20 down, 4 to go!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, bench cover is still so crucial in the quest for fantasy glory. I’m sure I wasn’t the only coach who copped an on-field zero last week and with popular premiums under the injury cloud once again prior to Round 21, having a well-rounded bench could be the difference between winning and losing a fantasy final. It’s important to maximise our points total during the final month of the season, but don’t neglect your bench entirely. It may end up costing you big time.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 20

Here comes Jagga! Yes, Marcus Herbert posted the best rookie score last weekend, but all eyes are on Jagga Smith as he narrows the gap on CCK leader, Lachie McAndrew. Gathering 31 disposals against the Suns will help Smith go close to polling maximin votes as we enter the final month of the fantasy season. Dyson Sharp will earn a few votes after he saved some coaches when Rowan Marshall was ruled out late in the piece and Talor Byrne also deserves a shoutout for his efforts in Round 20.

The Rising Star favourite continues his late charge in this award race, while a mid-season recruit helped himself to 36 disposals and a MONSTER score.

Who gets your vote as the most important cash cow in Round 20? 🤔 #AFLFantasy

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) July 28, 2026

Loophole Candidates

Making Moves

No one is chasing a rookie as a trade priority this late in the season, so as a result, I’ve streamlined the article before I get stuck into the awards a few weeks from now. If there’s a cash cow I don’t cover that you’ve got questions about, feel free to drop them below or hit me up on my socials.

Marcus Herbert, Eagles ($587K, 118, BE 6) – Herbert’s heroics in Derby No. 63 had plenty of coaches shuffling magnets in their fantasy side to ensure his 118 points counted in their weekly total. With the Eagles playing a late of Sunday games to close the season, it’s unlikely that you’ll get a chance to loop him onto your field again. However, it’s nice to have an emergency you can trust if crisis strikes your MID group.

Jagga Smith, Blues ($801K, 114, BE 63) – Just keeps getting it done. I was one of the coaches who opted to ditch Jagga around the mid-season mark, but anyone who has held onto the Blues phenom will be stoked with his recent efforts. An average of 96 in the last month means he can stay at F6 – perhaps for the rest of the season.

Dyson Sharp, Bombers ($646K, 102, BE 32) – Ripper score from the ascending Don that came at an opportune time for Rowan Marshall owners. It’s probably more important to use Sharp for emergency purposes over the final month, rather than cashing him in and putting the $$344K he has made to good use.

Talor Byrne, Blues ($524K, 95, BE 25) – One that certainly slipped through the cracks. The Carlton forward has found his mojo over the last five to average 69.6 points and become a handy role player for almost 6% of the competition.

Michael Sellwood, Bulldogs ($564K, 85, BE 32) – He’s almost certainly been shipped on by coaches reading this, but Sellwood still deserves a tip of the cap for his 85 points against the Tigers.

Lachlan McAndrew, Crows ($802K, 78, BE 105) – Is now the time to cash in McR2? He has been the most successful cash cow to this point of the 2026 season, but after shouldering the entire ruck load for the Crows he is starting to tire. According to reports, McAndrew missed training yesterday through illness, which casts some doubt over his availability for Round 21. I would contemplate an almost sideways trade to Tim English or Darcy Cameron if I was an owner.

Hugo Hall-Kahan, Crows ($613K, 72, BE 51) – There’s no way I would be trading out HHK over the next few weeks. Even if he’s sitting at D7, we have seen over the last few rounds how important it is to have cover in every line and Adelaide have the Bombers and Tigers across the next fortnight. Reassess his place in your side after those juicy fixtures.

Lachlan Blakiston, Bombers ($401K, 72, BE 36) – Surely Warnie was the only coach that had this lump sitting at R3 to save him when Rowan Marshall was a late out.

Noah Mraz, Hawks ($463K, 69, BE 10) – A lacerated kidney will rule Noah Mraz out for a few rounds – which is a shame as he was just starting to hit his straps. He could still return during the fantasy finals, but I’m tempted to take the few dollars he’s made and run.

Oliver Francou, Eagles ($484K, 66, BE 12) – Ditto for Francou. West Coast have said he won’t miss “too many weeks”, but I do wonder what advantage they will gain by bringing him back for the last game or two of the year. Trading him and using the cash he has made for on-field upgrades makes mores sense.

Oliver Greeves, Hawks ($366K, 65, BE -6) – Proving to be a handy investment for coaches that pounced, with scores of 65 and 75 in his last two outings. Granted, they came against Essendon and Richmond…

Jay Polkinghorne, Cats ($318K, 63, BE -9) – Polkinghorne has been the pick of the basement rookies in the last few weeks, mainly because we haven’t had a reliable F7 or F8 who can help us avoid disaster. Over 10,000 coaches have added him to their mix in the last fortnight and it’s not late to join the party if you haven’t pounced on the Polk yet.

Joel Fitzgerald, Demons ($550K, 62, BE 46) – I was worried that Fitz wouldn’t hold his place in Melbourne’s side for last rounds matchup with the Cats. Not only did he stay in the side, he found himself running with Bailey Smith at times to try and quell his influence. If he keeps playing a run with role, it may put a cap on his scoring output. Although, he should still keep producing scores in the 50’s and 60’s which is fine as an emergency.

Sullivan Robey, Bombers ($600K, 53, BE 74) – We’ve probably seen the last of Sullivan Robey in 2026, so act accordingly and trade him our owners.

Mitch Edwards, Cats ($530K, 47, BE 60) – Still the play at R3 for those who went their early in the season. Edwards is averaging 51 on the season and while that isn’t an eye-popping number, it’s handy to have that as bench cover if a ruck goes down rather than copping a donut.

Jaxon Artemis, Bombers ($256K, 47, BE 10) – Could be a shout for D7 if you’re chasing a green dot. There probably aren’t many coaches in that position though, so it’s fine to ignore Artemis for the final month. Let’s hope he doesn’t dramatically increase his scoring rate and he’s still a viable pick in 2027.

Zane Peucker, Tigers ($260K, 46, BE 11) – MID/FWD cover could be a welcome addition for the last month of the season, but I wouldn’t go chasing a Richmond player at this point. If you need that playing emergency, by all means jump on, but I don’t think Peucker will produce more than 40-50 on a weekly basis.

Lukas Cooke, Demons ($249K, 42, BE 13) – Great to see Cooke back in action for the Dees. If it was two or three rounds earlier, we could invest but I don’t think he’ll play a big enough role in the home stretch to justify selection.

Leo Lombard, Suns ($581K, 35, BE 75) – The time to cash in Lombard is now. His owners all probably have bigger fish to fry at the trade table, so you could leave him at F7 and hope he keeps providing you with cover in the forward line.

Zeke Uwland, Suns ($722K, 32, BE 101) – Zeke Uwland owners need to prioritise moving him on before he starts plummeting in price. The Gold Coast prodigy was traded in by almost 3000 coaches in the last month, and if you’re in that camp I think now is the time to upgrade Uwland before he drops another sub 60 score and loses $50k.

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.

Billy Cootee, Swans – 147 points, 19 disposals, 14 tackles, 5.1 in front of goal
Will McLachlan, Lions – 129 points, 17 disposals, 7 marks, 8 goals
Max Heath, Demons – 128 points, 20 disposals, 32 hitouts, 5 marks, 7 tackles
Dan Annable, Lions – 126 points, 37 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal
Tom Blamires, Kangaroos – 112 points, 32 disposals, 6 marks
Finlay Macrae, Eagles – 107 points, 32 disposals, 5 marks
Zane Zakostelsky, Lions – 98 points, 21 disposals, 21 hitouts
Mitch Podhajski, Magpies – 97 points, 13 disposals, 8 marks, 5.2 in front of goal
Kye Fincher, Saints – 95 points, 28 disposals
Cooper Duff-Tytler, Eagles – 95 points, 18 disposals, 7 hitouts, 6 marks, 4 goals
Jesse Dattoli, Swans – 91 points, 20 disposals, 3.2 in front of goal
Bodie Ryan, Hawks – 83 points, 25 disposals
Sam Swadling, Magpies – 83 points, 28 disposals
Jack Ison, Blues – 67 points, 16 disposals, 6 marks
Lachlan Carmichael, Bulldogs – 66 points, 17 disposals, 1 goal

Remember the Name

In no particular order, here are some of the other rookie-priced players to consider throughout the season.

DEFENDERS

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)
Tyan Prindable (Magpies, $230K)
Luke Beecken (Lions, $230K)
Ben Camporeale (Blues, $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)

Fry

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