Callum Mills – Deck of Dream Team 2023

Pills, thrills and Callum Mills… Will you cough up the big bucks for the Swannies superstar?  

 

Player	Callum Mills
Club	Sydney
Position	MID
Price	$983K
Bye	R12
2022 avg	111
2022 gms	22
Proj. avg	113
Draft Range	Mid-first Round

 

Why should I pick him? 

He does it all

The numbers don’t lie… Callum Mills just knows how to fantasy! Fun fact: In 22 games last season Mills only eclipsed 30 disposals once. That’s right, once! His ability to fill a stats sheet is second to none, averaging an elite 6.6 marks and 6.3 tackles per game in 2022. There’s about 45 fantasy points without even disposing of the aggot.

Ceiling 

When Mills goes big he goes reeeeeaaallly big. His top three scores of 2022 read: 162, 156, 148. Not many players boast the ability to go this large – when it rains, it pours. He even plays Hawthorn (whom he dumped 162 on) as early as round 2 in 2023!

Two Mills 

Not to be confused with Three Mills bakery (who do elite mince pies by the way!), why not indulge in Two Mills? Since moving into the midfield in 2021, Mills has shown his worth as a genuine captain option. In 2022, Mills topped 115 in 11/22 (50%) of his games! To put this in to perspective, Clarry managed 115+ in 9/21 (43%) games and Touk 9/22 (41%) games.

Cheeky POD? 

Incredibly, Mills could end up being a cheeky point of difference (POD) with a current ownership of just 4%! Now I’m not about chasing PODs but this is one you can take to the bank.

Tag Immunity 

Despite being an absolute gun, Mills seems to fly under the radar when it comes to copping extra heat from the opposition… With the Chad getting a taste of life as the hunted later in 2022, I can’t see this changing heading into 2023. Big tick for Mills!

Mills reaction when the taggers avoid him for the Chad!

 

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

Affordability 

At $983K, It’s going to take plenty of cash monies to make it happen! Coaches will undoubtedly be looking for value, particularly with many looking to run with a stacked forward line (Dunks, Cogs, Taranto + Rozee) to commence season 2023. Is their enough upside (i.e. 3-5 points) to justify his selection and go in a bit weaker in another position?

Horsin’ around? 

A flag worth mentioning is that when Sydney were in trouble at times throughout 2022, Horse Longmire would turn to Mills to play almost like a goalkeeper role down at full back in a bid to stem the bleeding! Turns out Mills is pretty good at this role too… As you can imagine, whilst he still chalked up a few cheap +6’s, he did endure quiet patches throughout games not being around the footy as much. He also did not kick-in with the duopoly of Lloyd and Blakey feasting on cheap +3’s!

Midfield Mix / CBA’s 

While it didn’t affect Callum’s scoring a great deal, it is worth noting he did attend less centre bounces as season 2022 wore on. The emergence of both Chad Warner and James Rowbottom as well as Mills own versatility likely precipitated this. We also saw the little flea Tommy Papley tossed in their from time to time to provide a different look to Sydney’s midfield mix!

Deck of DT Rating 

KING

Mills is a walk-up start as a top 8 mid in season 2023, add to that his captaincy credentials and ability to be selected as a POD and we are on to a winner. If your team structure and salary cap allow, he should be strongly considered. The only thing stopping Pills, Thrills being an ACE is:

1. Recent history in AFL fantasy shows that the top squads don’t start with these uber-premium midfielders, and instead invest in value.
2. His exploits as ‘Mr Fix it’ – he may spend time during games at fullback if Sydney are in a spot of bother!

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Cheers legends,

Fantasy Fanatic #70