21 down, 3 to go!

Three weeks and six trades are all that remain in the 2026 fantasy season. As we gear up for semi-final weekend, some coaches are still shuffling rookie pieces, and it’s crucial to ensure you have cover in as many lines as possible for the run home. However, if you’ve got fattened cash cows sitting on your bench, don’t miss the chance to cash them in. Ideally, they become another cheaper green dot – or you will already have multiple playing rookies in that line. I’m sure I’m not the only coach who reaches the end of the season with two or three rookies worth $500K+ still sitting on the pine. That’s a lot of cash that could have been turned into points on field.

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

Cash Cow King – Round 21

A pair of mid-season recruits topped the rookie scoring last round, with Joel Fitzgerald and Marcus Herbert playing handy cameos in the midfield for their owners. Some coaches may have missed out on their triple-figure scores, but the crew who have Jagga Smith in their squads would have surely benefitted from his 94 points. Smith continues to make a late-season charge for the CCK award, with Dyson Sharp another rookie who is thriving late in the fantasy season. I’m giving Fitz my vote this week, but you could make the case for all of these cash cows to earn maximum votes for Round 21.

A bunch of rookies put up strong fantasy numbers last weekend, but a rookie ruck still leads the charge with four rounds to go.

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

— SportsbyFry (@sportsbyfry) August 4, 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 next week. 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.

Joel Fitzgerald, Demons ($601K, 106, BE 30) – Probably the best game of Fitz’s young career with two goals and 23 disposals against the Suns. Perfect MID cover for coaches, with the possibility of looping him on at M8.

Marcus Herbert, Eagles ($668K, 104, BE 11) – Thanks to West Coast’s fixture, we won’t get the chance to loop Herbert onto our ground anymore. However, coming off consecutive scores of 100+, there’s a world where you can plug the mature-aged Eagle into your final on-field MID spot if there is another uninspiring player already sitting there. It’s risky, but his run of form can’t be denied.

Jagga Smith, Blues ($830K, 94, BE 66) – Has one hand on the Rising Star award now, with three votes surely coming his way after his heroics against the Lions. No reason to consider moving him from F6 if you’ve held on this long.

Dyson Sharp, Bombers ($697K, 91, BE 37) – Ditto. Most of the Dyson Sharp owners will have him sitting on their forward bench as important cover should crisis strike, but there would be a few who have fielded him in recent weeks. Those coaches wouldn’t be disappointed in the ascending Don – with scores of 91, 102 and 90 in his last three.

Lachlan McAndrew, Crows ($792K, 86, BE 91) – Another sub 90 score will see a portion of the remaining McAndrew truthers jump ship this week. The Crows ruckman hasn’t lit the world on fire over the past month and despite his stellar fantasy season, fatigue seems to be setting in for McAndrew. You should probably keep him for the Richmond matchup in the hopes he reaches great heights, but he is just as likely to sit for big chunks of the game to prepare for the finals series.

Jaxon Artemis, Bombers ($316K, 84, BE -15) – 20 touches and seven marks helped Jaxon Artemis produce the best numbers of his young career vs. Adelaide. He looms as a great D7/D8 option and this week is probably the last chance to pounce on the Bombers backman.

Wade Derksen, Blues ($487K, 83, BE 30) – Elite work from some people’s D7. We’ve been used to scores in the 40/50 range from Derksen, but he’s now gone 83 and 74 in his last two. I don’t expect these numbers to continue once Weitering returns, but credit where credit is due.

Patrick Retschko, Tigers ($676K, 78, BE 58) – Almost everyone has moved on from Retschko by now, however, the few coaches who still have the Richmond winger would be chuffed with his recent output. Given there are only a few weeks left in the season though, I’d want to trade him out and put the cash he’s generated to good use.

Hugo Hall-Kahan, Crows ($636K, 76, BE 50) – Hugo has still proved to be useful at D6 for coaches who have been bitten hard by the injury bug in defence. The return of Rory Laird may cap his scoring output, but I still think HHK can be used for emergency purposes. Ideally, you’ve got multiple green dots in your backline and you can cash Hall-Kahan in and make $400K+.

Oscar Ryan, Crows ($268K, 75, BE -9) – A stellar debut from the touted youngster and a lot of coaches are going there this week. Trading Hall-Kahan to his teammate can net you some convenient cash, but I’ll be curious to see if Ryan plays the final three games this fantasy season.

Mitch Edwards, Cats ($540K, 68, BE 49) – Keeps churning out strong R3 numbers and provides coaches with a coveted green dot. Most of us are running a non-playing rookie on our ruck bench, so if you’re an Edwards owner I’d be tempted to hold him for the home straight in case one of our premo rucks goes down.

Jay Polkinghorne, Cats ($369K, 52, BE 2) – The perfect F7 play at the moment, with a juicy fixture to come. I wouldn’t pay up for him now though.

Archie Ludowyke, Crows ($248K, 50, BE 7) – If Adelaide keep providing Ludowyke with games, he could be a cheap FWD bench alternative. I’d be concerned about his job security and Thursday’s team will tell us a lot about his place in the pecking order.

Sam Cumming, Tigers ($575K, 25, BE 76) – Season 2026 is done for the promising Tigers cub. A syndesmosis injury coupled with his shoulder concerns mean that Richmond has drawn a line through him for their final three games and coaches who still own Cumming need to cash him in ASAP.

Oliver Greeves, Hawks ($387K, 18, BE 29) – Greeves only managed 22% game time against North Melbourne on Saturday, which is a frustrating sign for owners. It also suggests that he’ll be absent from the team sheet against Brisbane for Round 22.

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.

Lucas Camporeale, Blues – 132 points, 32 disposals, 14 marks
Sam Swadling, Magpies – 121 points, 40 disposals, 5 tackles
Xavier Taylor, Demons – 120 points, 24 disposals, 8 marks, 9 tackles
Ben Camporeale, Blues – 114 points, 27 disposals, 5 tackles
Luke Beecken, Lions – 112 points, 25 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles
Flynn Riley, Blues – 108 points, 21 disposals, 30 hitouts
Toby Whan, Dockers – 103 points, 31 disposals, 1 goal
Luka Cooke, Demons – 95 points, 23 disposals, 10 marks
Harrison Coe, Magpies – 92 points,12 disposals, 31 hitouts, 5 marks
Lachlan Carmichael, Bulldogs – 73 points, 19 disposals
Sid Draper, Crows – 68 points, 19 disposals

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

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 🤙