play. Of course, we all want to strengthen our starting 22 with every trade, but you can’t afford to neglect your bench completely – especially given the rate our premiums are dropping like flies this season.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 17

The usual suspects once again appear on the CCK nominee list, with Lachie McAndrew and Jagga Smith leading the rookie charge in Round 17. West Coast debutant Oliver Francou also stood out – edging Noah Mraz (87) and Beau Addinsall (86) out of the votes based on his higher ownership percentage. However, none of them could get close to Gold Coast phenom Zeke Uwland. The future fantasy star dropped the highest score we’ve seen from a rookie this season and even though he isn’t in my side, he’ll be getting my vote this week.

There were noteworthy scores from a few rookies last round, but one of them CLEARLY stands out from the pack.

Who gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 17? 🤔 #AFLFantasy

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) July 7, 2026

Back ‘Em In

Stick With ‘Em

There is plenty of buzz revolving around Zeke Uwland ($619K, 146, BE -9) in rookie circles this week – and rightly so after he gathered 32 disposals with 16 marks against the Pies! Surely we’re not trading back into Zeke at this time of the season…right? Either way, he deserves a tip of the cap and hopefully this is a sign of what’s to come in year two. Jagga Smith ($734K, 100, BE 68) also managed to record the first triple-figure score of his fantasy career on the weekend, making the most of the Richmond matchup. Most of us have already cashed Jagga in, and if you haven’t, he’d still be in my trade plans over the next fortnight. Another popular starting pick in Leo Lombard ($543K, 58, BE 51) keeps chipping away with fine scores, but trusting him at F6 is bound to backfire sooner rather than later.

Checking in at a touch over $500K, both Mitch Edwards ($511K, 70, BE 41) and Dyson Sharp ($510K, 76, BE 26) are providing coaches with convenient bench cover and Sharp’s new FWD status only adds to his appeal as a bench cash cow. Most coaches have a pair of red dots at F7 and F8, so the ability to swing Sharp forward could save 16% of coaches if disaster strikes. Gold Coast pair Jai Murray ($466K, 42, BE 41) and Beau Addinsall ($410K, 86, BE -4) have emerged as solid bench pieces in the midfield, with Sam Swadling ($318K, 62, BE 4) joining the group. There’s no hurry moving any of them on unless they find themselves back in the reserves.

A couple of genuine downgrade options are available in defence this week. If you haven’t launched into Kye Annard ($354K, 44, BE 21), then you may be targeting Josh Goater ($309K, 54, BE -2) or Noah Mraz ($279K, 87, BE -15) for a berth at D7. Both Goater and Mraz seem to have shaky job security, but negative breakevens make them viable options for your DEF bench. If you had to pick one, I still slightly lean towards Goater, but hopefully both of them can string enough games together to make a decent chunk of change. At this point, the cash generation you get from these players almost feels secondary. Having another green dot for emergency purposes is just as valuable.

Cash ‘Em Out

I’ve been talking about the same mainstream rookies in this section for weeks now. The time has well and truly come to move on from Eagles trio Willem Duursma ($731K, 59, BE 103), Josh Lindsay ($679K, DNP, BE 83) and Milan Murdock ($615K, 38, BE 103) if you haven’t already, with all three set to lose value again this round. No cash cow has bled more cash than Brayden Cook ($617K, 32, BE 105) across the last fortnight. Another dud score saw the once relaibel Crow dip significantly in price – taking his price plummet to $76K in the last two weeks. Both he and Sullivan Robey ($599K, 71, BE 67) need to be moved out of our forward lines ASAP.

Further up the ground, the same can be said for Richmond youngsters Patrick Retschko ($608K, 59, BE 57) and Sam Cumming ($557K, 46, BE 51). A combined 6,700+ coaches are pulling the trigger on the two Tigers at the moment and while you could squeeze a few more dollars out of them, now feels like the right time to cut bait. Coaches are swinging the axe on Jai Serong ($725K, 80, BE 92) too. Fresh off the Bulldogs bump, Serong should be a priority to get off field before Thursday night’s clash with Fremantle. Finally, Jack Ison ($413K, 49, BE 33) rounds out the list as the third most traded-out player this week. After opening his AFL career with scores of 67 and 72, he’s averaged a measly 42.8 points across his last five outings. Unless you’re desperate for a green dot at M10, I think it’s time to move him on.

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.

Charlie Edwards, Crows – 111 points, 30 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals
Caleb Graham, Suns – 110 points, 26 disposals, 10 marks
Flynn Riley, Blues – 108 points, 17 disposals, 43 hitouts
Billy Cootee, Swans – 105 points, 27 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles, 1.2 in front of goal
Dan Annable, Lions – 104 points, 26 disposals, 6 marks
Aidan Schubert, Hawks – 94 points, 17 disposals, 5 marks, 3.1 in front of goal
Charlie Banfield, Saints – 91 points, 23 disposals, 8 marks
Alex Dodson, Saints – 84 points, 17 disposals, 30 hitouts
Sid Draper, Crows – 51 points, 18 disposals
Mitch Podhajski, Magpies – 28 points, 6 disposals, 1 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.

Any forward rookies worth looking at?

— Daniel Hausler (@DanHausler) July 7, 2026

Broken record alert – nope. Nearly 5,000 coaches who jumped on Riley Hamilton after he was named to debut last week, but his 35 points are hardly noteworthy. We will just keep waiting and hope that a trustworthy green dot emerges for F7. Don’t hold your breath though.

Is Goater still a good option? Has a nice few weeks of matchups just worried about job security.

— Jos (@jossss55) July 7, 2026

Got any clues on Mraz’s job security? I know Bodie Ryan was a late in 4 Battle’s concussion, but I heard there’s others coming back? Cheers as always! 🍻

— Shannanniganz (@Shannanniganz) July 7, 2026

I’ve lumped these two together because the bulk of the questions I’ve got this week have been asking me to split this pair. I feel like Mraz’s 87 points were a bit of a flash in the pan and it’s not every week that an opposition is going to kick 125 points vs. Hawthorn. In the VFL, he only averaged 64.7 (although he did have nearly seven marks a game) and I feel like he’s a placeholder until Battle, Impey and/or Weddle comes back.

Goater is hardly a home run, but his spot in the Kangaroos team feels a bit more secure. Riley Hardeman seems like the main threat to his job, but given the lengthy layoff that Goater has had, I expect North to try and get as much footy into him as possible. If you had to choose between the two, it’s the Goat for me.

Which debutants looked the goods last round? I didn’t watch any footy as I have a fear of whistles

— Carrn the Pear (@Originaltibbedy) July 7, 2026

First of all, mute the TV next time so you can still enjoy the footy, Secondly, Oliver Francou is the only player I’d feel comfotable trading into from the list of Round 17 debutants. Noah Mraz may have another score or two before going out of the side, but it’s Francou or bust for mine – the rest we can ignore unless something changes.

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 🤙