Another draft has been and gone so it’s time to take a look at the fantasy numbers of the players drafted and work out who may offer some value in our AFL Fantasy teams next year.

At The Keeper League, we analyze the fantasy numbers of all the players taken in the AFL Draft to get a snapshot of how they might perform from a fantasy perspective. You often hear about the players at the top end of the draft in the media, but the players taken early don’t always equate to being the best fantasy scorers. We think it’s vital to know which players are most suited to fantasy so we can consider picking them in our teams. In this article, we will take a look at some of the most talked-about players in the draft from a fantasy perspective, but also try to identify some lesser-knowns who could turn out to be fantasy gems.

Before we dive into the fantasy numbers, it’s important to note that Victorian players did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19 so we’ll be using their 2019 numbers. These numbers won’t be a true representation of their fantasy potential as they were bottom-agers at the time, but they do give us an idea of how they play.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

By now you should know who this guy is.

Ugle-Hagan was taken at pick one and landed at the Bulldogs via a Next Generation Academy bid. Playing as a key forward for Oakley Chargers, he is known for his athletic ability, marking prowess, and goal smarts. He was a standout in this year’s draft pool and deserved to be the first name read out in the 2020 AFL Draft.

But how do his fantasy numbers stack up?

His fantasy scoring didn’t set the world on fire but this isn’t out of the ordinary for young key forwards, especially as a bottom-ager. He averaged 66 points for the 2019 season, running with numbers of 8.6 kicks, 1.4 handballs, 5.2 marks, 1.4 tackles, and 2.7 goals per game. The positive sign was his goal kicking, booting 24 goals across 9 appearances, drawing comparisons with the great Lance Franklin.

His biggest game from a fantasy perspective came in round 10 of the 2019 season where he scored 93 AFL Fantasy points. In this game, he had 11 kicks, 4 handballs, 7 marks, and kicked 5 goals.

There has been a bit of talk about him possibly playing up the field on a wing given his athletic ability, but with the abundance of midfielders at Western Bulldogs (and the lack of key forward options), I don’t see that happening.

Like all key forwards, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan will take some time to develop at AFL level. I can see him become a reasonable fantasy scorer eventually but he may only be useful in 2021 as a cash cow if he’s given an opportunity early. For keeper leagues, he’s worth stashing away for now and reaping the rewards later.

Will Phillips

This guy looks to be a fantasy type.

This young midfielder has a good balance between his inside and outside game with the ability to find his own ball and get it moving forward. As an Oakleigh product, he spent 2019 in the guts alongside Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson in their premiership assault but unfortunately did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic. However, he spent the year getting his body up to AFL standard and now looks like a ready-made player, so he should see some games early for North Melbourne.

In terms of fantasy numbers, he averaged 78 AFL Fantasy points in the NAB League in 2019. His average stats per game were 8 kicks, 14 handballs, 3 marks, and 4 tackles per game. Phillips’ best score of the year came against Sandringham Dragons in the 2019 preliminary final where he had 103 AFL Fantasy points. His stats for the game included 8 kicks, 19 handballs, 3 marks, and 8 tackles. Again, he wasn’t setting the world on fire but his numbers would tell a different story if he had the chance to play in 2020.

The one concern I have with Phillips is he favors the handball and we all know players who have low kick-to-handball ratios often struggle when it comes to fantasy scoring. However, given the type of player he is and the fact he got drafted to North Melbourne, he should make a good cash cow in 2021, and will definitely be a player who could find a place in your keeper league teams going forward.

Tom Powell

Now we’re getting into some players who put up juicy numbers in 2020.

Powell played in the SANFL Under 18s competition in 2020 and was the most impressive talent in the competition, taking out the league’s best and fairest. This kid knows how to find the footy, has genuine ball-winning abilities, and is a natural extractor averaging 9 clearances per game.

He played 15 games for Sturt in the Under 18 competition in 2020 where he averaged 119 fantasy points and 34 touches. His best game of the season came in Round 10 against West Adelaide, where he scored a whopping 174 fantasy points which came from 47 disposals and two goals. He was super consistent throughout the 2020 campaign, scoring 100s in 12 out of 15 games, including some other big scores of 153 and 151 AFL Fantasy points.

The main concern with Powell is despite his dominance at Under 18s level, he wasn’t given any senior opportunities at Sturt, which indicates his body may not have been up for footy at the senior level. But once he gets an AFL preseason under his belt he could be ready to go, and landing at North Melbourne means he should be given an opportunity in 2021.

If he does get a run, he could provide us with some good fantasy scores.

Errol Gulden

Here’s another guy I’m excited about from a fantasy perspective.

Gulden was drafted to Sydney through their academy and has been playing in their academy team as an outside midfielder. He has been described as the complete package in terms of ability by recruiters around the country, but he’s definitely on the shorter side standing at only 175cm tall. In years gone by, this would have been an issue, but the rise of Caleb Daniel makes us think differently about these smaller types. He has great athletism and footy smarts, but his kicking and contested ball work do let him down from time to time.

Looking at his fantasy numbers, he played 3 games in the NAB League in 2019 and averaged 107 AFL Fantasy points. Looking at individual stat lines, he averaged 20 kicks, 7 handballs, 6 marks, 2 tackles, and a goal per game. His best performance came in Round 2 where he scored 132 AFL Fantasy points against Tasmanian Devils on the back of 24 kicks, 9 handballs, 6 marks, 3 tackles, and 2 goals.

Gulden definitely has the tools to make it at AFL level, despite being quite short in comparison to other players. With his kicking efficiency, I’m not sure where he fits into the Sydney line-up, given he’d be competing with players like Oliver Florent and Dylan Stephens for a spot on the wing, and players like Jake Lloyd and Jordan Dawson for a spot down back.

We’ll be hoping he becomes a good downgrade target mid-season in AFL Fantasy, and will definitely be a player to stash for keeper leagues.

Braeden Campbell

Lastly, we have another player drafted to the Swans – this time we’re talking about midfielder/forward Braeden Campbell.

Campbell is a great user of the ball and can play both inside and outside roles in the midfield. He is a great ball-winner in traffic but can also transfer to the outside and deliver cleanly inside 50. Without a doubt, Campbell’s greatest asset is his kicking – an area of his game where he ranks as elite.

Playing for the Sydney Academy team, he played four games in the NAB League in 2019 and averaged 12 kicks, 4 handballs, 3 marks, and a whopping 7 tackles per game. These tackle numbers were where he made up the bulk of his fantasy scoring, averaging 92 AFL Fantasy points per game.

Campbell also played three games of senior footy for Sydney’s NEAFL side in 2019. In his three NEAFL games, Campbell averaged 65 fantasy points with 8 kicks, 7 handballs, 3 marks, and 5 tackles. These numbers are quite good for an underage player against senior footballers, and it’s also encouraging to see him keep the tackle count up at this level.

Given the fact that Campbell has had a taste of senior footy, and that Sydney will be giving more opportunity to younger midfielders to reduce the reliance on senior players like Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker, we could see a bit of him next year at AFL level.

The Keeper League has all the fantasy numbers of players selected in the 2020 AFL Draft available to their members. Sign up to gain access.